Consider …

In the National League West, the Los Angeles Dodgers took down the Big Red Machine Cincinnati Reds to continue a run of success that began in 1974 and would last through the late 1980s, with six division titles, five pennants, and two World Series championships.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies would win their second NL East crown in a row en route to three straight before winning the 1980 World Series and losing the 1983 Fall Classic to the Baltimore Orioles.

In the AL West, the Kansas City Royals were a near-mirror-image of the Phils, logging their second of three straight division titles en route to a World Series loss in 1980, another division title in 1984, and a world championship in 1985.

In the AL East the New York Yankees were on the cusp of their second AL pennant, which would lead to the first of two Series titles in a row. They would also win another division title in 1980 and then squeeze through to the World Series in 1981 after exploiting the fouled-up playoff scheme of the strike-shortened 1981 season.

And what’s the best way to reminisce about all this royalty (Royalty?)?

Why, with 1977 Topps baseball cards, of course!

To celebrate this underrated classic, here are the ten most valuable cards from the set, culled from recent eBay sales of specimens in PSA 8 condition and starting at the bottom (well, at #10).

(Note: The following sections contain affiliate links to eBay and Amazon listings for the cards being discussed.

1977 Topps George Brett (#580)

When the 1977 Topps set debuted, George Brett was still just 23 years old, but he’d already won a batting title (.333 in 1976), made an All-Star team (1976), and garnered MVP votes for two years running.

The best was yet to come, of course, and Brett would pretty much cement his status as a first-ballot Hall of Famer before the 1980s were through.

Although not quite as iconic as his first two issues, the 1977 Topps card of this Kansas City Royals legend still sells regularly on eBay (and through other avenues) — less than $10 for raw copies, but a good hunk more in PSA 8.

Value: $60-80

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1977 Topps Reggie Jackson (#10)

When this 1977 Topps Reggie Jackson card was issued, Reggie was already something of a legend from his years with the Oakland A’s.

But it wasn’t until that fall, his first with the New York Yankees, when Reggie would really become Mr. October.

This card features a pretty bad airbrush job, but Topps did a rush job to get Reggie in his new togs after one year with the Baltimore Orioles — proof of their late change exists in the form of an almost mythical Reggie-with-Orioles proof card.

This “normal” Reggie is popular in its own right, pulling in about $5 in raw condition.

Value: $65-80

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1977 Topps Pete Rose (#450)

Pete played all over the diamond for the Reds, but he was at third base for the peak of the Big Red Machine in 1975 and 1976. That’s were we find him on his 1977 Topps cards, too, fresh off a .323 campaign that netted him one of his many All-Star appearances and a fourth-place finish in NL MVP balloting.

This dandy will set you back less than ten bucks raw most of the time, but a PSA 8 ramps up the stakes.

Value: $70-75

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1977 Topps Mark Fidrych Rookie Card (#265)

In many ways, Mark Fidrych helped to lay the groundwork for the modern game and chart the course of the hobby.

When he exploded onto the scene for the Detroit Tigers in 1976 with a 19-9 record and 2.34 ERA, “The Bird” infected an entire nation with his big personality, love for the game, and generally joyous outlook.

The next spring, collectors everywhere tried their best to lay their hands on the 1977 Topps Fidrych rookie card in a preview of the rookie card mania that would grip the hobby a decade later.

Though The Bird found himself grounded by injuries within just a few years, and though a freak accident claimed his life way too early (in 2009), Fidrych remains a popular character today.

His rookie card, available for under $10 ungraded most of the time, but several times that in PSA 8.

Value: $80-85

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1977 Topps Dale Murphy Rookie Card (#476)

For most of the years that Andre Dawson (below) was making hay with the Expos, Dale Murphy was sowing his own grain with the Atlanta Braves.

After a slow start to Major League life as a catcher, Murph moved to center field and became an All-Star … and then a two-time NL MVP (1982, 1983).

Murphy’s decline was steep in the latter stages of his career, but there were few better during his 1980s peak, timing that helped his 1977 Topps rookie card hang in their with the big boys for most of the decade.

Today, it’s a $10 buy ungraded, with PSA 8 copies bringing …

Value: $80-90

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1977 Topps Bruce Sutter Rookie Card (#144)

If you look at Sabermetrics numbers like WAR, Bruce Sutter’s election to the Hall of Fame in 2006 was spurious at best.

But Sutter was one of the premier closers of the 1970s and 1980s when the position was evolving into the specialist role it is today.

He also was one of the first to reach 300 career saves and helped to pioneer the split-fingered fastball, still a major force in today’s game.

Throw in the fact that this 1977 Topps rookie card features Sutter with the Chicago Cubs, and it’s little wonder that it can fetch $5-10 raw, with PSA 8s trading at …

Value: $80-90

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1977 Topps Tom Seaver (#150)

For just over a decade, Tom Seaver dominated National League hitters as a member of the New York Mets rotation, helping the Amazin’s to two World Series appearances and one championship in his first seven seasons.

But by June of 1977, the Mets were rebuilding, while the Cincinnati Reds were trying to rev up their Big Red Machine one more time. A match was made, and New York sent Seaver to the Riverfront in exchange for Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, Dan Norman, and Pat Zachry.

Though the Reds didn’t make the playoffs that season, Seaver plugged along as one of the game’s best for several more campaigns and then made a late-career return to Queens.

For most of the summer of 1977, though, Seaver’s then-current Topps card was a thorn in the side of Mets fans — they could see Tom Terrific there in his NYM pinstripes despite the fact that he was long gone.

It’s one in a long line of great Seaver cards, one that today brings less than $10 ungraded.

Value: $90-110

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1977 Topps Andre Dawson Rookie Card (#473)

For the first several years of his career, Andre Dawson was always near the top of the list whenever baseball fans debated the greatest players in the game.

Perennially flirting with MVP honors, Dawson brought serious power and speed to the Montreal Expos and helped the franchise develop one of the most exciting teams in the game by the early 1980s.

By the time the hobby started to really boom, Dawson’s 1977 Topps rookie card was among the most coveted of the decade, right up there with the Mike Schmidt (1973), George Brett (1975), and Eddie Murray (1978) rookies.

Alas, years of Astroturf poundings took their toll on The Hawk’s knees, and he slowed down to the extent that no teams came calling when he became a free agent after the 1986 season. Of course, we later learned that collusion was likely a factor in his languishing, but the immediate result was that the Chicago Cubs signed him for a song in the spring of 1987.

Forty-nine home runs and an NL MVP award later, though, and Dawson was back on top, and his rookie card was, too.

These days, this Hall of Fame RC regularly changes hands at less than $20 ungraded but stretches well beyond that level in PSA 8.

Value: $100-125

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1977 Topps Nolan Ryan (#650)

In 1976, Nolan Ryan went 17-18 for the California Angels and failed to throw a no-hitter for the first time since 1972. Could it be that whatever magic Ryan had in his right arm had run out as he approached his 30th birthday?

Nah …

Ryan “bounced back” to 19-16 with a league-leading 22 complete games and 341 strikeouts in 1977, then won two more K titles before signing a free agent deal with the Houston Astros before the 1980 season.

A no-hitter ensued in 1981.

Then, when most of his contemporaries were in their rocking chairs, Ryan signed another free agent deal, this one with the Texas Rangers, prior to the 1989 season.

Two more no-hitters.

5714 strikeouts.

The Ryan Express.

Legend.

And card prices to match, including a 1977 Topps card that sells for $10-15 raw.

Value: $115-150

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1977 Topps Thurman Munson (#170)

In 1977, Thurman Munson was coming off his most decorated season, leading the New York Yankees to the World Series and earning American League Most Valuable Player honors in 1976.

It’s fitting, then, that the Yanks’ captain sports a big smile on his 1977 Topps card, don’t you think?

Of course, just over two years after this card was issued, Munson was gone, killed in a plane crash.

Though taken from his family and the game way too soon, Munson left behind a legacy of gritty play and a raving fan base that keeps his cards alive and well all these decades later.

He’s already number one on this list, and you can expect him to put more distance between him and the field if Cooperstown ever comes calling.

You can usually find the 1977 Topps Thurman Munson under $10 raw, but not so much for a PSA 8 copy.

Value: $125-150

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—

Did your favorite 1977 Topps baseball cards make this list? If not, maybe you’re in for some bargains!

(Check out our other posts about baseball card values here.)

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When Ivan Rodriguez first came on the scene in the very early 1990s, he brought a lot of hype with him.

Of course, many hotshot rookies have similar stories — they’re the next Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Rickey Henderson, or Steve Carlton.

But Rodriguez’s advance billing came with a grain of salt.

Sure, he was a great defensive catcher, but no one was quite sure if his bat could stand up to Major League pitching.

Unlike most young players, though, Rodriguez lived up to his promise and then some.

Not only did he develop into one of the best catchers ever behind the plate, he also built himself into a force at the plate.

Thanks to those efforts, Pudge will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, during the summer of 2017.

For longtime collectors, Rodriguez’s enshrinement brings back great memories of our hobby before the bust. He’s one of the last players from our youth who will make it to Cooperstown through the writer’s ballot — most of the rest will need help from the Veterans Committee.

To help you get in the mood for some old-time collecting with a Pudge-y flair, here are seven (in honor of Pudge’s uniform number) great Ivan Rodriguez cards from the early days of his career.

1989 Procards Gastonia Rangers Ivan Rodriguez

Back in the late 1980s, dedicated minor league cards staked their claim to the pre-rookie market much as Bowman would do a few years later.

When Rodriguez made his minor league debut for the Gastonia Rangers in 1989, both the Star Company and ProCards were there to chronicle the event on cardboard.

If you want a pure 1980s Pudge card complete with a back that looks like it came straight off your high school typewriter, though, the ProCards issue is the one you need.

And it can be yours for less than $50 most of the time, and occasionally less than twenty, with PSA 10 copies pushing toward $75 or more.

1991 Bowman Ivan Rodriguez

In 1991, Topps was still trying to figure out what to do with the resurrected Bowman line.

The set had debuted two years earlier as an oversized nod to the hobby’s past but, while collectors enjoyed the large and colorful photos, we were less enthused by the cards’ refusal to play nice with the rest of our 2-1/2″ X 3-1/2″ treasures.

The Bowmans were too big!

Topps trimmed the cards down to a standard size in 1990 and, in 1991 hit on the formula that would carry the set so far in subsequent years: rookie cards!

Among the 150 or so first-year cards in that 1991 set are standouts such as Jim Thome, Chipper Jones, Jeff Bagwell, Luis Gonzalez, and Kenny Lofton.

And, of course, Pudge Rodriguez.

For just a few bucks, you can have the first widely distributed Major League card of a Hall of Fame catcher … what could be better than that?

(PSA 10 copies sell for $150-200.)

1991 Topps Traded Tiffany Ivan Rodriguez

The more you look at the 1991 Topps base set, the more you realize it could have been a Bowman issue from the same era.

For their 40th anniversary set, Topps dropped all the garish borders and wild colors of the 1980s and went with a simple design that emphasized the player photo — and the company’s own celebratory logo.

Rodriguez didn’t appear in the full set, but T.C.G. made sure to include the rookie in their year-end Traded set.

Today, even the glossy “Tiffany” version won’t set you back more than $10 raw, though if you opt for a PSA 10 you’re looking at several hundred dollars.

1991 Fleer Ultra Update Ivan Rodriguez

Fleer helped kick off the era of “ultra premium” baseball cards with their 1991 issue named, appropriately enough, “Ultra.”

The hype around Ultra was soon surpassed by the glare of Topps Stadium Club, and the continued build-up of 1990 Leaf as Frank Thomas and Sammy Sosa launched their monster careers.

After a few years, it became apparent that Ultra was not really very limited, but this Pudge card is still one of his rookies and represents a piece of hobby history — the first card of a Hall of Famer in a  groundbreaking set.

Even if it is just an “Update.”

Today, this card can be yours for less than $30 in even the highest grades.

1992 Fleer Rookie Sensations Ivan Rodriguez

In 1992, Fleer caused a hobby “sensation” by issuing one of 20 “Rookie Sensations” cards in each of its jumbo packs of 35 cards.

Featuring big names like Jeff Bagwell and Frank Thomas, Sensations also offered up the first card of slugger Phil Plantier.

The cards were thick and shiny, and pretty limited, at least compared to most of the other material being pushed out by the millions that summer.

As the buzz around Plantier continued to grow, he pulled Sensations along with him, and they were the hit of the hobby most of that season.

While the Rodriguez card never got the kind of love that Plantier’s did, it’s still a solid early-career issue that you can buy for a few bucks or so on eBay, with PSA 9 copies hitting $100 or more and PSA 10s pretty much nonexistent.

1993 Upper Deck Ivan Rodriguez

This one is all about aesthetics.

By 1993, virtually every card was being produced in quantities large enough to paper your office walls, and you can pick this one up for less than a dollar these days.

But when it comes to a striking visual of a modern catching great, this one is hard to beat.

You can’t see much of Rodriguez’s face on this card, but you do get his intense eyes and a hint of teeth. Is he going to catch the ball with his mouth? Bite the batter?

Whatever Pudge has in mind, I wouldn’t want to cross him.

1994 Topps Stadium Club Ivan Rodriguez

Like the ’93 Upper Deck above, this Stadium Club issue won’t break your bank and it won’t give you much return on your investment down the line.

But, also like the UD card, Topps gave us an awesome glimpse into the on-the-field life of one of the game’s great catchers with this beauty.

Someone has just popped up, and Rodriguez is blasting out of his crouch to give chase.

If I had to bet, my money would be on this play ending in an out.

Another Rodriguez play — and card — worthy of the Hall of Fame.

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There were a few reasons for that …

After an initial perceived shortage, it became clear 1988 Fleer was part of the burgeoning Junk Wax Era — these cards were pretty much everywhere.

The 1988 rookie card class was pretty weak, especially compared to the stellar 1987s.

The cards looked like Little Debbie Snack Cakes.

So, not all that inspiring.

Even so, as we sit here three-plus decades later, these cards are old and a few of them still hold a decent amount of collector appeal. (There was even a “glossy” version of this set that was much more limited but still pretty plentiful by today’s standards. Generally speaking, you might see a slight premium for the glossies, but it’s not all that dramatic.)

With that in mind, here are the most valuable 1988 Fleer baseball cards, using eBay sales for PSA 10 copies as our guide (note that raw copies of all these cards can generally be found for much MUCH less).

Let’s dig in …

(Note: The following sections contain affiliate links to eBay and Amazon listings for the cards being discussed. Check out our other posts about baseball card values here.)

25) 1988 Fleer Matt Williams Rookie Card (#101)

There was a time when Matt Williams was just about the most feared slugger in the game and the odds-on favorite to lead the charge toward Roger Maris‘ single-season home run mark of 61.

Way back in 1994, Williams sat at 43 home runs through 112 games with the San Francisco Giants, and the press and hobby were gearing up for what promised to be a historic run.

Then diamond tragedy struck — The Strike.

Not only did the The Strike wipe out the rest of 1994 (including the playoffs and World Series) and the beginning of 1995, it stopped Williams’ march in its tracks.

He was a prime-time 28 years old in 1994 and never found quite the same power stroke after the game came back online in ’95.

Even so, Williams played until 2003 and amassed 378 home runs over his 17 year career.

That power and his subsequent stint as Washington Nationals manager in 2014-2015 have kept Williams from fading completely into obscurity.

Value: $15-20

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24) 1988 Fleer Mike Schmidt (#315)

After Schmidt won his third National League MVP award in 1986, he mustered a final power surge in 1987, smashing 35 home runs to join the vaunted 500-homer club.

A rotator cuff injury sapped his power in 1988, though, and he retired early in 1989 when he couldn’t get back on track, but his legend was sealed by then.

Today, all of Schmidt’s cards remain among the most popular 1970s and 1980s cardboard, and his dramatic 1988 Fleer is no exception.

Value: $15-25

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23) 1988 Fleer Reggie Jackson (#283)

After a storied career that produced more than 500 home runs and five World Series rings, Reggie Jackson returned “home” to the Oakland A’s for one last go-round in 1987.

But, even though Reggie was one of the most beloved (or at least talked-about) players of his generation, only Fleer produced a career-capper card for Mr. October in 1988.

Value: $15-25

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22) 1988 Fleer Dale Murphy (#544)

After four straight seasons of hitting 36-plus home runs each summer, Dale Murphy dipped to “just” 29 in 1986 while also watching his batting average dip to .265.

Reports of his diamond demise were greatly exaggerated, though, as the Braves legend roared back to hit .295 with 44 dingers and drive in 105 runs in 1987. He also scored 115 times himself and even swiped 16 bases, his most since 1984.

It would be Murph’s last true superstar-level season, but it was enough to boost his cards yet again and further cement his status as a future Hall of Famer (though some of that surefire case crumbled away in subsequent years).

Value: $15-25

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21) 1988 Fleer Greg Maddux (#423)

Greg Maddux made his Major League debut for the Chicago Cubs in 1986 but failed to win more than a third of his decisions or score an ERA below 5.50 in his first two go-rounds with the Wrigley denizens.

That all changed in 1988 when the 22-year-old put together an 18-8 record with a 3.18 ERA and garnered his first All-Star appearance. That performance was enough for collectors to start taking notice of Maddux’s 1987 rookie cards, especially his Donruss Rated Rookie.

Another few mostly successful seasons in Chicago had us thinking he was a solid rotation piece until Maddux reeled off a 20-11, 2.18 line in 1992 to cop his first National League Cy Young Award.

Fast forward a quarter century, and we can look back to see Maddux’s scorched earth — a free agent deal with the Atlanta Braves after that CYA campaign led to three more CYs in a row and a 23-year career that ended with an amazing 355-227 record, 3.16 ERA, and first-ballot election to Cooperstown in 2014.

Along the way, of course, Maddux also became a collector favorite, and his 1988 Fleer second-year card is no exception.

Value: $20-25

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20) 1988 Fleer Roger Clemens (#347)

Clemens won his second consecutive American League Cy Young Award in 1987, proving that his amazing 1986 was no fluke and guaranteeing that his 1988 cards would be among the most popular in the hobby.

And, by the time Clemens hung up his spikes with seven Cy Youngs and more than 350 career victories, he was bona fide hobby royalty.

Of course, the passing years and PED stain have greatly diminished Rocket’s legacy, but there are still plenty of collectors who chase his cardboard even today.

Value: $20-30

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19) 1988 Fleer Gregg Jefferies Rookie Card (#137)

While we all knew the 1988 cards would have trouble living up to the rookie-card swagger of 1987, we held out one hope for greatness: Gregg Jefferies.

All indications were that Jefferies was going to be a superstar who could hit for average, run well, and eventually develop Big League power.

And … well, he played for the New York Mets.

All that hype and the big spotlight sent Jefferies’ rookie cards soaring before the 20-year-old could ever get his feet under him. By the time he actually stuck in the Big Leagues, in 1989, we were already sort of disappointed that he hadn’t become Mickey Mantle.

The truth is, though, that Jefferies put together a star-level 14-year career that included two All-Star appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals, nearly 1600 hits, 126 home runs, and a solid .289 lifetime batting average.

I suspect it’s the memories of the hype, though, and the hobby’s “good old days” that keep his 1988 Fleer rookie card perking along today.

Value: $25-35

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18) 1988 Fleer Mark McGwire (#286)

Mark McGwire obliterated the rookie home run record in 1987, crushing 49 long balls to far outdistance the 38 hit decades before by Frank Robinson and Wally Berger.

And, even though Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso have since passed Big Mac’s mark, neither one of them quite captured the magic that McGwire conjured up during that long-ago summer.

Suffice it to say, then, that McGwire’s cards were royalty when wax packs started hitting shelves in 1988, and they still maintain some hobby swagger all these years later, even after his run at Roger Maris’ record and the steroid scandal that followed.

Value: $25-35

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17) 1988 Fleer Mark McGwire Record Setter (#629)

McGwire surpassed the previous rookie record for home runs in August of 1987, leaving him more than a month to add to the total.

And boy, did he ever! By the end of the season, McGwire stood atop the Major League leaderboard with 49 long balls, 11 more than first-year mark that Wally Berger and Frank Robinson had shared for decades.

No way were card companies going to miss the opportunity to squeeze another Big Mac card into their 1988 sets, and no way were collectors going to pass on this record breaker, which still has plenty of fans even after all these years and all the scandal.

Value: $25-35

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16) 1988 Fleer Tony Gwynn (#585)

If anyone thought Tony Gwynn was “merely” a .320 hitter after a couple of seasons at that level, he more than set the record straight with his second National League batting title in 1987 … a .370 batting average is hard to ignore.

No surprise, then, that Gwynn’s cards were hot commodities once again in the spring of 1988 and pretty much remained that way as Mr. Padre marched toward 3000 hits and six more batting crowns.

Value: $25-35

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15) 1988 Fleer Wade Boggs (#345)

After winning three batting titles in the four seasons leading up to 1987, Wade Boggs did it again – he won another crown in ‘87.

But he ALSO smacked 24 long balls in that summer of the home run.

So the question entering 1988 was, would Boggs continue his assault on Babe Ruth in the coming seasons?

And the answer came on quickly, in the form of five dingers in 1988. Boggs did do a pretty good Ty Cobb impression, though, hitting .366 to win his fifth and final batting title and cement his place in the hobby firmament.

Value: $25-35

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14) 1988 Fleer Mark Grace Rookie Card (#641)

Aside from Greg Jefferies, Mark Grace was about the best that 1988 Fleer had to offer us in terms of rookies in the moment.

Three decades on, Grace has been surpassed by a few others from this set — Glavine and Martinez, for example — but the fact remains that he turned in a stellar career: 2400+ hits, more than 500 doubles, a lifetime .303 batting average.

Had Grace been able to tack on another 100 home runs or so to his total of 173, he might have been a Hall of Fame lock.

As it is, Grace is popular with fans of the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks, and his best cards still enjoy nice collector interest in pockets.

This 1988 Fleer Major League Prospects card — which Grace shares with Darrin Jackson — has enjoyed the 2020s boom right along with most other cards.

Value: $30-35

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13) 1988 Fleer Cal Ripken Jr. (#570)

The Baltimore Orioles were an all-time terrible team in 1988, eventually finishing with a 54-107 record.

Even great players like Cal Ripken, Jr., struggled that summer, with the Iron Man hitting just .264 with 23 home runs and 81 RBI.

But Cal was already a legend by that point, having copped the 1982 AL Rookie of the Year Award and the 1983 AL MVP while also building some buzz around his still-youthful streak.

These days, the Hall of Famer’s cards aren’t “hot,” exactly, but they’re always popular and collectible.

Value: $30-40

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12) 1988 Fleer Gary Carter and Mike Schmidt (#636)

What do Mike Schmidt and Gary Carter have in common that would warrant their appearing on this 1988 Fleer card together?

Well, they were both the best at their positions during the 1980s (roughly).

And they were both, um, “tried & true sluggers.”

Really, though, we should just revel in the glory of this card and forget trying to impose any rhyme or reason.

Value: $30-40

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11) 1988 Fleer Rickey Henderson (#209)

After rounding out his game with a serious power stroke and big batting averages during his first few seasons with the Yankees, Rickey Henderson sort of went back to his baseball roots in 1988.

To wit, Rickey swiped 93 bases that summer, the first time he stole more than 90 since the 108 he posed for the A’s in 1983.

Fitting, then, that Henderson’s 1988 Fleer card shows him slinking toward yet another bit of larceny on the basepaths.

Value: $30-40

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10) 1988 Fleer Barry Bonds (#322)

In 1988, Barry Bonds was still just a budding superstar with a world of potential — great speed, good batting eye, developing power, supreme family pedigree.

But collectors honestly weren’t all that excited by the complete package that Bonds offered up because the Pittsburgh Pirates weren’t winning anything, Bonds wasn’t hitting monster (or a lot of) home runs, and there were other players who were clubbing homers left and right.

It was hard to keep up with Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, and the likes back then, and even Bonds’ teammate Bobby Bonilla was more highly regarded in some circles (see New York Mets, circa 1992).

Uh, yeah.

Love him or hate him, it’s hard to deny that Bonds developed into one of the absolute greatest players that game has ever seen.

Value: $25-50

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9) 1988 Fleer Nolan Ryan (#455)

In 1987, Nolan Ryan put together a rather remarkable pitching line — his 2.76 ERA and 270 strikeouts in just shy of 212 innings left him with an 8-16 record.

That, at 40 years of age and pitching for a Houston Astros team that had romped to a division title in 1986. Wow!

For his efforts, Ryan finished fifth in the NL Cy Young vote and then walked in free agency after the 1988 season … all the way to the Texas Rangers.

In Arlington, of course, Ryan cemented his legend and became something of a superhuman figure in the game, one whose cards always rise to the top of whatever issue they appear in.

In the case of his 1988 Fleer card, that amounts to enough to make this list.

Value: $35-40

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8) 1988 Fleer Tom Glavine Rookie Card (#539)

While Maddux was finding his place in the Friendly Confines, Tom Glavine was taking his lumps with the awful Atlanta Braves teams of the late 1990s.

By the time Maddux joined him in 1993, Glavine was a two-time 20-game winner (with a third on the runway) and the 1991 Cy Young recipient.

Together with John Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux would form the backbone of an Atlanta pitching staff that would rack up division title after division title all through the 1990s.

Glavine’s 1988 Fleer rookie card is an understandably popular hunk of cardboard, even if it’s a the Hall of Fame cupcake issue.

Value: $30-45

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7) 1988 Fleer Kirby Puckett (#19)

By 1988, Kirby Puckett was well on his way to the Hall of Fame, having garnered two All-Star appearances, plenty of MVP votes, and Rookie of the Year consideration during his four-year career.

He was always a threat to win the batting title, won a Gold Glove in center field in 1986 and 1987, and had started to show some power, too.

Oh, and then there was that 1987 World Series he helped his Minnesota Twins win.

Yep, Kirby was a fan and collector favorite whose star hardly seemed to dim at all when his career was curtailed by health problems or even when domestic issues came to light after his untimely death in 2006.

Even in this mass-produced set, Kirby stands out, with PSA 10 copies of his 1988 Fleer hammering down for hefty sums.

Value: $30-50

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6) 1988 Fleer Edgar Martinez Rookie Card (#378)

Edgar Martinez got a late start on his Big League life — he didn’t debut for the Seattle Mariners until 1987, when he was nearly 25 years old, and he didn’t log his first full season in the Majors until 1990, when he was 27.

From that point on, Edgar spent more than a decade as one of the best hitters in the game, garnering two batting titles, two doubles titles, and one RBI crown.

In all, his 18 years in the Bigs yielded 2247 hits, 309 home runs, and a .312 batting average.

But … among the 2000+ games he played with Seattle, more than 1400 of them were logged as a designated hitter.

Will Martinez become the first — or second, if you count Frank Thomas — career DH to make the Cooperstown cut?

After being named on 70.4% of ballots in 2018, Martinez pushed through to Hall of Fame election in 2019.

And, as always, he’s a Seattle legend and hobby favorite whose 1988 Fleer rookie card continues to draw plenty of collector interest.

Value: $35-45

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5) 1988 Fleer Don Mattingly (#214)

When this card was issued, Mattingly was coming off his fourth straight MVP-caliber season, but what we didn’t know then was that it would be his last truly standout campaign.

A bad back sapped his power in 1988, ,knocking nearly 100 points off his slugging percentage, and, though he rebounded slightly in 1989, the slippage marked the beginning of a downward spiral that would lead to Mattingly’s early retirement at age 34 in 1995.

Still, the magnitude of his impact on the hobby cannot be overstated, and a hefty dose of that afterglow remains even decades later.

Value: $45-`

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4) 1988 Fleer George Brett (#254)

After leading the Royals to their first World Series championship in 1985 on the back of an MVP-caliber season, Brett settled in as “merely” an uppercrust All-Star in 1986 and 1987.

Brett bumped his game up again in 1988, though, treating fans and collectors to a Silver Slugger season to accompany his sort of suspicious-looking Fleer base card.

Value: $35-40

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3) 1988 Fleer Ryne Sandberg (#431)

Sandberg entered a bit of an offensive lull during the middle 1980s after winning the National League MVP award in 1984, but he remained a Gold Glove second baseman and more than capable with the bat … even if no longer Morganesque.

When Ryno turned on the power starting in 1989, though, all of his cards jumped forward again, including this nifty fielding shot.

Value: $35-40

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2) 1988 Fleer Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire (#624)

After Canseco smashed 33 home runs to light up the baseball world in 1986, McGwire upstaged him with 49 of his own the next summer.

But, while there may have been a budding rivalry between the teammates, the real excitement was about to erupt on the field, as the Bash Brothers would lead the A’s to a string of World Series appearances over the next three seasons.

And, though the actual “bash” didn’t come about until the new season began, Fleer got the jump on everyone else by featuring the Bros on this dandy Super Star Special.

Value: $40-45

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1) 1988 Fleer Bo Jackson (#260)

By the spring of 1988, Bo Jackson had long since captured collectors’ imaginations, thanks to his prowess on the football field and his growing adeptness on the diamond.

And, after smacking 22 home runs in 1987, Bo served notice that even better days lay ahead – he delivered on that promise with 25 dingers in 1988 and 32 in 1989, when he made it to his only All-Star Game.

Today, Bo Jackson cards are as popular as ever as the hobby continues to ponder what might have been had a hip injury suffered on the gridiron not (ultimately) ended his run in both sports.

Value: $40-45

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1988 Fleer Update

By 1988, Fleer Update had become an annual part of the hobby landscape, joining Topps Traded and, later Donruss The Rookies, as fodder to feed our collective rookie card craze.

This particular version featured a few standout cards right off the bat, and some that took awhile to warm up.

Here are the cream of the crop more than three decades later.

5) 1988 Fleer Update John Smoltz Rookie Card (#U-74)

Back in 1988 when this card was issued, Smoltz was sort of a sore spot for some Braves fans – after all, he had cost Atlanta Doyle Alexander, who went on to help the Tigers win a division title in 1987.

The good news was that Smoltz had made his big league debut by the time the Fleer Update set was issued.

The bad news was that he went 2-7 with a 5.48 ERA in Atlanta.

The perception began to turn around the next summer, though, when Smoltz made his first All-Star cut on the way to a Cy Young Award (1996), a World Series ring, and a Hall of Fame plaque.

Value: $75-125

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4) 1988 Fleer Update Craig Biggio Rookie Card (#U-89)

Fleer was late to the Biggio show, as Donruss and Score had already scooped them on the Astros’ young catcher.

But at least they squeezed in a Bidge rookie card before the backstop broke out his first Silver Slugger performance in 1989 on his way to Cooperstown.

Value: $30-50

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3) 1988 Fleer Update Mark Grace Rookie Card (#U-77)

At 24, Grace was sort of old for a “prospect” in 1988, but he stepped into the Cubs lineup like a veteran, batting .295 and finishing second in voting for the National League Rookie of the Year award.

He bumped that average over .300 in 1989 as the Cubs won their second-ever division title, and he pretty much stayed there for the rest of a 16-year career that produced more than 2400 hits and a devoted swath of collectors who still chase his cards.

Value: $30-40

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2) 1988 Fleer Update Roberto Alomar Rookie Card (#U-122)

In some circles, Roberto Alomar suffered in comparisons with his brother, Sandy, whom many pundits pegged as a future Rookie-of-the-Year, MVP-type of player.

And, while Sandy did eventually cop ROY honors with the Indians, it was the younger Robbie who made his mark in the majors first, and who eventually made it all the way to Cooperstown.

Little wonder, then, that Alomar’s rookie cards (Roberto’s, that is) are among the most popular of all 1988s.

Value: $25-30

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1) 1988 Fleer Update Chris Sabo Rookie Card (#U-87)

At age 26, Chris Sabo was a longshot – to say the least – to even make the Cincinnati Reds roster in 1988.

But thanks to his hustle and pluck, Sabo made a fan of manager Pete Rose and then took advantage of every opportunity he could find, scratching out a .271 batting average, 11 home runs, 44 RBI, 74 runs scored, and an impressive 46 stolen bases.

Along the way, Spuds gained legions of fans and copped 1988 NL ROY honors, helping his 1988 Fleer Update RC debut as one of the hottest cards of the fall.

Value: $25-30

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Well, if you said, “yes” — hmmm, you just might be alone in that opinion.

The good news in that case would be that you won’t have much trouble laying your hands on plenty of these beauties. Because, truth is, 1989 Donruss was produced in HUGE quantities that make them pretty easy to find even 30+ years later.

But that doesn’t mean every 1989 Donruss baseball card is worthless. In fact, the cards below can fetch decent prices on eBay, provided you’re aiming for copies in top-notch graded condition.

Without further adieu, then, here is the rundown of the most valuable 1989 Donruss baseball cards, based on actual sales prices for PSA 9 specimens.

(Note: The following sections contain affiliate links to Amazon and eBay listings for the cards being discussed. Check out our full series of posts on the history of Donruss baseball cards.)

26) 1989 Donruss Robin Yount (#55)

Robin Yount sort of slid into the background among his fellow superstars after the glow of his 1982 MVP campaign wore off.

That all changed in the summer of 1989, though, when Yount – having moved from shortstop to centerfield – once again put up a monster season that eventually landed him more MVP hardware.

It was enough to get his cardboard moving again as collectors realized that this man was headed toward 3000 career hits … and the Hall of Fame.

Value: $5-10

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25) 1989 Donruss Bo Jackson (#208)

Bo Jackson could do pretty much whatever he wanted on the baseball diamond once he set his mind to it.

So Donruss went with him … sneaking around for a bunt attempt.

Not extremely awe-inspiring or majestic, but different, at least.

Value: $8-10

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24) 1989 Donruss Kirby Puckett (#182)

After helping the Twins to a World Series title in 1987, Kirby Puckett upped his personal game in 1988, batting .356 with 24 home runs and 121 RBI.

Suffice it to say, Puck was one of the most popular cards in the 1989 sets, and he nailed down that honor by winning his only American League batting crown that summer.

It was just one more step on his path to the Hall of Fame and hobby immortality.

Value: $8-10

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23) 1989 Donruss Roberto Alomar (#246)

The son of a former major leaguer and the brother of a top catching prospect, Roberto Alomar entered the 1989 season fresh off a solid rookie season and with plenty of hype surrounding him.

He’d eventually pretty much live up to expectations, crafting a Hall of Fame career and ensuring that his cards maintain a strong collector base for decades to come.

Value: $8-10

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22) 1989 Donruss Mark McGwire (#95)

You don’t hit 49 home runs as a rookie without causing quite a stir among collectors.

But Big Mac didn’t just *stir* the hobby – he toppled the whole darn applecart on the strength of his Ruthian home runs and sun-hot rookie cards from 1985 and 1987.

And, even though his power took a step back in 1988, his cards were still huge deals when the 1989 sets debuted.

They still are, regardless of the PED stain that seems likely to keep him out of the Hall of Fame forever.

Value: $8-12

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21) 1989 Donruss Jose Canseco (#91)

Canseco saw a big hunk of his limelight sucked up by rookie teammate Mark McGwire in 1987, but he didn’t let that get him down.

Instead, Jose went out and recorded the first 40-40 season ever in 1988, copping AL MVP honors in the process and leading the A’s to a championship.

To say his cards were on fire is an understatement of “coffee is good” proportions … and some of that halo remains all these years later.

Value: $8-12

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20) 1989 Donruss Edgar Martinez (#645)

After much hand-wringing, hemming and hawing, and staring at his name on the ballot for 10 years, the BBWAA finally elected Edgar Martinez to the Hall of Fame in 2019.

Thirty years earlier, Martinez made his base Donruss debut with this card that shows him in the field. That’s significant because the knock on Edgar has always been that he was a designated hitter almost his entire career, diminishing his .312 average, 2247 hits, and 309 HR in at least some eyes.

Enough folks believe in Martinez’s greatness, though, to keep his base Donruss debut in the upper echelons of the set.

Value: $8-12

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19) 1989 Donruss Randy Johnson Rookie Card (#42)

Once upon a time, Randy Johnson was a mystery — a raw talent who scraped the sky when he pitched. A firebrand who could scorch the air with his fastball but had trouble finding the strike zone on a consistent basis.

Things started to gel for The Big Unit, though, when the Montreal Expos sent him along with Gene Harris and Brian Holman to the Seattle Mariners in 1989 in exchange for Mike Campbell and Mark Langston.

Twenty years, 300 wins, 4800 strikeouts, five Cy Young Awards, and one comic All-Star incident with John Kruk later, and Johnson was a legend.

Certainly among the top handful of lefthanders ever, Johnson was a cinch for Hall of Fame election when his name came up in 2015, and his 1989 Donruss rookie card was a cinch to appear near the top of this list.

Value: $10-15

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18) 1989 Donruss Curt Schilling Rookie Card (#635)

Love him or hate him, it’s hard to deny the stats that Curt Schilling put up during his Major League career — 20 years, 216-146 record, 3.46 ERA, plus an 11-2, 2.23 ERA in the postseason. Oh, and he was a key member of that 2004 Boston Red Sox team that broke the Curse of the Bambino.

If you’re more of a Sabermetrics sort, Schilling checks in with an ERA+ of 127 and 79.6 WAR, which lands him 27th all-time among starting pitchers according to JAWS.

All of that has Schilling looking like an eventual Hall of Famer, having collected 60.9% of the vote in his seventh shot at Cooperstown in 2019.

And all of that makes this 1989 Donruss rookie card a popular piece, despite grumbling about Schilling’s attitude, his post-career shenanigans, and the flood of ’89s that still wash over the hobby.

Value: $10-15

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17) 1989 Donruss Craig Biggio Rookie Card (#561)

It may look a little funny to see Craig Biggio in the tools of excellence here on his 1989 Donruss rookie card, but he started his professional baseball life as a catcher before transitioning to second base and the outfield.

In fact, Biggio garnered Silver Slugger and All-Star honors behind the plate before making a position move in 1992. But anything the Houston Astros lost by swapping in Ed Taubensee for Biggio was made up in spades by adding years to Biggio’s Hall of Fame career.

Teaming with Jeff Bagwell and (I guess) Derek Bell to form Houston’s Killer Bs, Biggio ended up with 3060 hits, 291 home runs, 414 stolen bases, and a Cooperstown plaque.

And, of course, one of the most valuable cards in the 1989 Donruss set.

Value: $10-15

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16) 1989 Donruss John Smoltz Rookie Card (#642)

John Smoltz took an unusual route to Cooperstown, but that doesn’t really matter — he still got there.

One of the original members of the Atlanta Braves‘ vaunted rotation of the 1990s, Smoltz didn’t find the full-blown success of teammates like Tom Glavine, Steve Avery, or Greg Maddux right away, but he finally nabbed his own Cy Young Award in 1996, at age 29.

By 2000, though, the flamethrower had blown out his elbow and required Tommy John surgery, then came back in 2001 — as a reliever.

After three+ seasons as a lock-down closer Smoltz returned to the Braves rotation before finishing out his career with the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals, one season each.

In the end, Smoltz ended with the unusual but stellar line of 213-155, 3.33 ERA, 154 saves, and 3084 strikeouts … an amazing Hall of Fame resume that bumps his rookie card toward the top of its set, value-wise.

Value: $10-15

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15) 1989 Donruss Gary Sheffield Rookie Card (#31)

Once upon a time, Gary Sheffield was the most talented young player in the game, with a pedigree as Dwight Gooden‘s nephew that virtually guaranteed success in the Major Leagues.

Then came his season(s) of discontent, when Sheffield was unhappy with the Milwaukee Brewers. And Gooden started to slide, performance-wise, too — suddenly, Sheffield wasn’t so can’t-miss.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the scrapheap …

First, Sheffield was traded to the San Diego Padres, along with Geoff Kellogg, in exchange for Ricky Bones, Matt Mieske, and Jose Valentin, in 1992.

Then, it was off to the expansion Florida Marlins in 1993, part of the deal that brought Trevor Hoffman to the Friars.

In San Diego, and then in Miami, Sheffield found the stroke he was supposed to have, and he became an MVP candidate.

Never one to be warm and fuzzy with teammates or locals, Sheffield sort of bounced around for the next decade+ after he helped the Marlins win a World Series in 1997 — Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, New York Mets.

Along the way, Sheffield put up Hall of Fame numbers that included 2689 hits, 509 home runs, 1676 RBI, 253 stolen bases, and 60.5 career WAR.

He has found the Cooperstown voting a hard row to hoe, but Sheffield still holds enough hobby sway to make this list.

Value: $10-15

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14) 1989 Donruss Don Mattingly (#74)

It’s true that Don Mattingly’s best baseball days (as a player) were behind him by 1989, but he did manage to play a full season that summer and rebound in his offensive performance a bit from what was considered a down year in 1988.

It’s also true that Mattingly was the face of the hobby in the 1980s, and the boom could not have happened, at least to the extent it did, without his emergence in 1984 — and the fact that you could pull his Topps, Fleer, and Donruss cards from fresh packs even as he battled with Yankees teammate Dave Winfield for the American League batting crown.

Mattingly falls short of Hall of Fame standards by most reckonings, but his baseball cards still feel special even 30 years on. This one is no exception.

Value: $10-15

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13) 1989 Donruss Barry Bonds (#92)

By 1989, Barry Bonds had established himself as a star for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but his well-rounded skill set wasn’t flashy enough to really light his cards on fire.

Not when his cardboard was fighting for shelf space with bashers like Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, and plenty of others.

Of course, it turned out that the scouting reports were right – Bonds could do pretty much anything he wanted to on the diamond, and he ended up actually doing most of it.

Eventually, his cards pretty much caught up to his talent, and even today, after all the bad blood and the fall from grace, early-career entries like this 1989 Donruss Bonds still hold plenty of sway in the hobby.

Value: $10-15

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12) 1989 Donruss Mike Schmidt (#193)

Although Mike Schmidt looks as powerful and generally spectacular as ever on his 1989 Donruss card, this issue would quickly turn into a cardboard eulogy.

That’s because the greatest third baseman of all time hung up his spikes for good in late May of 1989, about a third of the way through the season.

For Schmitty fans (guilty as charged), every wax pack brought a sense of dread the rest of the summer as the specter of the Phil’s great loomed just beyond the next Ed Hearn or Jose Oquendo.

Value: $10-15

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11) 1989 Donruss Rickey Henderson (#245)

Rickey Henderson returned to the Oakland A’s for the 1989 season, which makes this Donruss card one of the last to feature him with the Yankees.

And, even though Donruss missed out on showing Hednerson in the fabled pinstripes, this is still one of the most popular cards in the set.

Value: $10-15

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10) 1989 Donruss Wade Boggs (#68)

Wade Boggs fell off a cliff in 1989.

I mean, after four straight American League batting titles from 1985 through 1988 and batting *at least* .357 in each of those seasons, the Chicken Man fell aaallll the way to .330 in 1989.

Of course, that’s still an otherworldly number among mere mortals, and Boggs was still a plenty popular pull from wax packs across the land that summer.

Still is today, thanks to those 3010 lifetime hits, .328 career batting average, and that nifty Hall of Fame plaque of his.

Value: $10-15

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9) 1989 Donruss Greg Maddux (#373)

Maddux posted his first winning record in 1988 (18-8), a fact that hardly registered with collectors thanks to his toiling for the fourth-place Cubs, and to the paltry records he put up in his first two campaigns.

When The Professor followed up with 19 victories and helped bring a division title to the northside, though, his profile started to climb … and it never looked back.

Today, Greg Maddux cards are hobby royalty pretty much across the board, a status befitting the pasteboards featuring one of the handful of greatest pitchers of the last 50 years.

Value: $10-15

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8) 1989 Donruss Tony Gwynn (#128)

After a jaw-dropping .370 batting average in 1987, Tony Gwynn slid all the way to .313 in 1988 … and still won a batting title.

He’d win another (.336) in 1989, on his way to eight total crowns, 3000+ hits, and a place in history as a Padres legend and a Hall of Famer.

Not surprising, then, that this mid-career card – like pretty much all of Mr. Padre’s cards – makes the cut on our list.

Value: $10-15

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7) 1989 Donruss Don Mattingly Diamond King (#26)

Everything that goes for the base Mattingly card above goes for his Diamond King, too. This was Mattingly’s second DK (1985 was the other), and it’s another Dick Perez masterpiece.

We couldn’t get enough of Mattingly in the 80s, though, so no one was complaining about an extra Donnie Baseball card, and this one still brings interest on eBay and in other venues.

Value: $10-15

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6) 1989 Donruss Ozzie Smith (#63)

You could make an argument that Ozzie Smith was, in many ways, the face of baseball in the 1980s.

Here you had a guy who redefined defensive play at a position already known for fielding prowess, and a key member of perennial contenders and frequent champs (of one sort or another) in St. Louis.

Ozzie even upped his offensive game as the decade proceeded, leaving no doubt that he’d eventually take his rightful place in Cooperstown.

So, all in all, how could the last Donruss card of the Wizard from the decade he helped define *not* make our list??

Value: $10-15

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5) 1989 Donruss Nolan Ryan (#154)

If Nolan Ryan appears in a baseball card set, that Ryan card has a 99.9999999999% chance* of being one of the most valuable cards in the set. (*possibly a slight exaggeration)

This particular card has the added bonus of being the last regular Donruss issue to show him as a member of the Astros. It’s a great action shot, too.

What’s not to love? And collectors still do.

Value: $15-20

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4) 1989 Donruss Cal Ripken Jr. (#51)

The Orioles of the late 1980s were terrible, and that taint extended even to their franchise icon.

Were Cal Ripken’s tanking numbers from 1987 through 1990 responsible for Baltimore’s struggles, or did the bad teams around him drag down Iron Cal?

It’s a classic oriole-and-egg conundrum that turned out not to matter too much by the time Ripken put up one of his greatest all-around seasons in 1991.

With his second MVP award in-tow, Ripken could get back to the business of chasing down Lou Gehrig, and collectors could smile on his late-80s cards again, happy to airbrush the bad seasons from our memory and focus on the beauty of Junk Wax Cal.

Value: $15-20

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3) 1989 Donruss George Brett (#204)

After two years at .290, Brett had pushed his batting average back above .300 (.306) in 1988.

That surge might have helped the popularity of his 1989 Donruss card out of the pack, but the truth is, none of Brett’s cardboard needed much help by that point.

The man was a legend, a status he reinforced with a third batting title, at age 37, in 1990 … and his 3000th hit in 1992 … and a Hall of Fame plaque in 1999.

Value: $15-20

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2) 1989 Donruss John Kruk Rookie Card (#86)

John Kruk wasn’t just Randy Johnson’s comic crutch in interleague play.

Indeed, for most of his 10-year Big League career, Kruk was a constant threat to hit .300, and he crafted his exit to make sure he landed exactly on that number.

Along the way, through stops with the Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago White Sox, Kruk also showed some power finishing with 100 home runs among his 1170 hits. He was also a key member of that 1993 Phils crew that made it all the way to the World Series, only to be dispatched by Joe Carter‘s historic Game 6 homer.

Still a popular analyst, Kruk is also a college baseball coach who maintains a high enough profile to keep his cards on lists like this one.

Value: $15-20

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1) 1989 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card (#33)

Any time you see the words “Ken Griffey”, “Jr.”, and “Rookie Card” in a card description, you can be sure it’s going to sit at the top of the value heap for whichever set it’s in. The 1989 Donruss Junior rookie is certainly no exception.

The only question surrounding Griffey when he retired was whether he would be the first-ever unanimous Hall of Famer. The fact that he didn’t quite clear that bar (even though Mariano Rivera did in 2019) doesn’t diminish Griffey’s hobby cachet one whit.

This card may not be Upper Deck #1, but it’s still an iconic hunk of Junk Wax cardboard.

Value: $25-30

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If so, I’d wager you’re among only a handful of collectors who can make that claim.

Maybe that’s the consequence of weighty expectations.

After a so-so set in 1981, the first year of renewed competition on the heels25 years of monopoly, Topps needed a home run to make sure  Fleer and Donruss stayed at arm’s length, and none of the 1982 sets blew anyone away.

Still, as the years have passed, the nuances of the 1982 Topps set — crisp photos, lots of action shots, even the double-hockey-stick design — have set it apart from its long-ago competitors.

And, coming as it did right before the true hobby boom and led by a Hall of Fame rookie card, 1982 Topps is no Junk Wax pablum.

In fact, big-name cards from the set in nice grades can bring top dollar in today’s market.

Here is a quick rundown of those most valuable 1982 Topps baseball cards, based on recent sales for copies graded PSA 9 and presented in numerical order.

(Note: The following sections contains affiliate links to listings for the cards being discussed.)

17) 1982 Topps Rod Carew (#500)

By 1982, the last of Carew’s seven American League batting titles was four years in the rearview mirror, but the threat of his copping an eighth was always on the table.

Indeed, he hit .319 that summer to help the Angels capture the AL West title, then followed up with .339 in 1983.

Two years later, Carew would collect 124 safeties, pushing past the 3000-hit barrier that had seemed like his birthright for nearly two decades.

Carew contemplated playing again in 1986 but ultimately retired that June, leaving behind a slew of memories, and stacks of sweet cardboard like this 1982 Topps gem.

Value: $30-35

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16) 1982 Topps Fernando Valenzuela (#510)

No one was hotter in the baseball world than Fernando Valenzuela entering the 1982 season.

After all, his phenomenal rookie campaign in ’81 spawned its own Mania!

And while Fernando cooled down over the course of his career and remains outside of Cooperstown, he still enjoys a strong hobby following.

This may not be a rookie card, but it just may hold the record for tightest cropping in hobby history.

Value: $30-35

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15) 1982 Topps Carl Yastrzemski (#650)

For awhile, it seemed as if Carl Yastrzemski might play forever.

That didn’t quite turn out to be the case, of course, and this 1982 card ended up being the second-to-last Topps issue of Yaz’s long and storied career.

The 1967 AL MVP and Triple Crown winner will forever be a fan and hobby favorite, and this late-career card captures the legend in a quiet moment.

Value: $30-40

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14) 1982 Topps Ozzie Smith (#95)

The Wizard of Oz spent the first four seasons of his career patrolling shortstop for the San Diego Padres, where he developed a reputation as an acrobatic gloveman with a weak bat.

That all changed when the Pads dealt Smith with Steve Mura and Al Olmstead to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Luis DeLeon, Sixto Lezcano, and shortstop (!) Garry Templeton in December 1981.

It was a challenge traded (SS-for-SS) the Cardinals won hands-down as Ozzie reeled off a string of 12 (more) Gold Gloves, helped St. Louis become perennial contenders who won the 1982 World Series, beefed up his offensive prowess, and made it all the way to Cooperstown.

His last Padres card is a landmark in its own right.

Value: $35-40

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13) 1982 Topps Robin Yount (#435)

Yount was already a superstar in Milwaukee as the 1982 season dawned, an All-Star shortstop with pretty decent MVP cases in both 1980 and 1981.

Then, at age 26, Yount emerged as the best player on a Brewers team that captured the imagination of the baseball world, pushing all the way to a thrilling seven-game World Series before their season finally came to an end against the champion Cardinals.

Yount took home AL MVP honors, then set about filling in his Hall of Fame resume – by 1993, he had logged 3142 hits, 251 home runs, a Gold Glove, three Silver Sluggers, and another MVP award (in 1989).

Along the way, Yount’s 1975 Topps rookie card became hobby royalty and lifted the rest of his cardboard, like this 1982 classic, right along with it.

Value: $35-40

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12) 1982 Topps George Brett (#200)

Brett was a year removed from his amazing .390 run in 1980 when this card debuted, and he had fallen all the way to .314 in 1981.

Poor Royals fans had to suffer through that “awful” performance, but Brett was still right in his prime, and still a superstar bound for Cooperstown.

And, as his expression on this card might hint, Mullet and his bat were more than a little skeptical about any whispers to the contrary.

Value: $35-40

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11) 1982 Topps Reggie Jackson (#300)

For years, Reggie was the straw that stirred the drink, first for the Oakland A’s and then for the New York Yankees.

He was Mr. October, for gosh sake, and the World Series seemed to follow him from town to town.

Heck, the man even had his own candy bar!

In January of 1982, though, Reggie was turning the corner into the stretch run of his career, and he signed as a free agent with the California Angels. Though Reggie and the Halos would taste some success over the next several seasons, it was never quite as resounding as his historic runs with the A’s and the Yanks.

And he never made another New York cardboard appearance — this last Yankees card is a final parting shot of the straw that stirred the Big Apple drink.

Value: $30-45

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10) 1982 Topps Johnny Bench (#400)

This list seems to have its share of “best-ever” position players, and Johnny Bench certainly fits that bill at catcher.

From the 1968 NL ROY to NL MVP awards in 1970 and 1972 to being the field general for the Big Red Machine, Bench is a bona fide baseball legend with unmatched pedigree behind the plate.

No surprise, then, that his cards remain popular even today, 35 years after his retirement.

This 1982 closeup, where Bench may be channeling a future version of Peyton Manning, shows JB near the end of his career.

Value: $35-45

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9) 1982 Topps Nolan Ryan 1981 Highlight (#5)

In a career full of milestones and highlights, Nolan Ryan’s fifth no-hitter provided something extra special – a high note on which to (almost) end the strike-torn 1981 season.

Of course, it might have also seemed like something of a parting gift, or at least one the last few big moments The Express had left in his 34-year-old tank.

He would turn 35 in just a few months, after all, and was still considered by many to be a flamethrower and nothing else.

When Ryan finally hung up his spikes 12 full seasons later, though, he had built his legend as one of the greatest, most durable pitchers of all time, winning 300+ games, tacking on two more no-hitters, and shattering just about every strikeout record in the books.

The hobby noticed, too, and elevated Ryan to Karboard King status, forever installing him near the top of lists like this one. And, yeah, even “highlight” cards like this one regularly make the cut.

Value: $35-45

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8) 1982 Topps Mike Schmidt (#100)

Mike Schmidt was just the greatest third baseman of all-time, and many folks had already come to that conclusion by the time his 1982 Topps card hit collectors’ hands.

Two NL MVP awards, a string of Gold Gloves, plenty of postseason glory, and scads of monstrous home runs tend to elevate your profile, after all.

Schmitty’s cards went right up the ladder with him, and today this portrait shot — while maybe a bit goofy — is a popular snapshot from his prime.

Value: $35-45

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7) 1982 Topps Pete Rose (#780)

Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Pete Rose was a vital part of the baseball landscape during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

By the time this 1982 Topps card found its way to collectors, Rose was well into his tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies after a storied run with his hometown Cincinnati Reds, and Charlie Hustle had built a huge fan base all across the country.

Many of his supporters remain convinced today that the all-time Hit King belongs in the Hall of Fame, and that support — along with the controversy that continues to follow Pete — keeps his cards near the top of hobby price lists.

This 1982 issue, featuring a crouching Rose at first base, shows the legend as he prepared for the stretch run of his career.

Value: $35-45

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6) 1982 Topps Nolan Ryan (#90)

By 1982, most fans thought Nolan Ryan was heading ’round the bend of his baseball career at age 35 … little did we know all the thrills the big Texan had left in his holster.

More strikeouts … more no-hitters … more wins … more punches to Robin Ventura‘s head.

All of it was still to come, and Ryan’s exploits well into the 1990s would drag his cards to the top of the hobby mountain.

This 1982 Topps card features the Astros rainbow, only adding to its popularity.

Value: $50-55

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5) 1982 Topps Dale Murphy (#668)

This card is ground zero for the Dale Murphy phenomenon, released just at the outset of Murphy’s absolute peak, beginning with National League MVP awards in both 1982 and 1983, culminating with a 44-home-run showing in 1987.

Unfortunately, it was a pretty quick decline from there, as Murphy’s power and on-base numbers spiraled downward through his mid-30s.

By then, though, he was a hobby legend, and his cards – including this history-laden 1982 Topps issue – remain extremely strong in the modern market.

And, if Murph ever gets the call from Cooperstown, you can expect a resurgence in interest in his cards and collectibles.

Value: $50-60

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4) 1982 Topps Lee Smith Rookie Card (#507)

Lee Smith does not have the most saves in baseball history … but he did when he retired in 1997.

And Smith didn’t strike out batters at the ungodly rates we see from today’s “high-leverage” relievers doing, but he did just fine with his 8.5 per nine innings over the course of an 18-year career.

Mostly, though, Smith stands as one of the more intimidating late-inning mound figures of the last 40 years, helping to redefine the role of closer during his years with the Chicago Cubs in the 1980s.

And, for all that dominance, Smith eventually reaped baseball’s highest individual honor – a Hall of Fame plaque – in 2019.

Not surprisingly, his elevation to Cooperstown status also carried his cards into the hobby stratosphere, led by his classic 1982 Topps rookie card.

Value: $60-65

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3) 1982 Topps Tom Seaver (#30)

Tom Seaver was once a phenom, and he more than lived up to the hype — among Seaver’s hardware were the 1967 NL Rookie of the Year award and Cy Youngs in 1969, 1973, and 1975.

That first CYA helped the awful New York Mets turn into the Amazin’ Mets who won the 1969 World Series, and Seaver’s second Cy Young season helped the Mets get to the 1973 Series.

A 300-game winner who also pitched with the Cincinnati Reds (and a handful of other teams at the end of his career), Tom Terrific is an all-time great whose cards remain popular all these decades later.

His 1982 Topps shows a pensive Seaver during an interview — maybe answering questions about his future Cooperstown hat choice?

Value: $60-70

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2) 1982 Topps Rickey Henderson (#610)

In the spring of 1982, when this third-year Rickey Henderson card was issued, The Man of Steal was not quite yet The Man of Steal.

Sure, he had swiped 100 bases in 1980, before the 1981 strike sapped everyone’s numbers, but 1982 was the year he’d break Lou Brock‘s single-season record by stealing 130.

From there, it was a 20-year sprint to the Hall of Fame for the man many consider the best leadoff hitter of all-time — no one combined Henderson’s speed, patience, power, and hot-dogness with such aplomb.

This popular 1982 Topps card shows Rickey in his element — wreaking havoc on the basepaths.

Value: $60-85

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1) 1982 Topps Cal Ripken Jr. Rookie Card (#21)

Cal Ripken, Jr., came on the baseball scene with a lot of hype as the son of a Major League coach and a big second-round shortstop out of high school who only seemed to get better as he climbed the minor league ladder.

The Iron Man lived up to his billing right away and never really stopped: 1982 American League Rookie of the Year, 1983 AL Most Valuable Player award, 1991 AL MVP, The Streak, a plaque in Cooperstown.

Along the way, Ripken lifted his cardboard into hobby stardom, too, beginning with his 1982 Topps base rookie card that he shared with Bobby Bonner and Jeff Schneider.

Once the absolute hottest card in the hobby, this classic RC remains among the most valuable of the 1980s.

Value: $125-150

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Honorable Mention

A couple of players who did some nifty work during the 1981 season would go on to become absolute hobby monsters ten years or so down the road.

The 1982 Topps set gave collectors an extra dose (or two) of those guys PLUS a few other interesting twists and turns that bear mentioning.

So we will — behold, our honorable mentions …

6) 1982 Topps Nolan Ryan – ERA Leaders (#66)

Yes, Nolan Ryan was the strikeout pitcher to end all strikeout pitchers (at least among guys who could muster more than a few innings at a clip like the 2020s models), but he also overcame an early wild streak to turn into a fine overall pitcher.

In fact, he was able to cop a couple of ERA crowns, including the National League title during the 1981 season … which led to this dream combo of Ryan and Steve McCatty.

Like all the clever lads who go on about the “Jerry Koosman rookie card,” this one gives all us wiseacres a chance to wax poetic about the McCatty leaders card.

Score.

Value: $20-30

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5) 1982 Topps Nolan Ryan – Astros Leaders (#167)

For much of his career, Ryan carried a reputation as more of just a flamethrower than a bona fide ace, but he was still the front man for many/most of his teams.

And when his team-leading ERA coincided with Topps’ decision to issue team leader cards, the stage was set for more Ryan Express fodder for the hobby fire he would ignite in the early 1980s.

Value: $25-35

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4) 1982 Topps Rickey Henderson & Tim Raines – Stolen Base Leaders (#164)

Rickey Henderson is probably the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time, and he’s certainly the most prolific stolen base champion ever.

And, when you factor in the entirety of his career and all the records he owns, well, Rickey is right there in the upper echelon of Hall of Famers.

Meanwhile …

For most of his career, Tim Raines did pretty much all the same stuff that Rickey did, just not quite as well or loudly. In many ways, he toiled in Henderson’s shadow and gained a reputation as a sort of scaled-down version of the SB king.

That’s a pretty fair assessment, too, because Raines wasn’t quite Rickey’s equal – but he was *still* good enough to snag his own Cooperstown plaque.

Put them together on one card, and you have hobby gold … but don’t blink, or you’ll miss it speeding past.

Value: $30-35

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3) 1982 Topps Rickey Henderson – A’s Leaders (#156)

Not only did Henderson lead the AL in stolen bases in 1981, he also led the A’s in batting.

That feat landed him this dandy combo card with Steve McCatty, who looks upon his teammate approvingly.

Value: $25-45

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2) 1982 Topps George Foster All-Star (with autograph) (#342)

This George Foster All-Star issue is sort of the opposite of the “blackless” 1982 cards – after all, it has *too much* black ink.

In particular, the Foster AS features a facsimile autograph, a feature generally reserved for each player’s base card in this set. But a relatively small number of Yahtzee’s #345 do indeed show up with a sig on front.

And, if there’s anything we’ve learned over the years, besides how great 1978 OPC gum still tastes, it’s that error cards featuring superstars are the bee’s knees.

Value: $35-45

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1) 1982 Topps Reggie Jackson All-Star Blackless (#551)

This card is here as a stalwart representative of the 1982 Topps Blackless Bunch – cards that somehow missed the production stage when black ink was applied.

Some estimates have at least half of the 792-card checklist affected by this error, which you might rightly consider to be nothing more or less than a printing defect.

Seeing as how the rest of the card – aside from the black piping, facsimile signatures, and the like – is intact, though, and that plenty of stars are in play … and that the defective versions are pretty scarce … well, it’s not hard to see the appeal.

And, when you add in Reggie’s swagger, it’s no wonder this card makes our list.

Value: $500-500

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1982 Topps Traded

The hobby was skeptical of the 1981 Topps Traded set, but apparently enough of us eventually took the plunge to convince Topps that a second go-round in 1982 was warranted.

And, thanks to a strong crop of rookies making the jump from three-man “Rookie Stars” cards to solo RCs, plus some big names finding new homes, 1982 Topps Traded became the first late-year set to really take off in the secondary market.

Here are the top cards from this issue today …

5) 1982 Topps Traded Reggie Jackson (#47T)

Reggie Jackson was made for the big stage, and if it couldn’t be the Big Apple, well, Hollywood would be a fitting alternative.

So, when Reggie took his show to California before the 1982 season, you had to think there was some magic left in the old Mr. October bat, even if the glitz and glamor of the Yankees were behind him.

And Reggie reminded us right away – with another big power showing, and with this full-on movie star shot – that he was a fountain of limelight unto himself.

Value: $20-25

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4) 1982 Topps Traded Chili Davis Rookie Card (#23T)

Chili Davis is sort of a forgotten man among the many stars of the 1980s and 1990s, but the dude could mash.

And enough collectors remember Davis’ many contributions to the game for this classic card to hang around lists like this one.

Value: $20-25

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3) 1982 Topps Traded Kent Hrbek Rookie Card (#44T)

The Twins were a pretty bad team in the early 1980s, but they had a stable of promising young players coming up through the minor league ranks.

Hopes were rising, even if skepticism remained.

The mood turned sanguine in a hurry once big bats like Kent Hrbek made it to Minneapolis and started to deliver on all that promise.

Herbie may never make the Hall of Fame, but he’s a Twins legend, and his solo RC is still a collector favorite.

Value: $25-35

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2) 1982 Topps Traded Ozzie Smith (#109T)

There are few more iconic player-team combos than Ozzie Smith with the St.Louis Cardinals, and this was the first card to capture that marriage.

Long one of the most popular cards in this set, the 1982 Topps Traded Ozzie now stands as one of the decade’s most iconic cardboard relics … especially considering the Smith helped the Cards to a championship his first season (1982) in town.

Value: $45-55

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1) 1982 Topps Traded Cal Ripken Jr. Rookie Card (#98T)

The first standalone Topps Traded set may belong to 1981, but the first card to really make the series a hobby burner belongs to 1982 … and to Cal Ripken, Jr.

By the time this first Topps single of Iron Cal made its way to collectors, his Rookie-of-the-Year-winning first season was in the books, and his three-man RC in the base 1982 set was a prized pull among collectors.

This card burned like a supernova when Cal won his second MVP award in 1983 and continued to streak across the hobby firmament as Ripken ran his consecutive-games streak into Lou Gehrig territory.

Today, the Topps Traded Ripken rookie card stand as one of the most valuable cards from the 1980s.

Value: $425-450

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Sure, there was the Ozzie Smith rookie card, but Ozzie was “just” a defensive whiz and would never make the Hall of Fame … right?

Then there were a few lesser rookies like Carney Lansford and Bob Horner, and some fun but sorta gimmicky All-Time Leaders cards, but …

This thing was going nowhere.

Except …

Ozzie became a legend on a beeline to Cooperstown.

Paul Molitor found a way to overcome his injuries and off-field problems to put together an unbelievable late-career run, making his second-year card a hot item.

And we woke up one day to find that this set was 30+ years old and not mass-produced like stuff from the Junk Wax Era.

Suddenly, 1979 Topps was a winner — with some cards being more winning than others.

With that in mind, here are the 15 most valuable cards from the 1979 Topps baseball card set based on PSA 9 selling prices as reported in the Auction Prices Realized (APR) tool.

(Note: The following sections contain affiliate links to eBay and Amazon links for the cards being discussed.)

15) 1979 Topps Eddie Murray (#640)

Murray followed up his Rookie of the Year showing in 1977 with an even stronger 1978.

By the end of 1979, the young, slugging first baseman was a key member of yet another Orioles pennant-winner.

Eventually, of course, Eddie would accumulate more than 3000 hits and 500 home runs en route to Cooperstown.

And, of course, all his cards — and especially early ones like this 1979 — are hobby heavyweights.

Value: $85-95

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14) 1979 Topps Mike Schmidt (#610)

Schmidt entered 1979 as a three-time home run champ, but coming off a relatively paltry showing in 1978 that produced just 21 dingers and 78 RBI.

With his 30th birthday looming that September, there were fears Schmidt’s best days were behind him.

He quieted that noise pretty quickly, thanks to his first 40-homer season, then followed up by winning NL MVP awards in both 1980 and 1981, then again in 1986.

Today, this 1979 Topps card — with no All-Star banner — is just another of Schmitty’s classic issues that always makes collectors happy.

Value: $90-100

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13) 1979 Topps Rod Carew (#300)

Carew won his seventh and final American League batting title, just a year after hitting an unreal .388.

His place in Cooperstown was all but wrapped up by the time this card hit shelves in the spring of 1979, and, like the Reggie, it sports the All-Star banner … what’s not to love?

Value: $90-110

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12) 1979 Topps Thurman Munson (#310)

Every year as summer wanes, the baseball world pauses to remember the legacy of Thurman Munson, the Yankees captain and superstar catcher killed in a plane crash on August 2, 1979.

He was one of the few active baseball players to be taken from us during the season and remains one of the greatest catchers not enshrined in Cooperstown.

Will Munson ever make the Hall of Fame cut?

Hard to say, but his 1979 Topps issue is also his last major-brand card as an active player, and it’s become something of a classic.

Value: $90-120

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11) 1979 Topps Jim Palmer (#340)

Jim Palmer was sort of like the 1970s baseball version of Tom Brady — part of a tremendously successful franchise, sickeningly good looking, and damn good at his job.

How good?

From 1970 through 1978, Palmer won 20 or more games eight times, nabbed three AL Cy Young Awards, and helped the Orioles to four AL East titles, two AL pennants, and one World Series championship (with pennants in 1969 and 1979 thrown in for good measure).

And he was an underwear model.

After all that, you might have expected all of his baseball cards to have been destroyed in a mass-hysteria jealous rage, but his solid 1979 Topps issue lives on just fine.

Value: $90-125

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10) 1979 Topps Reggie Jackson (#700)

Jackson and the Yankees were coming off their second straight World Series title when this card was issued, and Reggie had definitley cemented himself as “Mr. October.”

This is a pasteboard fitting of the hot dog it features, complete with black shades and the blingy Topps All-Star banner.

Collectors have loved this thing for more than four decades.

Value: $100-125

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9) 1979 Topps Dave Winfield (#30)

Dave Winfield could probably have excelled as a professional in any sport he chose and was in fact drafted by the Atlanta Haws (NBA), Utah Stars (ABA), and Minnesota Vikings (NFL).

To the eventual delight of baseball fans everywhere, though, Winfield signed with the San Diego Padres after they made him the the fourth overall pick in the 1973 Major League Baseball draft.

Winfield made his MLB debut that summer without ever suiting up in the minors, and the next 22 years would be a flurry of greatness that eventually landed him in Cooperstown.

In 1979, he was nearing the end of his time with the Padres, as the New York Yankees would snag him in free agency prior to the 1981 season.

This late-Padres Winfield Topps card is still popular with collectors

Value: $125-175

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8) 1979 Topps Dale Murphy (#39)

By 1979, Dale Murphy had flashed some good power — he clubbed 23 home runs in 1978 — but was still struggling to find a position in the Majors.

After starting professional life as a catcher, Murph spent most of ’78 at first base and would sort of split 1979 — with reduced overall playing time — between the two.

It wasn’t until the Atlanta Braves shifted him to the outfield in 1980 that Murphy’s career really began to take off.

Before any of that happened, though, he took his hacks on this 1979 Topps card, his third issue and first solo card.

Value: $150-175

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7) 1979 Topps George Brett (#330)

By 1979, George Brett was a perennial All-Star and sometimes MVP candidate for the ever-competitive Kansas City Royals, but he had yet to become GEORGE BRETT.

You know, the .400-chasing, .390-hitting, hemorrhoid-suffering, mind-losing-pine-tar-using legend who personified baseball as well as anyone from his generation.

Even so, his 1979 Topps baseball card is awesome, showing a waiting Brett ready to pounce on any ball hit his way at third base, and adorned with the All-Star banner.

Value: $200-225

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6) 1979 Topps Willie Stargell (#55)

At 39, Willie Stargell was well past his prime in 1979, but he mustered one last inspiring run to help his “We Are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates win a World Series over the vaunted Baltimore Orioles.

For his efforts, Stargell snagged a share of the National League Most Valuable Player award, along with St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Keith Hernandez.

Thanks to Pops’ big season (even if his co-MVP merit was debatable) and subsequent retrospective MVP sets like the 1982 Kmart 20th Anniversary boxed deal, this card has become an iconic symbol of late 1970s baseball.

Value: $200-230

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5) 1979 Topps Nolan Ryan (#115)

Nolan Ryan would leave the Californian Angels to sign the richest free agent pact to that point (with the Houston Astros) after the 1979 season. In that final season with the Halos, though, Ryan did what he always did — led the league in strikeouts (223), led the league in fewest hits allowed (6.8 per nine innings), and sported a good but not great record (16-14, 3.60 ERA).

Of course, over then next 15 seasons, The Ryan Express would become a bona fide legend, rocketing all his cards into the stratosphere.

His 1979 Topps issue falls right in line.

Value: $250-300

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4) 1979 Topps Paul Molitor (#24)

Paul Molitor was always an exciting player with plenty of upside, but injuries and off-field issues lessened his impact during the early years of his career.

Beginning in the early 1990s, though, the Milwaukee Brewers installed The Ignitor as their more-or-less regular DH, and he held that role through the rest of his career, including stints with the Toronto Blue Jays and his hometown Minnesota Twins.

The result was an incredible late-career surge that left Molitor with 3319 hits, more than 200 home runs, 500+ steals, a .306 lifetime batting average, and a Hall of Fame plaque.

This second-year Molitor card is the first to picture him alone — he had to share his 1978 Topps rookie card with some dude named Alan Trammell. The ’79 is a great card but really hard to find well-centered.

Value: $325-350

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3) 1979 Topps Pete Rose (#650)

Pete Rose left the Cincinnati Reds after the 1978 season, a development which pretty much ended any idea that the Big Red Machine had another lap left in her.

But while Charlie Hustle was helping lay the groundwork for a 1980 World Series title with the Philadelphia Phillies, fans and collectors were still seeing Red — as in Pete’s last Reds card.

Of course, this 1979 Topps classic would lose that designation when Rose returned to the Riverfront five years later, but it’s still a collector favorite that can bring good money in high grades

Value: $400-440

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2) 1979 Topps Dennis Eckersley (#40)

By the time this 1979 Topps Dennis Eckersley first made its way to collectors’ hands, the young righty was coming off his breakout season — 20-8, 2.99 ERA, a fourth place finish in American League Cy Young voting for the Boston Red Sox.

It was a rocky ride for Eckersley from there through the middle 1980s as he struggled with off-field problems and spotty on-field results that saw him traded to the Chicago Cubs in 1984 and the Oakland A’s in 1987.

And that was the turning point, as A’s skipper Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan moved Eckersley to the bullpen, where he became a dominant member of the Bash Brothers teams and stamped his own ticket to Cooperstown.

Along the way, Eck’s cards climbed toward the top of whatever set they appeared in, and his 1979 Topps issue — the first to show him with the BoSox after three pasteboards with the Cleveland Indians — is no exception.

Value: $450-500

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1) 1979 Topps Ozzie Smith Rookie Card (#116)

This one needs no introdcuction since I already mentioned The Wizard above and because his rookie card is so far ahead of all the other 1979 Topps cards.

Add in Ozzie’s legend, a solo-player rookie, and condition scarcity thanks to tilting and centering problems, and you have a card that knows few bounds when it comes to price limits.

Value: $2100-2400

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(Check out our other posts about baseball card values here.)

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But the truth is, even the junkiest of junk wax products spits out a sorta gem every now and then — cards that sell for a few bucks online or at shows. Or a decent bit more if they’re slabbed in high grades.

So, with that in mind, here are the 10 most valuable 1989 Topps baseball cards as gauged by eBay sales.

1989 Topps Randy Johnson Rookie Card (#647)

When this card was issued, Montreal Expos hurler Randy Johnson was something of a curiosity. At 6’10”, he was certainly huge, and his fastball scared the crap out of hitters from coast to coast … but he was also wild and unpolished. And, at age 25, he was sorta old to be a prospect. A May 25 trade to the Seattle Mariners changed all that, of course, and Johnson finished 1989 looking like a real pitcher before blossoming into a Hall of Fame lock over the next 20 years.

Johnson’s 1989 Topps rookie card is not scarce by any means, and you can pick up nice raw copies for a few bucks. A PSA 10 copy will cost a bit more — generally still less than $75, though.

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1989 Topps Nolan Ryan (#530)

Nolan Ryan was at the other end of his career from Johnson when he made his last Topps appearance for the Houston Astros in 1989. Of course, it turns out Ryan wasn’t quite done, as he used his five seasons with the Texas Rangers to pick up his 300th victory, 5000th strikeout, and seventh no-hitter to cement his status as an absolute legend. While his 1989 Topps base card fetches about $1 ungraded, it stretches 70 bucks or more in PSA 10.

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1989 Topps Cal Ripken, Jr. (#250)

The Baltimore Orioles were just awful in 1988, finishing 54-107, but their Iron Man, Cal Ripken played every game — as usual. Even Cal’s performance was a bit soft that summer, though, at least by his standards. With a slash line of .264/.372/.431, along with 23 home runs and 81 RBI, Ripken was an All-Star but not the lead-pipe superstar he had been a few years earlier. So when this 1989 Topps card hit store shelves, it was accompanied by whispers that maybe it was time for Cal to sit.

It wasn’t, and Ripken turned on the gas over the next few years to cement his status as a baseball legend, and you can usually pick up this mid-career card for a relative song — ungraded, that is. In PSA 10, expect prices close to $70.

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Sign on the 1989 Topps dotted line …

While 1989 Topps baseball cards may not be the most exciting issue of all time, a little authentic history from the moment can spice things up.

Enter this one-of-a-kind baseball card contract, entered between Topps and Minnesota Twins pitcher Roy Smith in 1989, and covering Smith’s cards through 1992.

This one came from the Topps Vault and is available for a relative song on SportsMemorabilia.com.

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1989 Topps Mike Schmidt (#100)

Schmidt is the greatest third baseman to ever set foot on a Major League Baseball diamond, and this is his last Topps card, issued just months before his retirement in the spring of 1989.

Little wonder, then, that Schmitty appears on this list, huh?

While not a career-capper, this final Topps card of the Phillies legend still checks in north of $60 in PSA 10 condition.

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1989 Topps Rickey Henderson (#380)

Like Schmidt, Rickey is one of the all-time greats — greatest base stealer, greatest leadoff man, greatest hot dog (though Reggie Jackson might have something to say about that).

Rickey also got on base like a Sabermetrics fiend, way before any of us even knew what that meant.

This great-looking Henderson card shows the Green-and-Gold to good effect in the Oakland sunshine and sells for $60 or so in slabbed GEM MINT condition.

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1989 Topps Jim Abbott Rookie Card (#573)

Abbott inspired by excelling on the baseball diamond despite being born without a right hand and then just simply inspired by excelling on the diamond by any measure.

A standout college career and stardom in the 1988 Summer Olympics led to being picked in the first round by the California Angels in 1988, and then a solid-to-star-level ten-year Major League career.

An instant hit with collectors, Abbott’s rookie card still draws plenty of interest these days, particularly in top-notch condition.

Expect prices in the $50 range for PSA 10 copies.

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1989 Topps Greg Maddux (#240)

This is no rookie card, but you don’t need first-year gold to carry you onto a list like this when you’re one of the two three greatest pitchers of your generation.

The four-time Cy Young and eight-time All-Star was not the most overpowering pitcher on those great Atlanta Braves teams, but we he was the ace — and his 355 career victories rank eighth all time.

Today, this action shot against the Wrigley Field ivy reminds Cubs fans about what might have been and sells for about $50 in PSA 10 condition.

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1989 Topps John Smoltz Rookie Card (#382)

John Smoltz is more than three years younger than The Big Unit, and the Atlanta Braves prospect already had some solid minor league work under his belt in the spring of 1989. As a result, collectors were a bit more eager to jump on his rookie card. He rewarded us with several solid years as a member of the Braves vaunted rotation before breaking out with a Cy Young season in 1996. Smoltz missed the 200 season with an injury and then returned in 2001 as a lockdown closer before finishing up in the rotation for several more seasons. It was an unorthodox route to the Hall of Fame, but one that still netted Smoltz his Cooperstown bust and 1989 Topps prices that are edging close to $50.

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1989 Topps Mark McGwire (#70)

As 1989 dawned, collectors were hoping for a rebound from Mark McGwire, the young slugger who followed up his 49-homer ROY season in 1987 with “just” 32 homers in 1988. Things got worse for Big Mac over the next few years before his renaissance in the mid-1990s, but he cut a fine figure on his 1989 baseball cards, including this Topps gem. There is an awful lot of power parked on that cardboard, and it can be yours for about $45 in PSA 10 condition most of the time.

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1989 Topps Gary Sheffield Rookie Card (#343)

Collectors were hungry for big-name rookie cards as the 1989 season dawned — after a bumper crop in 1987, the 1988 sets were pretty sparse in terms of first-year cards, especially when it came to power potential. One of the guys who stoked our imaginations for ’89 was Gary Sheffield, a 20-year-old shortstop with muscle for the Milwaukee Brewers, who just also happened to be Dwight Gooden‘s nephew. Sheffield took awhile to get his homer stroke warmed up in the Majors, and he wore out his welcome with a few clubs, but he eventually developed into pretty much the monster bat we always imagined he would. Thanks partly to more than 500 career home runs, his Topps rookie card will run you about $45 in PSA 10 but just about a dollar raw.

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1989 Topps Craig Biggio (#49)

In 1989, Biggio took a first step toward the Hall of Fame by winning his Silver Slugger award. Of course, the fact that he won that hardware as a catcher may seem hard to believe now, considering he became a superstar with the Houston Astros as a second baseman, but it’s all just part of Biggio’s hard-nosed athletic legacy. Even with all that horsehide greatness, you can usually find this second-year Biggio card for under a buck. A perfect 10 can bring $40 or more, though.

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1989 Topps Gregg Jefferies Rookie Card (#233)

Like Sheffield, Gregg Jefferies was one of the hitters we were banking on to really light a fire under our rookie cards (oh, the horror!). Unlike Sheffield, though, Jefferies had appeared in a few 1988 base sets (Donruss, Fleer, Score), so this 1989 Topps card wasn’t really a “rookie” so much as a “First Topps Card.” Still, it was a popular issue that struggled right along with Jefferies as he couldn’t quite hit the expectations set for him. In the end, Jefferies turned in a very good, All-Star caliber career, and his 1989 Topps rookie card (yes, I said it), checks in at about $35 in “perfect” graded condition.

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1989 Topps Tom Glavine (#157)

Like his Braves teammate, Smoltzie, Tom Glavine took a few years in the Majors before he really got things in gear. By the time Atlanta was ready to start winning, though, so was Glavine — his 20-11, 2.55 ERA in 1991 was good enough to nab the National League Cy Young award as the Braves captured their first division title of 1990s. But back when collectors first got our mitts on Glavine’s 1989 Topps card — not a rookie — he was still trying to find his place in the game. As it turned out, that place was Cooperstown, which makes this card look pretty good for a buck or so (with PSA 10 copies bringing $30 or more).

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1989 Topps Roberto Alomar (#206)

Like a lot of other guys on this list, Roberto Alomar made his cardboard debut in 1988, the same season he finished fifth in NL Rookie of the Year balloting. He didn’t appear on a Topps card until the 1988 Traded set, though, so this 1989 pasteboard is his first base Topps issue. For less than 20 bucks, then, regardless of condition, you can nab a very early career card of a fan favorite and Hall of Famer. Not bad, eh?

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After all …

When the  New York Yankees catcher and captain died in a plane crash on August 2, 1979, he left behind a legacy of gritty play that engendered plenty of Hall of Fame sentiment, a mourning and adoring fan base, and two of the most iconic baseball cards of the 1970s.

First came his second-year card, number 5 in the love-hate black-bordered 1971 Topps set:

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As you can see, it features a down-and-dirty play at the plate, with the 1970 American League Rookie of the Year having ditched his mask before applying the tag to a sliding runner (Fangraphs says it’s Chuck Dobson).

Then came Munson’s 1976 Topps issue, a simple portrait with a nearly perfect color scheme and a steely-eyed Captain just on the verge of leading his team to three straight World Series appearances:

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That season — 1976 —  Munson won the AL Most Valuable Player award, which would land this card a bit of immortality in the form of retrospectives like the 1982 Kmart 25th Anniversary issue.

But Munson was featured on plenty of other cardboard during his relatively short 10-year run in the Major Leagues, starting and ending with relatively obscure, oddball issues.

An Appointment with Greatness

In 1970 (and other seasons during that era), the Yankees held a series of baseball clinics for young fans prior to certain home games. As part of their reward for participating, kids received a postcard that featured a particular player on the front, with some information about him on the back, along with the clinic and giveaway schedule.

On August 15, it was Munson who graced they Yanks’ cardboard lagniappe.

That 1970 New York Yankees Clinic Schedule Munson card features a clean-shaven, round-featured rookie who is still several years removed from his mid-1970s peak:

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It’s an awesome portrait of a budding legend, even if Munson doesn’t look especially happy or self-assured the moment the shutter fired.

Of course, this wasn’t the only Thurman Munson baseball card available to fans and collectors that summer, as he scored his Topps rookie card on #189 in the gray-bordered base set:

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If you wanted a Munson card the year after his accident, though, your choices were limited to just one — the 1980 Laughlin Famous Feats card (#13) highlighting Munson’s seven consecutive World Series hits spread across the 1976 and 1977 Fall Classics:

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Obviously, this isn’t your typical baseball card since it features a comic drawing of Munson — and Yankee Stadium — rather than a photo. And the card back is completely blank, too.

But for fans in 1980, still stunned by the loss of a diamond hero, it was a bittersweet reminder of the glory that had so recently passed. Part of a 40-card issue celebrating other big moments from the game, this card also slotted Munson among all-time greats like Honus Wagner, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and Rogers Hornsby.

And does Munson really seem out place in that company?

Not at all, which in itself is a rough-hewn and unsophisticated argument for his enshrinement in Cooperstown.

Will that ever happen?

Hard to say, but Munson certainly built an all-timer baseball card library– Hall-of-fame-caliber works of art in the middle held in place by a couple of oddball but exotic and irresistible bookends.

So, when it comes to Thurman Munson baseball cards, what’s not to love?

(Check out the rest of our player-focused posts here.)

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Up until that point, most collectors were willing to look the other way as the supply of new cards inched up every year. After all, more and more folks were flocking to the hobby all the time, so we could absorb anything manufacturers spit out.

Besides, Donruss and Fleer, at least, seemed to have throttled production in 1987, seeing as how those cards were hard to come by … early on, anyway.

But, man, 1988 Donruss baseball was everywhere almost from the very first days of the new year. It was as if they had been planted as seeds on store shelves across America and blossomed into full bloom when the champagne flowed on New Year’s Eve.

Three decades has done little to attenuate the blue, red, black, white flow of 1988 Donruss cards into the market, and they’re still among the cheapest “old” cards ever issued.

Still, that doesn’t mean the ’88s are completely worthless. Donruss rolled out a pretty decent rookie card class that year, and there are several Hall of Famers in the set who will always have their supporters.

So, with that in mind, here are the ten most valuable 1988 Donruss baseball cards, presented in numerical order. Unless otherwise noted, you can pick up just about any of these babies for around $1 (or less) in raw condition, so we’ll be looking at the prices you might expect to pay for “perfect” PSA 10 copies.

(Check out our full series of posts on the history of Donruss baseball cards.)

1988 Donruss Roberto Alomar (#34)

Folks were only sort of excited about Roberto Alomar in the early stages of his career.

Sure, he was the son of a former Major Leaguer, but Sandy Alomar, Sr., was never a superstar, and Robbie seemed like he was destined to be a high-level middle infielder at best — great glove, possibly a high batting average, some speed, but not a ton more.

Many in the hobby were more anxious to see his brother, Sandy Alomar, Jr., who was a catcher with decent power potential.

As it turned out, of course, Robbie did all that stuff I mentioned above, but did it even better than we thought he might. Even added some decent power (210 home runs).

In the end, his even .300 batting average, 2700+ hits, nearly 500 stolen bases, and 10 Gold Gloves were enough to gain him Hall of Fame election in 2011.

Alomar’s 1988 Donruss Rated Rookie is pretty generic looking, but it can fetch more than $20 in PSA 10 condition.

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1988 Donruss Mark Grace (#40)

Truth be told, we were all grasping for great rookies to chase when the 1988 cards came out. After monstrous rookie-card classes from 1985 through 1987, Donruss had a lot to live up to.

The problem was, there just weren’t any of the usual big sluggers or power pitchers — Eric Davis, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Roger Clemens, Dwight Gooden — to stoke our interest, so we latched onto other types.

Mark Grace was one of those “others,” an imperfect rookie target at best. I mean, first basemen are supposed to knock home runs all over the field (or at least pull them to one field), not challenge for a batting title.

But Grace played for the Chicago Cubs, so that helped, and he hit from the the beginning of his career to the end, to the tune of 2445 hits and a .303 lifetime batting average.

His lack of milestone numbers or a big power stroke will likely forever keep Grace out of Cooperstown, but his 1988 Rated Rookie pulls in $15-20 in PSA 10 anyway.

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1988 Donruss Al Leiter (#43)

Al Leiter was another guy we pulled into our fraternity of “hey, we don’t have any better” rookie cards to follow in 1988.

He did have a few things going for him — he was a second-round draft pick in 1984, he made his Major League debut at age 21, and, mostly, he pitched for the New York Yankees.

Nothing ever clicked for Leiter in the Bronx, though, and the Yanks traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Jesse Barfield in April of 1989.

After another four years of up-and-down minor/Major-league action, Leiter finally stuck in Toronto in 1993, just in time for the Jays’ second World Series title.

He went on to several solid seasons with the Jays,  Florida Marlins, and New York Mets, but you can lay much of the $10-15 price tag for his Donruss rookie card (in PSA 10) at the feet of his post-playing television career.

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1988 Donruss Nolan Ryan (#61)

You know all about Nolan Ryan, but one thing to point out about his 1988 baseball cards is that they were the last ones issued while he was still pitching for the Houston Astros.

The next summer, Ryan would still appear on Astros cards, but he was busy crafting his legend with the Texas Rangers in real life by that time.

This final Donruss-with-the-Astros-while-he-pitched-for-the-Astros card of The Ryan Express generally sells for $15-25 in PSA 10.

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1988 Donruss Don Mattingly (#217)

Depending on how you look at things — through traditional or SABRose-colored glasses — Don Mattingly recorded his last truly great season in either 1986 or 1987.

As far as most of us were concerned, though, Mattingly was the man entering the 1988 campaign. Fresh off a season in which he hit .327 with 30 home runs and 115 RBI, he was a superstar among superstars and, as such, his cardboard was everywhere.

That power dropped dramatically in the summer of 1988, but many of us were too busy collecting his umpteen cards to really notice. Besides, we knew he would bounce back to 1985-86 levels, and better, in 1989.

That never happened, of course, but this blue-bordered 1988 Donruss Donnie Baseball still fetches around $25 in PSA 10.

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1988 Donruss Bo Jackson (#220)

Bo Jackson played the entire 1988 season at 25 years of age, logging 124 games and 468 plate appearances for the Kansas City Royals. Those were both career highs, and we were starting to get a real handle on what type of player Bo would be — prodigious power, free-swinging, prone to highlight-reel catches but still rough in the field.

Even though he wasn’t a perfect player, though, the sheer potential rippling through Bo’s every move kept us coming back for more — more video clips, more speculation, more hand-wringing, more baseball cards.

All these years later, we’re still at it even though Jackson’s career was cut way too short, leaving his legacy shy of what it could have been.

This 1988 Donruss card, Bo’s second base issue from Big D, checks in at $10-15 in PSA 10.

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1988 Donruss Barry Bonds (#326)

In 1988, Barry Bonds was young, lithe, cocky, and one of the best baseball players on the planet.

Thing is, he didn’t always get his due for that latter attribute, and folks threw around all sorts of trite phrases when speaking of him …

Lacks big-time power …

Maybe when his frame fills out …

Not really helping the Pirates win …

Great potential, but …

Not quite on par with teammate Bobby Bonilla …

I poop you not, these were real sentiments surrounding Bonds.

Well, the dude filled out (no one was happy about that, either), found his power, turned the Bucs and Giants into winners, became a legend.

And people still have all kinds of beefs with him.

Not enough beef, though, to prevent his 1988 Donruss card for selling at $10-20 in PSA 10.

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1988 Donruss Mike Schmidt (#330)

Not many of us realized it at the time, but 1988 would be Mike Schmidt’s last sorta full-time season.

Guess we should have seen that coming when his games-played dropped from 160 in 1986 to 147 in 1987 to, eventually, 108 in 1988.

Schmitty managed only 12 dingers in that summer of 1988, but we (I, anyway) thought he’d be back at full-force in 1989.

Instead, he retired 42 games into the campaign.

No matter, though, because Schmidt stands as the game’s greatest third baseman, and even his overproduced 1988 Donruss card trades for around $15 in PSA 10.

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1988 Donruss Tom Glavine (#644)

Among the non-Rated Rookies we tried to love from 1988 Donruss, Tom Glavine was maybe the top pitcher.

No one was too excited by the putrid Atlanta Braves teams of the era, but Glavine, at least, gave a glimmer of hope, with scouting reports that pegged him as a potential future rotation piece.

That worked out pretty well, even though early struggles (like a 7-17 record in 1988) may have made him think twice about that NHL career he turned down.

Soon enough, the Braves would turn things around thanks to guys like Glavine, John Smoltz, Sid Bream, Terry Pendleton, and, eventually, Greg Maddux and Chipper Jones.

Twenty years after this card was issued, Glavine finished up his 22-year run — including five with the New York Mets — as a 305-game winner and on beeline to the Hall of Fame (first-ballot inductee in 2014).

Today, his ’88 Donruss rookie sells for around $25 in PSA 10.

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1988 Donruss Gregg Jefferies (#657)

Now this was the guy everyone really wanted from among the 1988 baseball card rookies.

Gregg Jefferies had it all — youth (20), budding power (20 homers with the Double-A Jackson Mets in 1987), big batting average (.367), huge-market team (New York Mets).

After his six-game cup of coffee with the Sheas in 1987, the hobby was convinced Jefferies was the second coming of Mickey Mantle, the Infield Version.

In reality, it took Jefferies most of another season before he stuck in the Big Leagues for good and, when he did, it was a bit of a struggle.

Low batting average (.258 in 1989), low-to-middling power (12 homers), no catchy nickname.

Eventually, Jefferies settled in and, though he was never as hot as the initial expectations surrounding him had been, he turned in an All-Star level career split among six different franchises over 14 years.

He’ll never make the Cooperstown cut, but the warm memories of Phenom Jefferies keep his Donruss rookie card at the $15-20 level (PSA 10) all these decades later.

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That doesn’t mean, however, that all 1990 Score cards are completely worthless.

Because, while you can certainly pick them up for a song in raw condition, and even unopened product is available on the (relative) cheap, high-quality graded singles can fetch decent money.

Well, certain singles, that is.

What follows is a list of the 1990 Score baseball cards that tend to sell for the most on eBay when graded in PSA 9 or PSA 10 condition.

As far as actual values, the cards below range from a high of about $60 in PSA 10 (again, as registered in actual eBay sales) for the Bo Jackson “shirtless” card to a low of about $10 for the Nolan Ryan highlight piece (in PSA 10).

I’ve also included links to current listings on Amazon and eBay so you can check out the very latest prices.

Let’s dig in.

1990 Score Bo Jackson (#697)

By the time 1990 Score baseball cards hit store shelves, Bo Jackson was in full bloom on both the baseball diamond and the football gridiron.

Once a curiosity for wanting to try both sports on the pro level, Jackson had worked through enough of his rawness on the diamond to smack 32 home runs, steal 26 bases, and drive in 105 runs for the Kansas City Royals in 1989, good enough to finish 10th in the American League Most Valuable Player voting.

That fall, he rushed for 950 yards for the Los Angeles Raiders.

Bo knew everything, and Bo could do everything.

Including light the sports card hobby on fire, and Score was right there to capitalize on all that popularity and still-untapped potential.

The shirtless, horizontal, black-and-white Jackson card in the 1990 set, where he’s sporting equipment from both games, became an instant classic.

Even after Bo’s hip injury ended his football career and curtailed his time on the diamond, the image remained ingrained in our collector brains.

It still thrills, even to this day.

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1990 Score Frank Thomas Rookie Card (#663)

Frank Thomas was, briefly, Bo Jackson’s football teammate for the Auburn Tigers. But while Bo went on to win the Heisman Trophy, Thomas hung up his cleats and turned all his attention to baseball.

It was a shrewd move that eventually led The Big Hurt to the Hall of Fame, but not before he became an icon with the Chicago White Sox.

His 1990 Score rookie card was never as popular as his Leaf issue from the same summer, but it has always been an essential part of any Thomas collection.

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1990 Score Larry Walker Rookie Card (#631)

Even though he was one of the greatest hitters of his generation, Larry Walker sort of sneaked up on folks, collectors included.

Part of it had to do with the fact he began his career with the Montreal Expos.

Part of it had to do that many discounted his statistics with the Colorado Rockies, pointing to his success as a creation of the Mile High air.

But Walker won the NL MVP award in 1997, was a seven-time Gold Glove winner, collected more than 2100 hits, and retired as one of the 10 or so greatest right fielders of all time.

So it’s little wonder that his rookie cards have started to heat up a bit again as he makes a late push for Cooperstown induction.

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1990 Score Nolan Ryan (#250)

Anytime you’re considering the most valuable cards of any set issued in the last 50 years or so, one of the first questions you have to ask yourself is … was Nolan Ryan in the set?

If the answer is “yes” then, I’ll lay dollars to donuts he makes the big-money list.

The 1990 Score set is no exception, with the bonus of being among the first wave of base sets to show The Ryan Express as a member of the Texas Rangers.

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1990 Score Sammy Sosa Rookie Card (#558)

Say what you will about Sammy Sosa — and there’s plenty of negativity surrounding him these days — but there is no denying his place in history as Mark McGwire‘s slugging partner in the great Home Run Chase of 1998.

Sure, Sosa’s legacy is tainted to the point that he’ll likely never sniff the Hall of Fame despite his three 60-homer seasons and 609 lifetime dingers, but there is still a certain appeal to his early cards.

This 1990 issue is Sammy’s first Score card and still brings double digits when it appears in PSA 10 condition. It’s a piece of history, for better or worse.

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1990 Score Ken Griffey, Jr. (#560)

If there is one great player from the 1990s and 2000s who seems to have sidestepped any suspicion of PED usage, it’s the inimitable Ken Griffey, Jr.

And, from the time Junior appeared on card #1 in the inaugural Upper Deck issue in 1989, he has been been hobby royalty.

So, while this 1990 Score card is not a rookie, it makes our list of most valuable cardboard in the set.

Like Ryan, if Griffey appears in a set, he’s probably in the top handful, value-wise.

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1990 Score Deion Sanders (#586)

There is little doubt that Bo Jackson paved the way for Deion Sanders to reach some of his sporting goals.

I mean, if Bo hadn’t been tearing it up on the diamond and the gridiron at the same time, would teams in either sport have been so willing to let Neon Deion ply his two-way trade?

Doubtful.

As things turned out, Sanders was as Hall of Fame talent in football and developed into an average (or so) but exciting part-time Major League center fielder.

That was more than good enough to create hobby buzz that keeps Deion on our list even three decades later.

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1990 Score Nolan Ryan – 1989 Highlight (#696)

Yep, this is yet another Nolan Ryan card.

Don’t begrudge him, though — for a few years there in the 1990s, the dude pretty much drove the high end of the market with his mound exploits as he neared 100 years of age.

This particular pasteboard highlights one of Nolan’s many, um, highlights: in particular, the time he fanned Rickey Henderson for his 5000th strikeout.

Cool trivia, cool card.

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