The course of Seaver's career would take a significant turn at the trading deadline in 1977, though, when he was involved in "the Midnight Massacre" that sent him to the Reds. Click on any Donruss Set to see a full list of Cards and their current value. To top it all off, he earned his sixth All-Star selection, sixth Gold Glove, and second Silver Slugger award. 2017-18 Panini National Treasures Donovan Mitchell RC Auto Patch /99. Unlike Smith, Cal Ripken's chances at the Hall of Fame were never in doubt. . Had Los Angeles's Fernando Valenzuela's not been so dominant in 1981, dousing the baseball world in "Fernandomania," Seaver would have earned his fourth Cy Young as he finished runner-up. After Wilson dodged a wild pitch from Boston's Bob Stanley, Kevin Mitchell scored from third to tie the game. However, when do you do it? Later, his stretch from 1982 to 1987 was one of the most dominant in Major League Baseball as he was twice voted MVP, made six-straight All-Star teams while winning five Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. Despite the ups and downs, there isplentyto enjoy about this set. Things weren't all rosy for Smith, however, as his relationship with Padres owner Ray Kroc and his wife Joan became publicly sour. Tim Raines was one of the most successful stealers in baseball history and can be seen on the far left of the card. Since most collectors in this hobby tend to draw the line on the "vintage era" at 1980, many consider the Rickey Henderson rookie card to be the last big-name vintage rookie.. And while its value pales in comparison to other big-name vintage rookies like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Roberto Clemente, to . Mookie came up big for the Mets again in Game 7, going 1 for 3 with a run scored to help the Mets beat the Red Sox 8-5 to win the title. He finished the year with the best winning percentage of any starter in baseball (.875), notched his 3000th career strikeout on April 12th, and earned his twelfth-and-final All-Star appearance after a two-year absence. Reggie Jackson was one of the game's greatest power hitters and was known for taking huge rips at the ball on his way to racking up 563 career home runs. The problem was that the 33-year-old Bench simply wasn't healthy. #8. He is ranked 33rd on the all-time list of career leaders for batting average among Major League Baseball players with at least 1,000 appearances at-bat. In this guide, I will cover the 25 most valuable in the set. Tim Raines first became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2008 but wasn't elected until 2017 when he received a convincing 86% of the vote. With the first card in the checklist, Topps paid tribute to both Lou Brock and Carl Yastrzemski crossing the 3,000 career hits mark that would put them in exclusive baseball company forever. With ten Gold Gloves to show for it, Bench was a monster on defense with a rifle for an arm and an ability to throw out would-be base stealers with extreme precision. Things weren't always rocky during Jackson's time in New York, though, as they did win back-to-back World Series titles in 1977 and 1978. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. Ozzie was always one of my favorite players to watch as a kid as his acrobatic defensive play left fans in awe time after time as he went on to collect 13 Gold Glove awards. While this set may be slightly overlooked in the history of the hobby, it still delivers a great checklist. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Ted Simmons St. Louis Cardinals 1981 Topps, 17. Had Fred Lynn (.333) not barely edged out Brett (.329) for the title in 1979, then they would've had all nine of them. Every collector knows that theres some serious money to be made off certain cards. Murphy struggled a bit during the 1981 split season as his batting average fell to a paltry .247 and his slugging percentage plunged to .390 from .510 the year before. 203 Bill Gullickson Record Breaker - Expos. In 1981, the 6'5 monster recorded his second straight 1000-yard season and led all of football with 88 catches. Previous Article. 1981 Topps Traded Fernando Valenzuela, 16. 1981 Donruss. Description Card Number NM-MT 8 MT 9 GEM-MT 10; Larry Bird (HOF) Shop with Affiliates 4: 185+ 770+ 21,500+ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (HOF) Shop with Affiliates 20: 45: 135+ 1,400-Magic Johnson (HOF) Shop with Affiliates 21: 170-850 Most Expensive 1981 Topps card list & price guide. Getting hands on a card like this is pretty difficult. Download Price List, SportsCardsPro 2019-2023 SportsCardsPro Index: 1982 Topps. 207 Ozzie Smith Record Breaker - Padres. I remember several years ago you could find this card in a PSA 9 holder quite easily for $400 or so, which made it undervalued even back then. Prices are updated daily based upon 1981 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Heres a rare rainbow foil card in mint condition by Risk Foil. Smith felt more welcomed by the Cardinals ownership and management and settled in quite nicely to be one of the franchise's most beloved players in team history. Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. Unfortunately, the strike-shortened season and growing tensions with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner got in the way. The 1981 O-Pee-Chee features the Canadian version of the 1981 Topps set, where it is uncommon to see French on an MLB card. 204 Ron LeFlore / Rodney Scott Record Breaker - Expos. Average ungraded base card value (excludes parallels) for 1981 Topps Placing Mark McGwire's 1985 Topps card in this category may seem a little unfair considering its current $650 price tag. Ungraded & graded values for all '81 Topps One thing I always found a bit strange about Yount's career was that he was a two-time MVP but appeared in just three All-Star games, the lowest amount of any Hall of Famer since the game's inception. #5. Let's be clear:most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days. This card has been signed by him and is currently worth $49. 6. He played in Major League Baseball between 1977 and 1982 for the Seattle Mariners and the Pittsburgh Pirates. But, this will always be the set that got their foot into the red-hot market of the 1980s. 50. The 1981 season was the St. Louis Cardinals 100th season in St. Louis, Missouri, and their 90th year in the National League (NL). Tim Raines & Ramos Autographed 1981 Topps Rookie Card, 12. 1981 Topps Kellen Winslow Rookie Card (#150) Winslow took the big-bodied, good-hands tight end model that Newsome brought to the fore and ran with it (after the catch!). This card features Tim Maines, Roberto Ramos and Bobby Pate, all the players listed were stars in their prime. Unfortunately, they failed to make the playoffs during his first year in Philadelphia, but things changed for the better as the Phillies outlasted George Brett and the Kansas City Royals in six games to win the 1980 World Series. Somehow during all that success with college basketball, he also found the time to play for the Blue Jays from 1979 to 1981. It was a fitting punctuation mark for one of Ryan's best seasons on the . Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at the list: Lee Smith was one of the greatest relief pitchers to ever step on the mound and is currently a distant number three on the all-time saves list with 478 behind Mariano Rivera (652) and Trevor Hoffman (601). 1981 Topps Kirk Gibson RC #315. . However, regardless of what you might think of his legacy, it's surprising that this particular card isn't worth a little more. As you can see, some of the game's biggest legends of all time can be found within the 726-card checklist. 1981 Topps Scratch-Offs. Owchinko played baseball for Eastern Michigan University. $9.99. And he was still very much a respectable pitcher during his time in Cincinnati from 1977 to 1982 as he'd win around 15 games regularly, made . That effort would place him sixth in MVP voting and solidify his reputation for similar, consistent production over the rest of his Hall of Fame career. Read our methodology. As their everyday first baseman, that put Rose on the opposite corner of the field as Phillies icon Mike Schmidt at third. 2. 1981 Topps Bob Owchinko Baseball Card, 11. Mattingly's Donruss rookie was produced in smaller quantities than his Topps rookie, so it's worth more. Brett's career batting average of .305 wasn't quite as good, but he did put up the better single-season effort when he batted. 1981 Topps Baseball 2nd Year Card Rickey Henderson, 1981 Topps Expos Future Card Tim Haines Auto, 1981 Topps Project 70 Card Wade Boggs by Efdot FOIL, 1981 Topps Coke Team Sets Aurelio Lopez Autographed, 1981 Reggie Jackson Topps Project 70 Card, Tim Raines & Ramos Autographed 1981 Topps Rookie Card, George Riley Autographed 1981 Topps Rookie Card, 1981 Topps Enrique Romo Signed Pittsburgh Pirates, Ted Simmons St. Louis Cardinals 1981 Topps, Rod Carew Autographed 1981 Topps Squirt Card, 29 Most Valuable 1989 Donruss Baseball Cards In The World, 25 Most Valuable Joe Montana Cards Worth Thousands, 29 Most Valuable 1980 Topps Baseball Cards In the World, 19 Most Valuable 1981 Topps Baseball Cards Price List, 1. After the 1986 season, Dawson left Montreal as a free agent for the Chicago Cubs, where he would become their everyday right fielder on a much more knee-friendly grass field. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! Despite not being a Hall of Famer, Rose's legacy as one of the game's greatest hitters of all time keeps his cards in high demand throughout the hobby. This card is super tough to find in high grade, hence the huge price tag that might shock you. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993. $68.95. For example, in November, 2018 you could find one in PSA 10 grade for around $100 but after he was voted into the Hall they started selling for north of $600 and continue to climb today. There's a shot of the player in Celtics training gear, staring off-camera with his hands hidden behind the green border. 202 Steve Carlton Record Breaker - Phillies. Reggie Jackson played five seasons as a member of the New York Yankees from 1977 to 1981, and the 1980 season turned out to be his best in pinstripes. Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $2,700. For the longest time it seemed like Smith would not quite garner enough votes to earn a trip to the Hall of Fame. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Jackson slumped out of the gates in 1981, prompting Steinbrenner to invoke a clause in his contract that forced him to undergo a full physical examination. He was named Player of the Decade by The Sporting News at the end of his career. Greatest Topps Baseball Cards of All-Time. In the process, Schmidt led the league and set career highs in home runs (48), RBI (121) and total bases (342). While it's not known for any iconic cards like some of the other sets of the era, the 1981 Donruss baseball card set is iconic itself for one reason: collectors now had an alternative choice to Topps for the first time in years. This was limited to only 504 serial-numbered porcelain cards made and it has already been authenticated by Global Authentics (GAI). Boston missed the playoffs by 1.5 games in the second-half AL East race. Price. They didn't call him "Steady Eddie" for nothing. That means the card needs to be flawless. Ungraded & graded values for all '81 Topps Baseball Cards. In 493 plate appearances (423 at-bats), Henderson posted a robust .319/.408/.437 slash line with nine home runs and 53 RBI while winning his first of three Silver Sluggers. Yastrzemski played two more seasons in Boston before retiring, making All-Star appearances at the age of 42 and 43 during the 1982 and 1983 seasons, respectively. However, due to market conditions, values fluctuate. Checklist Top. And unlike Brett, Schmidt followed up his 1980 MVP campaign with another one during the 1981 season. Most of Tom Seaver's pitching brilliance occurred during his first eleven seasons in the Majors with the New York Mets as he was named 1967 Rookie of the Year and won three Cy Youngs (1969, 1973, and 1975) during that time. 6 Don Mattingly 1984 Donruss #248: One of the most . During the first part of his career, Tom Seaver was absolutely dominant on the mound as he racked up 20-win seasons, Cy Young Awards, ERA Titles and Strikeout Titles like it was nothing. 1981 Topps Baseball Set Checklist. Smith continued his outstanding defensive work in 1981 by leading the National League in assists for the third straight year to pick up his second straight Gold Glove. At the time, two Major League Baseball clubs, the Montreal Expos, and the Toronto Blue Jays played in Canada, where . Are you selling sports cards that were produced from 1868 - 1975? This is a rare Topps card from 1981 containing his signature. 19 Most Valuable 1981 Topps Baseball Cards Price List. Struggling through back issues and other accumulated aches and pains, Yastrzemski had the worst offensive season of his 21-year career thus far. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Things screeched to a halt, though, when Jackson injured his calf running the bases in Game 2 of the ALCS against Oakland. Beginning with the 1977-78 NCAA Basketball season, Ainge starred for Brigham Young University and capped things off in 1981 by being named a first-team All-American and winning the John Wooden Award as the nation's best player. Most Valuable Baseball Cards of All Time . There are no scratches, bends, or folds. He was the clear choice for National League MVP and also picked up a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. However, his production was never quite the same from 1988 until he finished his career with the Colorado Rockies in 1993. 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. . Over 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, Harold Baines appeared in six All-Star games, hit 384 home runs, tallied 1,628 RBI, and scored another 1,299 runs. The subsets in the 1981 Topps baseball cards include the league leaders (1-8), record breakers (201-208), and team cards with checklists on the back (661-686).The key rookie cards from this set include #315 Kirk Gibson, #347 Harold Baines, and #302 Fernando Valenzuela. 726 cards. Known as the Man of Steal, he is widely considered to have been baseballs greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner. This set marked the end of an era in which Topps was the only mainstream company with the MLB's blessing to print baseball cards. 0% Philadelphia fell in five games to the Montreal Expos in an entertaining National League Division Series. Reginald Martinez Jackson is a former American right fielder who spent the majority of his 21-year professional baseball career with the Kansas City and Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, and ended his career with a two-year stint for the California Angels. Year sold: 2018. . To make things even stranger, you could even say that Rose appeared on fourcards in this set because this one comes in two variations. At the time, everyone thought the Padres were getting the better end of the deal as Templeton was a much better hitter. And in this guide, I'll run through the ten most valuable. In other years, Seaver used his overpowering stuff to outduel hitters but in 1981, he wasn't quite the fireballer as he struck out only 4.7 batters per nine innings, the second-lowest rate of his career. After rookie Fernando Valenzuela pitched a shutout on opening day, starting the craze that came to be known as Fernandomania, the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers finished the season with a flourish. Before Danny Ainge found success at the professional level in basketball as a player, coach and executive, he made his professional sports debut for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1979while he was still in college. While Pete Rose set records elsewhere in the Phillies lineup, third baseman Mike Schmidt set the National League ablaze.