PriceIt Game | Yes, that Danny Ainge who would go on to play 15 NBA seasons before moving up to the front offices. Blyleven may look like hes 50 years old on this card, but hes really right around 30. Here, then, are the top 15 little hat cards, based on sales of PSA 9 copies (the most common grade PSA has handed out for this set). The top trending card in 1981 Topps is currently Willie Stargell's 1981 Topps Base. Buy from many sellers and get your cards all in one shipment! By the time he retired in 2003, Henderson had established himself as one of the all-time greats not just on the basepaths but at the dish, as well. You can thank Haywood Sullivan for this cards, seeing as how the Boston general manager accidentally mailed out a 1981 contract to Carlton Fisk two days after the deadline. Yet money, in turn, made the hobby less akin to child's play and more like work: Release Date: Jul 17 1981; Sport: Baseball; Publisher: Topps; Year: 1981; Base/Insert: 1; Cards in Collection: 726; Includes: Neither Autograph nor Memorabilia. 1 George Brett/Bill Buckner LL. - Inserts and Related Sets The design of 1981 Topps Traded Baseball mimics that of the regular 1981 Topps Baseball set, which is notable for its baseball cap icon on the front. - Teams Before Ainge helped the Boston Celtics gun for NBA titles on a perennial basis in the 1980s, he was a 15th-round draft pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977. WE CANNOT SHIP YOUR ITEMS UNLESS SHIPPING IS PAID FOR. Baseball Statistics and data research resource with large history of content for MLB, Minors, College, Draft and much more. 2021 Sports Card Investor, LLC. Sellers with highest buyer ratings; Returns, money back; Ships in a business day with tracking; Learn More Top Rated Plus. 1982 Topps Blackless 1988 Topps 1989 Fleer Baseball Card: 1981 Topps #96 - The Baseball Cube | Stats and Data Loaded. But, hey, thats what happens when you talk a lot of smack and then go out on the field and back it all up with your bat. Couple that with Scioscias own solid numbers as a player and his success as a manager, and its little wonder this card is still a hobby star. 1981 Topps Traded Tim Raines Rookie Baseball Card #816 NM-MT FREE SHIPPING. $67.52. 204 Ron LeFlore / Rodney Scott Record Breaker - Expos. - Rookies Premium: 1981 Topps Traded introduced the 132-card box set that captures the season's rookies and offers an updated look at key veterans switching teams. Here are the most valuable of the lot, starting at the bottom of the top 7 and moving up from there. After all, though Murphy was emerging as a real power threat, crashing 23, 21, and 33 home runs from 1978 through 1980, the Braves were bad improving to merely mediocre as a new decade dawned. Inside the hat is the team name. Starting, of course, with this 1981 Topps Traded dandy. This item: 1981 Topps Baseball Complete Near Mint 726 Card Set. And, boy did Fernando Valenzuela deliver! READ OUR DISCLAIMER. All Known Cards, 1990 Topps Black Ink Errors (Detail) VIEW ERROR CARD LINKS: Popular Sets: 1952 Topps 1969 Topps 1981 Fleer. Sell Sheets / Ads | Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) & PSA/DNA Authentication Services, Professional Sports Memorabilia Authentication. Gallery | Unfortunately as a kid I would take the pack fresh cards and position the players out on the field in their proper positions and as they scooted along the ugly green carpet of those days the corners and entire cards even would crease and fold as I would scoot them along playing my imaginary ball game in my head. Raines may not have engendered a Timania to match Fernandos own hype wave, but the Montreal speedster had the last laugh a Cooperstown plaque. Tags 1981 Topps Traded Baseball Topps Traded. And, like Valenzuela, Raines made the jump from three-man anonymity in the base set to single-player rookie card stardom in 1981 Topps Traded. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. How can you not love the baseball cap design and 'Topps baseball' logo? 1981 TOPPS Baseball Complete Your Set 251-500, 1981 Topps Traded Baseball Pick Complete Your Set #727-858 RC, 9 Set Lot 1981 - 1991 1984 1985 TOPPS BASEBALL Complete Sets MATTINGLY RC. Copyright 2023 Trading Card Database LLC His three-year run in the majors ended the same year 1981 his rookie cards debuted, as he wisely decided to return to the hardwood. Free shipping for many products! 207 Ozzie Smith Record Breaker - Padres. Competition was alive and well again, and it was important for Topps to produce a product that would be superior to longtime rival Fleer and newcomer Donruss. Unfortunately, the checklist is lacking that one big-time rookie card that would push it over the edge. 203 Bill Gullickson Record Breaker - Expos. Change Log | All rights reserved. Torre,Frank Howard,Lasorda,Weaver,Billy Martin,Maury Wills,Sparly Anderson. the 1981 Topps set (or just come and discuss baseball memorabilia with us) While none of the three sets was spectacular, Topps cards were arguably the most solid and consistent of the bunch. document.write(update); - Videos $12.95. *TIM RAINES* 1981 Topps Traded #816 *CGS 9* RC Rookie Card. Fans and collectors havent forgotten Benchs accomplishments, either, as evidenced by the value of his baseball cards and regular appearances on lists like this. Have about 350-400 1981 Topps in EXMT/NRMT to trade for baseball. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Free shipping for many products! Baseball; Sets; 1981; Overview; 1981 Topps. To wit, for the first time since 1955, Topps was not the only game in town both Fleer and Donruss issued baseball cards in 1981 after Fleers landmark antitrust victory over Topps in 1980. As a hobby bonus, Baines was a pretty awesome hitter who somehow avoided the multi-player purgatory of 1981 Topps rookie cards. Card Rankings 1981 Topps Baseball. Though hes been out of the limelight for a long time now, Lefty remains one of the greatest to ever trod the mound, and his cards sort of simmer along in the upper reaches of each set without making a lot of noise. . By the time this card was issued, Reggie was starting to show his age just a bit, but superb conditioning and that ego kept him swinging away and producing at near-peak levels. You could make a pretty strong case that this card is the entire reason the 1981 Topps Traded set and standalone traded/update sets in general exist at all. - Hall of Famers AutoCheck vehicle history reports deliver information on reported accidents, odometer rollback, lemon vehicles, branded titles and much more. But it was in the fall of 1981, on the heels of a full season of head-to-head competition that Topps finally took the plunge and issued a full-out, standalone boxed set featuring rookies and players who had been traded during the season (or too late in the 1980-81 offseason to be reflected in the base set). Autographed Cards Population Totals. This 1981 Topps card even features a smile sort of a rarity with Carlton. Download Price List, SportsCardsPro 2019-2023 Pitchers with 300 Wins and Their Baseball Cards. - Comments 205 Pete Rose Record Breaker - Phillies. All-Star designation on his #350 card. $15.00. So, which of the 1981 Topps baseball cards are most valuable? Uh, the list is most valuable, according to PSA prices. This card may have raised a few eyebrows outside of Atlanta in 1981, but the arch was probably fairly low. (Item #: CY0T0BC) 1981 Topps. We track 51 players in 1981 Topps baseball cards including Steve Carlton, Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Ozzie Smith, Mike Schmidt, Willie Stargell, Carlton Fisk, Fergie Jenkins, Eddie Murray and Dwight Evans. 1981,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89 Topps Baseball Complete Sets Vintage You Choose! There is a white border around the card, and then a color border inside of the white border. Prices for 1981 Topps Baseball Cards. 202 Steve Carlton Record Breaker - Phillies. We are user supported. And the (yes!) This first standalone Topps Fernando card is as iconic as any pasteboard issued by any company that year, and it remains a strong seller. powerful image on his 1981 Topps card is enough to remind us if weve somehow let it fade of just how great he was. To wit, for the first time since 1955, Topps was not the only game in town both Fleer and Donruss issued baseball cards in 1981 after Fleer's landmark antitrust victory over Topps in 1980.. Categories: Collectibles. It Is Absolutely Loaded with Superstars and Hall of Famers Including Lou Brock, Carl Yastrzemski, Pete Rose, Carlton Fisk, Johnny Bench, Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, George Brett, Tom Seaver and Many More! Fernando shared his Topps rookie card that year with second baseman Jack Perconte and catcher Mike Scioscia, the latter of whom you might recognize. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2008-2023 The Cardboard Connection. - Forum I didn't know how to store cards very well or consider the condition at that age so all my checklists have pen check marks. - Pricing 1 1980 Batting Leaders - George Brett / Bill Buckner. . Baseball Cards. DENNIS ECKERSLEY 1981 Topps Baseball Card # 620 Boston Red Sox - $2.66. As things turned out, Seaver had to settle for leading the majors for the last time in wins, with 14, while sporting a stingy 2.54 ERA. Susbcribe to PREMIUM! And this card was there at the very beginning. Most of the first-year players in 1981 Topps Traded appeared on multi-player cards in the base set. Toiling for an expansion franchise has its benefits, and Ainge managed to climb the minor league ladder despite mediocre numbers. The most notable thing about 1981 Topps Baseball is its design. - Author John Bloom in A House of Cards (1997), 1981 Topps| Bold = HOF | Research by Baseball Almanac. The 1981 Topps baseball cards set contains 726 baseball cards that measure 2 1/2 x 3 1/2. 1981 Topps. But, while Mantle more or less held his own, Rose cards took to the comeback trail. $9.99. While many collectors remember these players fondly, they don't command huge sums on the secondary market. 2023 Check Out My LLC, All Rights ReservedPrivacy Policy Most Expensive, 1981 TOPPS BASEBALL LOT. Carl Yastrzemski 1981 Topps Boston Red Sox Baseball Card (HOF) Free pick-up in Nashua. Unfortunately as a kid I would take the pack fresh cards and position the players out on the field in their proper positions and as they scooted along the ugly green carpet of those days the corners and entire cards even would crease and fold as I would scoot them along playing my imaginary ball game in my head. Probably the stress of moving from the always-stout Pirates to the mistake-by-the-lake Indians that have him all crinkly looking or maybe its all the home runs he gave up. By the time 1981 rolled around, Stargell had just three home runs left in his powerful bat, but his status as Pirates legend had long been established. Valenzuela never quite lived up to his hype after that amazing rookie season but still turned in a long, productive career. 1981 Topps (726 Cards) 1981 Topps Traded (132 Cards) Shop eBay for Baseball 1981 Topps Hobby Box. This 1981 Topps card is something of an early Junk Wax Era classic, showing Rose as he looked in helping lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the 1980 World Series title. The card placed on file will be used for shipping costs, once we package everything and get the best rates. Prices are updated daily based upon 1982 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. If it werent for Rickey Henderson (see below), we might be talking about Tim Raines as the greatest all-around leadoff man in Major League Baseball history. 1991 Topps #333 Chipper Jones Rookie Card. When 1981 Topps baseball cards hit store shelves that spring, they were playing in a brave and scary new world. Read our methodology. Estimated PSA 10 Value: $85. by the time Fleer and Donruss entered the market. 855 Dave Winfield. The hell of it is he reached most of them seven no-hitters, 5000+ strikeouts, 300+ wins, an epic punch to Robin Venturas face. 1981 TOPPS BASEBALL NEAR COMPLETE SET #1-726 725/726 EX/EX-MT DL162. Sports Card Investor also tracks a total of 56 card in the 1981 Topps set. "Collectors often decried how money had ruined their hobby, making it hard for them to form meaningful friendships through their cards. Even though there are some Hall of Fame rookies and plenty of stars, this set still seems to fly under the radar in terms of popularity among hobbyists. Opens in a new window or tab. 856 Geoff Zahn. Home Sports Card Sets Baseball Card Sets 1980-1989 Baseball Cards 1981 Topps Baseball Cards. eBay Auction Event: 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend! Average ungraded base card value (excludes parallels) for 1982 Topps RAINES & BAINES ROOKIE! Be Vewy Vewy Quiet Im Hunting Shooty Babitt, 1957 Topps Baseball Cards 15 Most Valuable, 1967 Topps Baseball Cards 17 Most Valuable, 1959 Topps Baseball Cards 17 Most Valuable, 1961 Topps Baseball Cards 16 Most Valuable, 1986 ProCards Pittsfield Cubs Rafael Palmeiro Left Room for Interpretation Wax Pack Gods, 1998 Upper Deck Final Tribute Captured Eddie Murray in His Second Home Wax Pack Gods, Players with 3000 Hits and 500 Home Runs Wax Pack Gods, Card Traders Near Me: Where to Find Them! - Collection Summary, Overview | And even a year after THAT, Carlton won a strikeout title as the Phillies returned to the World Series in 1983. About eBay; Announcements; Community; Security Centre; Seller centre; Policies; Help & contact; Or most anything else that I like. $1.29 to $2.99. 1981 Topps Baseball Cards In Review. 854 Claudell Washington. Numbering continues on from where 1981 Topps Baseball finished off. Still, his 1981 Topps rookie card has been a collector favorite for nearly four decades now. Shop COMC's extensive selection of 1981 topps - [base] rick wise baseball cards. 1981 Topps Traded Baseball isn't the first update series Topps did, but its format and distribution launched a revolution. Dave Winfield had a lot to live up to entering the 1981 season, thanks to the 10-year $23-million contract he signed with the Yankees late in 1980. As more and more hobbyists re-holder their previously-graded cards to reflect the new information, the more accurate the data will become. I will always look to this set as the one that got me started and feel that warm sense of nostalgia. Send us an email with requests, or volunteer you time helping us make All Rights Reserved. Buy and sell 1981 Topps Baseball Cards at gfg.com, your No. Rating: 7.5 (174 votes)