The 1986 O-Pee-Chee baseball card set was issued midway through the 1985 MLB season and highlighted that year’s players and teams. Although O-Pee-Chee lost their exclusive license with Topps the previous year, the 1986 set still carried cultural significance as it marked the final year of traditional-sized baseball cards before the switch to smaller dimensions starting in 1987.
The set totaled 520 cards and had a mix of rookie cards, stars of the day, team checks, and league leaders interspersed throughout. Some of the notable rookies included Kal Daniels, Wally Backman, and Jose Oquendo. Veteran stars featured included Mike Schmidt, Wade Boggs, Kirby Puckett, Dwight Gooden, and Nolan Ryan. The design featured a clean font with team logos across the top and player photos along the bottom half. Statistics for the previous season were printed on the back.
Like most mid-80s issues, finding high-grade gems from 1986 O-Pee-Chee is difficult due to the flimsiness of the cardboard stock used at the time. The league leader subset, which included 23 cards honoring that year’s top hitters and pitchers in various statistical categories, tended to be more heavily handled and have more surface issues compared to standard base cards. Raw interest has increased for these standouts in recent years from collectors seeking icons of the era in their primes.
Rookie cards for future Hall of Famers like Cal Ripken Jr., Roger Clemens, and Barry Larkin were available in the 1986 set, though they did not carry the same cachet as true first-year issues. The success these players went on to achieve made their cards from later in their careers find new appreciation by collectors. For example, a PSA 10 1986 O-Pee-Chee Cal Ripken Jr. could fetch over $1000 at auction due to his memorable career and the rarity of pristine eighties cardboard in protective slabs.
Team checklists made up a portion of the set and helped collectors obtain full rosters of their favorite clubs. Franchises that found success in the mid-1980s like the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and Kansas City Royals had strong fan demand for these team-focused inclusions. The Detroit Tigers checklist, meanwhile, had extra interest because it included star pitcher Jack Morris in one of his final major issue cards before free agency.
While the 1986 O-Pee-Chee set lacked major stars’ true rookie cards, it did include some of the first widespread issues for talent that would shine in the late 80s and 90s. Among the de facto rookie cards were Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Tim Raines. These would prove to be among the set’s best sleeper specs as demand grew from nostalgic collectors who rooted for ’80s teams. Seeing stars in their formative years added unique appeal compared to later base cards after they cemented their legends.
For the first time since 1982, 1986 O-Pee-Chee included Canadian location designation on the back of cards to signify prints made specifically for Canada. This provided an earlier distinction between American and Canadian production runs that collectors have come to appreciate. Card quality between the two printings remained largely similar.
The 1986 O-Pee-Chee baseball card set stands out as a visual bridge between the classic post-war cardboard era and the onset of modern size-reduction in 1987. While raw investment value lags behind flagship Topps issues, several stars’ rookie and early career cards have proven very collectible when found in exceptional condition. For aficionados of eighties ball or specific teams and players, it offers a satisfying glimpse at the last gasp before the hobby transitioned irrevocably to smaller dimensions.
