The 1986 Topps baseball card set is one of the most iconic and sought after sets in the modern era for collectors. Issued annually by Topps since the late 1950s, the 1986 Topps set featured 660 total cards and was the company’s 29th year producing baseball cards. The designs, players, and especially the rookie cards in the 1986 set have made it a fan favorite for decades.
Some key aspects that contribute to the popularity and value of the full 1986 Topps baseball card set include:
Design and Photography: Topps opted for a clean and classic design with primarily headshot photos on a white background for most cards. This allowed the players and any special photographs to stand out prominently. Some stars received action shots or posed portrait photos which added nice variety. The clean and timeless design has aged very well over the past 35+ years.
Star Power: The 1986 set included many of the games’ biggest stars who were in their baseball primes such as Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, Ozzie Smith, Mike Schmidt, and Kirby Puckett. High-end stars almost always add validity and interest to any vintage set.
Rookie Cards: Perhaps most notably, the 1986 Topps set included the coveted rookie cards of future Hall of Famers Barry Bonds, Gregg Maddux, and Tom Glavine. These rookie cards are among the most valuable in the set. Additional high-end rookie cards include Will Clark, Wally Joyner, and Mark McGwire. Collectors love chasing desired rookie cards from older sets.
Unique Parallel Sets: Topps produced several parallel sets within the main 1986 offering. The most notable were the photo variations where some players received alternative posed shots. These parallel cards add to the level of completion required for true set collectors.
Complete Set Status: Being able to obtain a 100% complete 660-card set from a single year of issue is a major accomplishment for any collector. With the passage of time, locating that elusive last few difficult cards gets harder and drives up their value. Finding an intact 1986 Topps set at this point was/is quite the achievement.
Strong Investment Potential: Condition-graded high-end rookie cards and stars from the 1986 Topps set have demonstrated exceptional long-term investment gains far beyond basic inflation. Pristine examples of key rookies routinely sell for tens of thousands today, showing the value longevity of this classic set.
Beyond the valuable rookie cards, there were plenty of other notables included in the standard 660-card 1986 Topps baseball card release:
Veterans and All-Stars: Don Mattingly, Rickey Henderson, Eddie Murray, George Brett, and Nolan Ryan still cranked out big seasons in 1986 and their cards retain strong collector interest.
Young Standouts: Players like Dwight Gooden, Jose Canseco, and Roger Clemens were early in their Hall of Fame careers and their sharp action photos pop out of the set.
Team Checklists: Topps included team-by-team checklists at the end of the set which are fun for fans to complete focusing on their favorite franchise.
Managers and Coaches: For the history buffs, there were cards dedicated to all 26 big league skippers and even a few dedicated to coaches from that season.
League Leaders: Topps highlighted the top statistical performers from 1985 at the back of the set, honoring the game’s best.
Oddball Selections: A few quirky choices like a Pete Rose managerial card and rules sheet add charm and encourage set completion.
In addition to the standard 660-card flagship Topps issue, there were also a handful of important 1986 Topps spin-off inserts that became highly valuable in their own right over time:
Traded Set: Following player trades, Topps issued around 100 update cards showing players in their new uniforms. key changes include Rickey Henderson with the Yankees after being dealt from Oakland.
Glossy Sendbacks: Early purchasers could mail in for special high-gloss versions of selected star players cards like Gooden that became quite rare.
Glossy All-Stars: Similarly, purchasers could mail in to receive special high-gloss versions of the cards featuring the 1986 All-Star teams.
Photo Variations: As previously referenced, Topps produced parallel photo variation cards for around 60 players that featured an alternative headshot.
These tertiary inserts added another layer of set and parallel completion options for dedicated collectors while also housing valuable short-print specimens that spike the values of full 1986 Topps collections.
In the end, the perfect combination of design, star power, rookie phenoms, quirky aspects, and the basic challenge of completing a full flagship set over such a long period since issue has cemented the 1986 Topps offering as one of the true heavyweights among sports card releases. Pristine, high-grade examples of full sets along with the premier rookie cards continue to entice collectors and investors alike decades later. For admirers of 1980s baseball card culture, it remains the high water mark of the period.
