The 1986 Topps Baseball Card set is one of the most iconic and beloved releases in the history of the hobby. Many collectors are unaware that Topps issued a separate 86 cards “Traded” subset as part of the overall 1986 offering. Let’s dive deeper into this unique traded subset from over 35 years ago.
As with many previous Topps releases, the 1986 set featured players in the uniforms of the teams they played for during the previous season. Since MLB trades and transactions are constantly occurring even after production of a trading card set begins, there is inevitably a disconnect between which team a player is pictured playing for versus where they actually ended up.
To remedy this, Topps decided to create dedicated “traded” cards showcasing players who had changed uniforms in the late 1985 or early 1986 period after printing of the base set had commenced. A total of 86 such traded cards were produced, each featuring the respective player in the new cap or uniform of their recently acquired team.
Some key things to note – the traded cards have the same design style and visual layout as the base 1986 issue, with the sole difference being the updated team nameplate. The player stats and career highlights on the back also reflected their new club. The traded subset had its own specially marked packaging separate from the typical series one wax packs as well.
In terms of the players featured, some of the bigger names included Rickey Henderson (traded from Athletics to Yankees), Bob Horner (Braves to Cardinals), Keith Hernandez (Mets to Indians), and Don Baylor (Angels to Red Sox). But many other solid role players and organizational depth pieces also made the traded subset cut due to offseason transactions.
The 1986 Topps traded set provides a unique snapshot into the roster shifts that were taking place throughout MLB in the late 1980s. Fans who collected the cards at the time could literally track where their favorite players had landed via the traded subset in addition to the base issues. It served as a supplement to the ‘main’ release while also standing alone as a discreet collection category of its own.
The traded subset injected new life and variance into the 1986 Topps product overall. Without the inserts, the base set cards could become rather formulaic by just showing each player with their 1985 team. Including the traded subset added dimension, surprise, and realism reflecting the evolving nature of professional baseball rosters from year to year.
Demand for the 1986 Topps traded cards has risen steadily in the ensuing decades since issue. Supply has remained relatively low compared to the massive size of the base set, making high grade specimens of stars like Henderson and Hernandez particularly scarce and valuable. The uniqueness of the concept itself has also contributed to the cachet surrounding this subset among traders.
In modern times, the 86 traded subset retains immense nostalgia and appeal for collectors who either grew up with the cards or appreciate their historical significance representing a bygone era in the sport. Online market prices commonly range from $10-50 per mid-grade common traded card on up to $100-300 or more for minty flagships. The category is a cherished niche within the already beloved 1986 Topps release.
The inclusion of a special 86-card “traded players” update added tremendous value, realism and a sense of discovery missing from a static base set alone. It was an innovative approach by Topps to stay current with the ever-changing MLB landscape in a pre-Internet publishing world. The 1986 Topps traded cards endure as a beloved collector’s piece all these decades later. They deserve recognition alongside the broader release as one of the set’s biggest highlights.
