The 1986 Topps baseball card set is well known among collectors for containing several significant printing errors that have made some cards in the set quite valuable. The 1986 season was Topps’ 34th year of producing MLB player cards and it marked one of the more memorable runs for errors in their long history.
One of the most notorious mistakes from the ‘86 set involved Cardinals pitcher Joaquin Andujar’s card (#81). On the original printing, his name was misspelled as “Andjar” on the front of the card. Some estimates indicate that only around 10 of these misspelled Joaquin Andujar cards still exist today in mint condition. In high grades, a PSA 10 1986 Topps Joaquin Andujar “Andjar” error card has sold for over $10,000 at auction.
A very popular error emerged from Astros catcher Alan Ashby’s card (#111). On certain print runs, the picture used was actually of Mets pitcher Rick Aguilera instead of Ashby. Some key differences that collectors look for are things like Aguilera wearing a Mets helmet in the photo rather than an Astros one. Ashby/Aguilera switches have sold in the $2,000 to $3,000 range depending on condition.
Cal Ripken Jr.’s rookie card in the 1986 set (#81) also saw an error during production. On the back of certain Ripken cards, the stats listed actually belonged to Reds pitcher Ted Power instead of Ripken. Unlike some other errors, relatively few Ripken/Power switches are believed to exist since Ripken’s card was one of the most widely distributed in the set due to his emerging stardom. A PSA 10 grade example with the Ripken/Power stats flip sold at auction in 2020 for over $15,000.
In addition to player name and stats mix-ups, a couple of 1986 Topps errors involved team logo mistakes. Yankees pitcher Ed Whitson’s card (#689) accidentally had the San Francisco Giants logo printed on the front rather than the Yankees. Dodgers reliever Tom Niedenfuer’s card (#641) was stamped with the Philadelphia Phillies logo where a Dodgers logo should have been. These logos errors are much more scarce finds than name or stats switches with experts speculating there may only be a handful or less that were manufactured with the wrong markings.
Towards the lower end of the 1986 Topps checklist, errors also arisen on the cards of Rangers pitcher Bobby Witt (#702) and Giants outfielder Jeffrey Leonard (#740). On Witt’s original printings, his first name was incorrectly listed as “Boby” rather than “Bobby.” Meanwhile, some versions of the Leonard card had him identified as playing for the “San Fransisco” Giants rather than the proper “San Francisco” team name spelling. Witt “Boby” errors and Leonard “San Fransisco” errors fetch $200-$500 depending on tier.
Some collectors speculate that rushing to complete the massive (664 total cards) 1986 set during production may have led to more frequent mistakes compared to prior Topps releases. With large checklists come greater chances for human errors. No matter the specific cause, the1986 Topps errors have undoubtedly excited and intrigued enthusiasts of the hobby for decades since. For advanced collectors, finding high grade examples from one of these notable error print runs remains a fascinating objective and can yield very strong financial returns if the card is preserved well. The mistakes within the 1986 Topps set serve as a continual reminder of the potential thrills that errors can bring to the pastime.
