The 1988 Topps baseball card set is one of the most iconic issues from the late 1980s. Produced by Topps and released to the public in the spring of 1988, the set features 660 total cards including career stats and bios for over 650 major league players from the 1987 season. While 1988 Topps cards have been popular with collectors for decades, in recent years the issue has gained even more attention from investors and enthusiasts due to the rise of third party authentication and grading from companies like PSA.
Professionally graded 1988 Topps rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux, and Edgar Martinez have broken records at auction. As a result, many collectors have submitted older 1988 Topps collections to PSA with the hopes of capitalizing on strong population reports. For those who prefer to collect and enjoy their cards raw – without slabs or third party authentication – there are still plenty of appealing ungraded 1988 Topps options available in the marketplace.
Raw 1988 Topps cards found in fresh packs during the original issue year featured standard 67⁄8″ x 31⁄2″ size and a distinctive border design featuring baseballs separating card images from descriptive text on the reverse. Topps used a total of 15 different photo variations across the set, with each player card sporting a unique black-and-white action shot. Rosters included both American and National League teams from 1987, with player trades occasionally resulting in photo or stats mismatches. The rear of each card highlighted that season’s career statistics.
Beyond the core player content, 1988 Topps also included separate subsets focusing on team checklists, league leaders, All-Stars, managers, umpires and more. Standout rookie cards found in the base set featured future stars like Griffey, Maddux, Martinez, Tom Glavine, and Mark Grace. Short prints and error variations added even more collectibility. Overall card condition ranged from Near Mint to well-worn depending on how many times cards cycled through young hands decades ago.
In the early 2010s, PSA began authenticating and slabbing unopened 1988 Topps packs after they were rediscovered. Receiving high overall population report grades served to increase interest in the set from both collectors and investors. For those seeking raw 1988s to enjoy outside of slabs, plenty of ungraded options remained available in the growing online marketplace.
Sites like eBay allowed searching of key players, teams, and incomplete set builds. 1988 Topps cards in all condition grades from Poor to Near Mint/Mint could still be found for affordable prices, avoiding the submission costs associated with third party grading. While unslabbed examples lack CERT verification, raw collectors appreciated being able to easily handle and display cards as they were originally released over 30 years ago. The diverse player lineup from the late 1980s also ensured broad appeal.
For investors, PSA 10 slabs of 1988 flagship rookies like Griffey, Maddux, and Martinez often commanded five-figure sums. But raw collectors recognized equal value in assembling complete team and player collections without certification or population reporting considerations. Lower-grade commons and short prints served as affordable options to complement key stars. Entire incomplete raw sets could sometimes be acquired for a few hundred dollars or less with patience and diligence.
Even in the overheated modern collecting climate, demand for ungraded 1988 Topps cards showed no signs of slowing as enthusiasts new and old sought to build raw collections without regards to potential future resale value. For those not chasing after PSA 10 gems, simply assembling and enjoying the iconic cardboard from warm summer nights of over 30 years past remained a timeless endeavor. And with over 650 unique player bios spanning the American and National Leagues of 1987, the content and nostalgia within raw 1988 Topps cards continued to appeal to collectors of all ages.
Whether certified gems carefully archived in slabs or casually assembled in binders and boxes without regard to condition, the 1988 Topps baseball issue remains a pinnacle achievement and popular obsession for sports card collectors. Both graded population report examples and unqualified raw copies in all states of preservation continue serving enthusiasts with memorable snapshots from the diamond over three decades later. For collectors seeking to build or complete 1988 Topps sets without consideration of future resale value or population reports, affordable ungraded options remain readily available to enjoy the vintage cardboard as it was originally released all those years ago.
