The 1988 Topps Big Baseball card set was a larger sized release from Topps that featured only the biggest superstar players from around Major League Baseball. Released as the height of the collecting boom of the late 1980s, these oversized cards stood out on the rack and captured the attention of kids and adults alike with their giant player images and stats.
The 1988 set was the first ever “Big” card release from Topps, who had been the dominant baseball card manufacturer for decades. With the collecting craze reaching a fever pitch, companies like Topps were looking for any way they could to make their products more noticeable and enticing to collectors. The “Bigs”, as they came to be known, served that purpose perfectly by making the cards themselves an experience just by their supersized dimensions alone.
The 1988 Topps Big set was only a 96-card series focusing on the very top talents across both the American and National Leagues. Rosters for both leagues were fairly well represented among the chosen few, with 48 AL stars and 48 NL stars featured when broken down by league. Some of the more prominent names that were included in the initial 1988 Topps Big Series 1 release included Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Ozzie Smith, Tony Gwynn, Dave Stewart, and Nolan Ryan among many others.
As for the physical specifications of these oversized beauties, the 1988 Topps Big cards measured in at a whopping 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches. This represented an increase of approximately 25-30% greater in size than a standard Topps baseball card from the same year. On the larger canvas, vivid full color player photographs dominated much of the front of the cards. These were suitably oversized as well to fit the bigger card stock.
The backs of the 1988 Topps Big cards also grew proportionally to occupy the extra space. Player stats, career highlights, and fun facts spilled over with room to spread out. An added touch included individual cartoon-styled drawings to break up some of the stat dense text. A nice aesthetic touch that helped keep readers engaged when perusing the more loquacious biographical content.
Distribution of the 1988 Topps Big Baseball cards was primarily through the standard mass retail market outlets. This included general merchandise stores, toy shops, convenience stores, supermarkets – basically any establishment that might carry a rack of trading cards. 7-Elevens and gas stations were particularly good spots to find the giant cards available during the peak of the collecting boom.
To add another layer of scarcity and exclusivity for the uber collector, Topps also sold unopened factory sets of the 1988 Topps Big cards directly through their catalog and website. These remained sealed and carried designation marking them as “Factory Sets”. For the most avid fans, being able to obtain a complete, pristine run straight from the source held significant appeal.
When it came to the resale market, 1988 Topps Big cards proved to be very strong performers for savvy investors and collectors betting on the longevity of the product line. Graded examples especially retain strong premiums above ungraded copies given their superior eye appeal and documentation of authenticity. Recent auction records for some of the most coveted rookie and star cards from the 1988 Series 1 set have reached up to several hundred dollars even today for high-grade specimens more than 30 years later.
Not surprisingly, the debut success of the 1988 Topps Big cards led the company to continue with the concept annually for many years to come. 1989 and beyond saw additional Big sets released covering that respective season. The formula of only showing the absolute upper echelon players seemed to strike a chord with collectors. It allowed for a coveted level of exclusivity while still assembling a respectable-sized set with the very best of the best representing MLB on those oversized pieces of cardboard.
The 1988 Topps Big Baseball card Series 1 set was truly monumental as the first ever large format release from the venerable Topps brand. By making their standard cards literally bigger and bolder, it captured imaginations on a whole new level. Featuring only the top stars served collectors well by focusing on proven talents still remembered today. Strong aftermarket performance is a testament to the impact this trailblazing offering made on the collecting community in its debut year over three decades ago. The 1988 Topps Bigs will no doubt always have a beloved place in the history of the hobby.
