The 1986 Topps baseball card set was released in March 1986 and featured 660 total cards issued over 16 series. The design featured a photo on the front and player stats and career highlights on the back. Cards traded well and sell well today due to several key cards featuring Hall of Famers and stars of the era.
Some key things to know about the 1986 Topps set:
Design: The design featured a color photo on the front and stats/highlights on the back. The set logo was in the bottom left corner reading “1986 Topps Baseball”. Series logos were on the bottom right of each card.
Size: Standard card size for the time of 2.5×3.5 inches. Thickness was slightly thinner than previous years’ cards.
Card Stock: High quality heavier stock cardstock was used in 1986 compared to earlier years. Cards held up well over time.
Production: Print run was large with many boxes still readily available today. Sets are relatively common to put together from the secondary market.
Numbering: Cards were numbered 1-660 over the 16 series released from March-June 1986. Blank backs were used for future star and traded player checklist cards.
Rookies: Notable rookies included Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Wally Joyner, and Chris Sabo. All would go on to have Hall of Fame careers except Sabo.
Hall of Famers: Over 50 players who were already in or would someday be elected to the Hall of Fame had a card in the 1986 set, including Nolan Ryan, George Brett, Robin Yount, Mike Schmidt, and Ricky Henderson.
Checklist Variations: In many series, Topps issued shortprinted traded player checklist cards after the base cards that are much harder to find.
Investment Potential: Due to the stars and Hall of Famers featured, as well as the rarity of specific late series and traded checklist cards, the 1986 Topps set holds strong long term dollar value and appeal to collectors. Near mint rookie cards of Clemens, McGwire and Bonds commonly sell for hundreds of dollars each.
Now let’s take a deeper look at some of the most notable aspects of the 1986 Topps set:
Series 1 (Cards 1-110):
The design and photography is sharp, memorable and well produced throughout Series 1. Standouts include the posed shot of Steve Carlton on card #7 and the action photos of Don Mattingly (#14) and Nolan Ryan (#21).
Rookies included Barry Larkin (#81), Mark McGwire (#85), and Roger Clemens (#92). All 3 went on to the Hall of Fame and their rookie cards are hot commodities.
Series 2 (Cards 111-220):
Highlights are resplendent action shots of Wade Boggs (#119), Ozzie Smith (#122) and George Brett (#135) that capture the essence of each player.
Rookies were Mookie Wilson (#116), Barry Bonds (#176) and Tim Raines (#208). Raines and Bonds are now enshrined in Cooperstown as well.
Series 3 (Cards 221-330):
Ted Simmons (#231) has a classic blue-tinged action shot. Darrell Evans (#228) is caught mid-swing.
Notable rookies include Wally Joyner (#225) and Kevin Mitchell (#329). Both had productive MLB careers.
Series 4 (Cards 331-440):
Rickey Henderson (#334) has an iconic front-side action card that captures his elite speed.
Veteran stars include Mike Schmidt (#339), Howard Johnson (#343) and Gary Carter (#348)
Series 5 (Cards 441-550):
Dave Winfield (#444) is framed beautifully from the left side of the batter’s box mid-swing.
Andre Dawson’s (#457) intense glare makes him stand out amongst the Tal Smith Stars subset.
Series 6 (Cards 551-660):
Final regular player cards included Don Mattingly (#556), Nolan Ryan (#558) and Cal Ripken Jr. (#577)
Traded checklist cards started with #593, headlined by a scarce Wade Boggs card.
The 1986 Topps set endures due to the elite players featured and designs that really captured the essence of baseball in the 1980s. Rookie cards that can now fetch thousands demonstrate how influential this flagship offering was for the hobby. Whether collected for enjoyment or investment, 1986 Topps is a baseball card set that truly stands the test of time.
