The 1981 Topps baseball card set was the 60th year for Topps baseball cards and contained 660 total cards in the base set. Highlights of the 1981 set included the final card for Ernie Banks (#159), the final rookie card for Rickey Henderson (#168), Andre Dawson’s rookie card (#206), and Fernando Valenzuela’s rookie card (#407).

The set began with Dave Collins (#1) of the Houston Astros and ended with Al Bumbry (#660) of the Baltimore Orioles. Some key cards and players included:

#2 – George Brett of the Kansas City Royals, one of the best third basemen of all time and the 1980 American League MVP. Brett appeared on Topps cards from 1973-1993.

#5 – Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros, perhaps the greatest strikeout pitcher ever who topped the 300 win milestone. Ryan’s career spanned record 27 seasons from 1966-1993.

#12 – Steve Carlton of the Philadelphia Phillies, a Hall of Fame left-handed pitcher who won four Cy Young awards. Carlton was in his 18th season in the majors in 1981.

#30 – Dave Winfield of the San Diego Padres, a sure-fire Hall of Famer still in the early days of his brilliant career. Winfield would play in the majors through 1995.

#49 – Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies, the all-time MLB hits leader still chasing the record in 1981. Rose was in his final season before retiring after the 1986 campaign.

#74 – Tom Seaver of the Cincinnati Reds, a Hall of Fame right-hander still near the top of his game in 1981. Seaver nearly won 20 games that season in his 16th big league season.

#89 – Rod Carew of the California Angels, a pure hitter and seven-time batting champion still cranking out hits in 1981, his 14th MLB campaign. Carew was the 1977 AL MVP.

#107 – Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies, one of the greatest third basemen ever just starting to hit his prime. Schmidt would go on to win 10 Gold Gloves and three NL MVP awards.

#159 – Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs, in the final card appearance for “Mr. Cub” who spent his entire 19-year career with one franchise from 1953-1971. Banks was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

#168 – Rickey Henderson of the Oakland A’s, the rookie card for the career leader in runs scored and stolen bases. Henderson debuted in 1979 and his iconic career would span 1990-2003.

#206 – Andre Dawson of the Montreal Expos, the first card showing “The Hawk” in an Expos uniform. Dawson made his MLB debut in 1976 and had made his first All-Star team in 1980.

#228 – Joe Morgan of the Houston Astros, a future Hall of Famer still going strong after his career years with the Big Red Machine Reds teams of the 1970s. Morgan played until 1984.

#239 – Steve Garvey of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a mainstay at first base for the Dodgers for over a decade. Garvey was coming off his fifth All-Star season and would hit .294 that year.

#273 – Tony Perez of the Montreal Expos, nearing the end of an storied career that included two World Series titles with the Reds. Perez debuted in 1964 and was still productive in 1981 at age 41.

#287 – Gary Carter of the Montreal Expos, one of the best all-around catchers of the 1980s. Carter debuted in 1974 and was named an All-Star for the third time in 1981.

#307 – Bobby Grich of the California Angels, a Gold Glove second baseman who provided power and consistency for over a decade. Grich was in his 10th big league season.

#335 – Lou Whitaker of the Detroit Tigers, highlighting the rookie season for the smooth-fielding second baseman. Whitaker hit .271 and made the All-Star team that year.

#359 – Ron Guidry of the New York Yankees, showing “Louisiana Lightning” at the peak of his powers coming off a 25-3, 1.74 ERA season where he won the Cy Young and finished third in MVP voting in 1978.

#407 – Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the highly anticipated rookie card for “Fernandomania.” He electrified LA by winning Rookie of the Year and his first eight starts in 1980-1981.

#445 – Keith Hernandez of the St. Louis Cardinals, the smooth fielding, high average first baseman coming off a year where he hit .294 and drove in 100 runs for St. Louis.

#497 – Don Sutton of the Houston Astros, one of the most durable pitchers ever still going strong in his 17th season. Sutton notched his 300th win later that year.

#563 – Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies, already one of the game’s greatest sluggers just entering his prime. Schmidt led the NL in home runs in 1981 with 31.

#624 – Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros, on the cusp of history. Ryan struck out a then-record 270 batters and tossed his fourth career no-hitter on September 26, 1981.

Some notable rookie cards included Terry Francona (#295), John Wathan (#414), Tim Raines (#597), and Steve Sax (#711). The set also included final cards for Tommy John (#40), Sparky Lyle (#56), Tom Grieve (#246), Mike Kekich (#326), and Jerry Reuss (#469). The 1981 Topps set is memorable for capturing many future Hall of Famers and key players at various points in their careers. With rookies, veterans, and future superstars, it offers a compelling snapshot of baseball during a transitional year in the early 1980s.

Beyond the standard 660-card base set, Topps also produced special high-number cards #661-726 for the 1981 set. These included:

#661 – George Vukovich of the San Francisco Giants
#662 – Vic Correll of the Cleveland Indians
#663 – Ron Cey of the Chicago Cubs
#664 – Dan Quisenberry of the Kansas City Royals
#665 – Mario Soto of the Cincinnati Reds
#666 – Steve Rogers of the Montreal Expos
#667 – Willie McGee of the New York Mets
#668 – Tim Raines of the Montreal Expos
#669 – Joel Youngblood of the New York Mets
#670 – Steve Bedrosian of the Atlanta Braves
#671 – Len Barker of the Cleveland Indians
#672 – Fernando Arroyo of the Pittsburgh Pirates
#673 – Luis Tiant of the Boston Red Sox
#674 – Jerry Martin of the San Diego Padres
#675 – Sid Monge of the Montreal Expos
#676 – Doug Bird of the Baltimore Orioles
#677 – Garry Templeton of the San Diego Padres
#678 – Jim Gantner of the Milwaukee Brewers
#679 – Dane Iorg of the San Francisco Giants
#680 – John Montefusco of the Atlanta Braves
#681 – Darrell Porter of the Kansas City Royals
#682 – Brad Gulden of the Minnesota Twins
#683 – Pat Zachry of the New York Mets
#684 – Julio Cruz of the Seattle Mariners
#685 – Steve Henderson of the Seattle Mariners
#686 – Jerry Royster of the Chicago White Sox
#687 – Frank Pastore of the Montreal Expos
#688 – John Urrea of the California Angels
#689 – Rick Waits of the Cincinnati Reds
#690 – Alan Bannister of the Chicago Cubs
#691 – Carmelo Martinez of the Atlanta Braves
#692 – Pat Tabler of the Cleveland Indians
#693 – Bill Campbell of the California Angels
#694 – Mickey Mahler of the Chicago White Sox
#695 – Ed Glynn of the Pittsburgh Pirates
#696 – Terry Puhl of the Houston Astros
#697 – Tony Solaita of the San Francisco Giants
#698 – Mark Clear of the Chicago Cubs
#699 – Jay Howell of the California Angels
#700 – Don Stanhouse of the Montreal Expos
#701 – Dan Larson of the Minnesota Twins
#702 – Ken Landreaux of the Minnesota Twins
#703 – Joel Youngblood of the New York Mets
#704 – Frank DiPino of the San Francisco Giants
#705 – Dave Hostetler of the Chicago White Sox
#706 – Rick Anderson of the California Angels
#707 – Garry Templeton of the San Diego Padres
#708 – Jerry Morales of the Oakland Athletics
#709 – Willie Montanez of the Philadelphia Phillies
#710 – Mark Wagner of the California Angels
#711 – Steve Sax of the Los Angeles Dodgers
#712 – Duane Walker of the Oakland Athletics
#713 – Joe Nolan of the Cincinnati Reds
#714 – Rick Burleson of the Boston