The 1986 OPC baseball card set is considered one of the most valuable vintage issues for collectors due to the rise of rookie cards for star players who went on to have Hall of Fame careers. While packs of these cards could be purchased relatively cheaply when originally released over 35 years ago, savvy collectors who recognized the future stardom of players like Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine have been handsomely rewarded. Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the 1986 OPC issue’s most valuable rookie and unique rookie variation cards today.
One of the true gems of the set is the ultra-short printed Barry Bonds rookie card. Widely considered one of the rarest modern-era cards in existence, estimates place the print run of the Bonds OPC rookie at around 100 copies or less. In pristine mint condition, examples have sold at auction for well over $300,000. What makes this card so scarce is that OPC lost the licensing rights to the Pirates before they could do a larger print run of Bonds’ first card. For elite vintage baseball card investors, a mint Bonds ’86 OPC rookie is the crowning jewel.
Another hugely valuable key rookie is that of Greg Maddux from the ’86 OPC set. Maddux went on to have a Hall of Fame career and is considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time. His card was fairly short printed by OPC standards at around 1000 copies or so. In high graded Gem Mint condition, a Maddux rookie has sold for up to $100,000. Even well-centered near-mint examples in the PSA 8-9 range will fetch four-figure prices. Savvy collectors scooped these up prior to Maddux’s dominance with the Braves in the 1990s.
Tom Glavine is another pitching great who had his first card issued in the 1986 OPC set. Like Maddux, Glavine went on to Cooperstown after a stellar career primarily with the Atlanta Braves. His rookie is quite scarce, believed to have been printed around 2000 copies or fewer. High-grade Glavine rookies in the PSA 9-10 range have sold at auction for $30,000+. Even in more played condition, this card remains a key piece for any vintage baseball collection.
The star-studded 1986 OPC rookie class also includes Hal Morris, whose card is remarkably scarce. Printed around 500 copies or less, a pristine Morris rookie in PSA Gem Mint 10 condition realized over $15,000 at auction in 2015. Other short printed ’86 OPC rookies like Darrin Jackson, Bip Roberts, and David Nied also command four-figure prices in top condition due to their elusive scarcity in the vintage marketplace.
While the overwhelming majority of ’86 OPC cards were produced with a standard design format featuring a headshot above player stats, there are some coveted photo and autograph variation cards that stand out. Perhaps most notably is the 1986 OPC Barry Bonds autograph card, of which only a small handful are believed to exist. This incredibly rare artifact featuring Bonds’ signature on the original OPC design was estimated to be worth over $100,000 when one last sold in 2011.
Other unique cards from this classic set include photo variations of Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Eric Davis and Oddibe McDowell that are printed on 1980s photograph paper stock. These special issue parallels are scarce, with the Davis and McDowell amongst the rarest at an estimated print run each under 50 copies. High-grade examples in today’s market sell for $5,000+ apiece.
The 1986 OPC baseball card set endures as one of the cornerstone vintage issues to collect due not only to memorable rookie cards foretelling Hall of Fame careers, but also exceptionally short printed parallels and autograph variations that excite the marketplace. Keys like Bonds, Maddux and Glavine set the standard for low-population superstar rookies, while esoteric photo and autograph versions delight advanced collectors. The ’86 OPC issue succeeds in having both mainstream appeal through its affordable common cards while also housing invaluable keys that will likely retain their value for longtime investors.
