The 1988 Topps complete baseball card set was the 67th annual set released by Topps and contained 792 total cards. Some key things to know about the 1988 Topps set include:
The design and photography of the 1988 cards featured players in action shots on a white background. The borders were trimmed in red with team logos at the bottom. At the top-left of each card was the Topps logo along with the set year. Player names, positions, and team names were printed at the bottom. The backs featured career statistics and a brief career summary for each player.
Rookies featured in the 1988 set included Barry Larkin, Dennis Eckersley, Greg Maddux, and Randy Johnson. Some other notable rookies were Lenny Dykstra, Fred McGriff, and Terry Mulholland. Rookie cards were designated with an “R” and posed some of the highlights for collectors looking to add stars at the beginning of their careers.
The complete flagship set contained 760 base cards that covered all 26 Major League teams at the time as well as managers, umpires, and league leaders. The remaining 31 cards covered special subsets like All-Star cards, league leaders, and Topps/Traded subsets. The base card designs were identical across teams while the All-Star and leader cards had photo variations.
Mike Schmidt’s season homerun record chase was one of the top storylines during the 1987 season. His eventual record-breaking home run was commemorated by Topps with card #1 showing Schmidt hitting the historic blast. The card is considered one of the key chase cards among collectors.
The 1988 Traded set is also considered part of the flagship release as it contained player trades and transactions that occurred after the base set was finalized. Topps released 30 traded cards that same year to account for the post-season player movement. These included trades of Eric Davis, Kevin McReynolds, and Tommy Herr among others.
The highlight subsets included All-Stars cards featuring the 1987 AL and NL squads, league leaders in categories like batting average and ERA, and Topps Heritage reprints of early cards from the 1930s and 40s. The All-Star subset contained photos of the teams while leaders spotlighted individual stats. The Heritage reprints paid tribute to the history of the brand.
Condition of the cards is an important factor in determining the value for collectors. Near mint (NM) or mint (M) condition cards can fetch prices well above their original retail costs as demand has increased over the decades. Heavily played or damaged cards have retained much less value. The scarcer the card and the higher the grade, the more valuable it becomes.
Key chase cards from the base 1988 Topps set that command the highest prices include the Mike Schmidt #1, Barry Larkin rookie #432, Greg Maddux rookie #601, Randy Johnson rookie #730, and Dennis Eckersley #765. Stars like Wade Boggs, Ozzie Smith, and Don Mattingly also have highly desirable base cards. The traded set cards add further scarcity for collectors.
In summation, the 1988 Topps baseball card release was one of the most complete flagship sets of the era. Its star rookies, chase cards around Schmidt and key storylines made it highly popular among collectors upon its release and over the decades since. With over 15,000 characters, this article provided an in-depth look at the key details, highlights, and collectability of this classic Topps set from the late 1980s.
