The 1985 Topps Super Baseball card set is one of the more unique and lesser-known releases from the famous Topps company in the 1980s. The set features variations of stars from the 1984 MLB season with cartoon-inspired artistic touches and illustrations added to the normal baseball card design that collectors had become accustomed to. Due to the unconventional style and only being released as a test run by Topps, the 1985 Topps Super set is smaller than a typical baseball card set of the era containing only 132 total cards. For those reasons and more, many key cards from the 1985 Topps Super run have gained significant value from collectors in recent decades.
The artistic illustrations and cartoon designs incorporated onto the 1985 Topps Super cards were handled by comic book artist Dick Perez. Perez brought a fun and playful visual element to the cards that separated them from standard baseball cards of the time. Each player featured in the set had a custom illustration specifically drawn for them incorporating elements of their playing style or personality. For example, slugger Mike Schmidt’s card shows him flexing his muscles to emphasize his power hitting abilities. This one-of-a-kind artistic treatment makes cards from the 1985 Topps Super set highly sought after by collectors looking to add unique pieces to their collections.
In addition to the unique illustrative styles, the 1985 Topps Super set also stands out for only covering one single season of MLB players and stats from 1984. Most annual baseball card releases would feature current players plus rookies and prospects for the upcoming year. But since Topps only produced the 1985 Super set as a trial run, it strictly focused on chronicling the 1984 season. This more limited scope combined with the unconventional illustrations has given the 132 card run a very niche cult following among collectors today. With fewer produced and more narrowly focused on a single year, individual cards can be quite difficult to locate in high grades for those looking to complete a set.
When it comes to individual player cards that have gained significant value from the 1985 Topps Super set, some of the biggest names and their rarest variants are among the most expensive. For example, a Mint condition grade rookie card of Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg from the 1984 season would be worth upwards of $1000 on today’s market. His card, featuring him sliding into base, is one of the true key rookie cards from the set. Other star rookie cards such as Dwight Gooden, Don Mattingly, and Darryl Strawberry can also fetch over $500 in top condition due to their career accomplishments and limited print runs.
Veteran superstar cards are also some of the most in-demand and valuable from the 1985 Topps Super set. In fact, the three most expensive individual cards today all belong to veteran greats of the era. An Mint condition Mike Schmidt card showing his muscle pose recently sold for over $2000 given his status as a perennial MVP candidate. The #1 card is believed to be the Nolan Ryan card, which portrays him striking out a batter amidst a fiery explosion in the background. High grade Nolan Ryan’s can sell for $3000 or more. The literal “king” of the 1985 Topps Super checklist is believed to be the Reggie Jackson card fully encapsulated and graded Mint, with an amazing portrait of him mid-swing. Due to his legend status and the perfectly preserved condition, a PSA 10 Jackson has gone for upwards of $4000 at auction.
In terms of overall market performance and price trajectory for the 1985 Topps Super baseball cards over the past couple decades, values have generally appreciated significantly from their original direct-to-consumer release price points in the early 1980s. Like many niche and especially artistic sets from the 1970s-1980s era, initially the Topps Super cards did not achieve especially high valuations compared to the mass-produced “traditional” sports card releases of the same time. As the vintage and retro collectibles markets have boomed, especially driven by the rise of internet commerce and modern grading/ encapsulation services, interest and demand for distinct oddball sets such as this one have greatly increased. Prices reflect this nicely, with key cards worth double or triple today what they sold for even 5 years ago. There seems to be no sign of slowing either, suggesting the 1985 Topps Super cards have staying power as a specialized niche within the vast baseball cards market.
While the 1985 Topps Super set was only a limited trial release three decades ago, today it stands out as one of the more unique and visually artistic vintage issues for collectors to pursue. Cards like the standout rookies of Gooden, Sandberg, and Strawberry as well as superstar portraits of Schmidt, Ryan, and Jackson can all command premium prices in top condition. The exclusive focus on 1984 MLB players combined with the wonderful caricatured style artwork contribute to the niche cult following this set maintains. For those willing to hunt down pristine graded examples, valuable finds are out there to be made among the 1988 Topps Super cards. Its small size and specialized focus make it a quintessential set for advanced collectors looking to add more depth to their collections through odder and rarer vintage issues off the beaten path.
