The 1986 Topps Baseball Card set was the 65th year Topps produced cards and contained 792 total cards including player, manager, coach, and checklist cards. The design featured a large solid color rectangular border around each card with the player’s team logo on the top left and card number on the top right. Below the player’s photo was their name, team, position, and batting or pitching stats from the 1985 season. On the back was more stats and a short bio. These designs became very popular and iconic of the 1980s era of cards.
Some of the notable rookies featured in the 1986 set included Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox, Mark McGwire of the Oakland A’s, and Barry Larkin of the Cincinnati Reds. All three would go on to have Hall of Fame careers and Clemens and McGwire in particular were huge stars of the late 1980s and 1990s. Other impact rookies included Andy Benes of the San Diego Padres, Gregg Olson of the Baltimore Orioles, and Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox.
The massive 792 card count was due to Topps’ decision that year to include minor league/prospect cards of young rising stars not yet in the majors. This included prospects like Gregg Jefferies, Eddie Murray, Kevin Maas, and Ken Griffey Jr. among many others. It allowed collectors to potentially get cards of future stars even before their MLB debuts. The size of the set also meant more short printed and harder to find cards which increased collector interest and chase for complete sets.
One of the major highlights and most iconic cards from the 1986 set is the Barry Bonds rookie card. Bonds would go on to have one of the greatest careers in MLB history and his rookie is considered among the most valuable baseball cards ever issued. In high grade it can sell for tens of thousands of dollars today. Other notable rookie cards included in 1986 were Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, and Wally Joyner.
The design itself was admired by collectors as the border style became hugely popular. The team logo on the left along with piping along the border gave each card a very clean and classic look. The inclusion of stats on the front also gave collectors key information at a glance without needing to flip to the back. Topps sets during much of the 1980s are considered some of the most visually appealing designs in the entire history of the company.
In terms of chase cards and short prints that excited collectors trying to complete the 1986 set, there were a number of standouts. The Mike Schmidt card #762 was notoriously difficult to find due to a reported print run of only 90 copies. Any high grade example can fetch thousands today. Other tough pulls included the N.L. Leaders card #740 (print run around 600), Willie McGee #692 (around 800 printed), and Ozzie Smith #600 (print run around 2,000). Collectors spent countless packs trying to find these elusive short prints.
The 1986 Topps design also included several innovative insert sets within the base checklist. This included “Topps All-Stars” which honored the previous season’s All-Star players with photo and stats on the front. The backs featured a short write-up on each player. There was also a “Topps Traded” subset that included traded players in their new uniforms for the coming season. These inserts added valuable variations for collectors and fans to pursue outside the base player cards.
In terms of the overall collecting landscape in 1986, the popularity of baseball cards was at a peak during the early 1980s. The boom brought in new collectors both young and old and created intense competition to collect full sets like the massive 1986 Topps offering. Along with Topps, other competitors like Donruss also released large checklists to capitalize on the phenomenon. Wax packs could be found in virtually every convenience store, grocery, and retail outlet across America. For many kids, opening these packs was one of the most exciting parts of summer.
When it comes to the long term collectibility and legacy of the 1986 Topps set, it is certainly one of the most iconic releases in the history of the hobby. Some key factors that explain why are: the inclusion of so many future Hall of Famers as rookies like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Andy Benes; the massive set size with rare chase cards; the bold yet elegant border design that screams 1980s; inclusion of prospects before they debuted in MLB. Today complete 1986 Topps sets still excite collectors due to these attributes and history. Examples that grade extra high can sell for thousands on the open market. The 1986 release was truly one of the greatest and most memorable of the “Junk Wax” boom era that brought baseball cards mainstream. Its impact and popularity endures over 35 years later.
