The 1985 Topps baseball card set is considered one of the most iconic releases from the iconic brand. With 711 total cards, the ’85 Topps set featured many of the game’s biggest stars and rising young talents from that season. Let’s take a closer look at some of the top rookie and veteran cards from the highly collectible 1985 offering.
One of the most coveted rookie cards from 1985 Topps is card #1, Dwight Gooden. Still just 20 years old at the time, “Doc” Gooden had already established himself as one of the most electrifying pitchers in baseball. In 1984, his rookie season, Gooden went 17-9 with a 2.60 ERA and 268 strikeouts, winning Rookie of the Year. Topps wisely gave Gooden the #1 card in 1985 to capitalize on his budding superstardom. Today, a mint condition Gooden ’85 rookie in a PSA 10 gem grade can fetch thousands of dollars due to his Hall of Fame caliber career and status as an iconic early-’80s player.
Another hugely valuable rookie from 1985 is #361 Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers. Already a budding star himself after his rookie sensation season in 1981 where he won both Rookie of the Year and the NL Cy Young Award, “Fernandomania” was still in full force for LA fans. Although he didn’t have as dominant of numbers as his first two seasons in ’84 and ’85, Valenzuela was still one of baseball’s most popular international players. His effervescent personality and success on the field made for a must-have rookie card. High grade ’85 Valenzuela rookies also command significant prices today.
Staying in Dodgertown, one of the most recognizable veterans from the 1985 set has to be #96 Pedro Guerrero. The smooth-swinging third baseman was coming off his best season in 1984 where he hit .305 with 27 home runs and 111 RBI, establishing himself as one of the premiere power hitters in the National League. Guerrero’s card captured him in the act of swinging a bat with his iconic open stance, ready to drive the ball at any moment. The card’s visual appeal and subject’s offensive prowess made it a fixture in many collectors’ binders.
Over in the American League, #450 Don Mattingly of the Yankees was easily one of the ’85 set’s marquee cards. Fresh off consecutive seasons where he led the league in batting average in 1983 and 1984 at ages 22 and 23 respectively, “Donnie Baseball” was seen as the future superstar first baseman of one of baseball’s most storied franchises. Coming off a year where he hit .327 with 20 homers and 113 RBI, Mattingly’s ’85 card showed why he was already on his way to becoming one of the game’s biggest stars of the late 1980s.
While those were some of the bigger name rookie and young star cards, 1985 Topps also featured several iconic veteran cards with legendary players approaching or in the later stages of their amazing careers. For example, card #16 of six-time AL MVP and 17-time All-Star Willie Mays of the Mets wasn’t necessarily historic in the context of his career at that point, but captured “The Say Hey Kid” at age 44, still trying to hang on in the twilight of his legendary career. Seeing baseball icons like Mays, even in their decline phases, added to the nostalgia and retrospective appeal of the ’85 Topps set.
Another living legend featured was #156 Rod Carew of the Angels. Though considerably past his batting title and career .328 average best days with the Twins earlier in the 1970s, Carew was still a productive hitter for California at age 38 in 1985. He and Mays showed that even as they reached the final stretches, some all-time great talents could still offer glimpses of what made them such revered stars during the sport’s earlier eras. Their cards hearkened to baseball’s storied past.
Of course, one of the biggest veteran cards in 1985 Topps had to be #132 Mike Schmidt of the Phillies. The two-time NL MVP and three-time home run champ had put together a Hall of Fame resume by that point, and at age 35 was still a force – he’d hit 35 bombs and drive in 113 runs in 1984. Schmidt’s card portrayed the sheer physicality and explosiveness that made him the most feared slugger of his era with its pose of him mid-swing. Even in the declining seasons leading up to his retirement, Schmidt was still worth collecting.
While it lacked true rookie cards of players like Roger Clemens and Dwight Evans who were already established by 1985, 711 cards made for a complete visual timeline of the most iconic players and teams of that MLB season. Topps captured the past, present and future of the game in one legendary set that remains a benchmark in the history of baseball card production. The combination of rookie stars, established giants and living legends within its borders still captivate collectors 35 years later.
