The 1985 Donruss baseball card set was incredibly popular and holds nostalgia for many collectors who were kids in the 1980s. These cardboard treasures from our youth can now be professionally graded and encapsulated by PSA/DNA to preserve their condition and add value. Let’s take a closer look at what collectors should know about 1985 Donruss cards submitted to PSA.
Donruss released its inaugural baseball card set in 1981 and it was an instant hit, featuring simple yet stylish design on a thicker stock than Topps. By 1985, Donruss was firmly established as the number two brand behind Topps. The set size was increased to 524 cards and included several popular league leader “special” parallel inserts in addition to the base cards.
Rookies like Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, and Ozzie Smith featured prominently in the 1985 Donruss set as they began making their mark on the big leagues. Superstars like Mike Schmidt, Nolan Ryan, and Rickey Henderson also received prestigious card treatments befitting their all-time status. The photography and production values continued improving year-over-year.
As the 1980s wore on, collectors became more discerning about the condition and quality of their cardboard collections. Some 1984 Donruss rookies like Dwight Gooden already commanded premiums in top grades. This ushered in the modern collectibles authentication and grading era. PSA launched in 1991 and soon became the gold standard, bringing trust and transparency to the previously “Wild West” marketplace.
Today, a pristine 1985 Donruss card fresh from the pack and preserved perfectly for 35+ years is a true condition anomaly. Most survived incidental wear like play, rubbing, and creasing over the decades. But raw mint examples do surface from time to time, often through estate sales where they sat untouched in someone’s childhood collection box.
When submitted to PSA, a collector can expect the card to undergo a rigorous inspection under bright lighting by PSA’s team of expert graders. They analyze factors like centering, corners, edges, and surface for flaws or defects in order to arrive at one of their famous numerical grades from 1-10. A “black label” denotes “absolute perfection.”
The vast majority of 1985 Donruss cards submitted to PSA for grading return as mid-grade 7s or lower. An eight is usually cause for excitement by collectors. Nines and true gem mint tens simply do not occur frequently given the set’s age. Even lower grades can still retain value for collectors looking for a physically preserved example to enjoy or include in a bigger portfolio.
Of course, the grading result depends heavily on the individual card in question too. Superstar rookie cards or league leaders receive much stricter scrutiny compared to common players due to higher monetary stakes at these grade levels. An off-center Roger Clemens may grade lower than a similar Dwight Evans for this reason.
Once graded, slabbing the card protects it for life inside an tamper-proof plastic holder. It guarantees authenticity, protects against damage in future trades/sells, and allows collectors to safely showcase their prized pieces. This adds immense value to collectors both casually displaying cards on their desks and serious investors assembling portfolios.
In general, PSA-graded 1985 Donruss rookie cards of future Hall of Famers naturally command the highest prices. At the top of the food chain sit mint PSA 9+ graded examples of the previously mentioned young stars like Gooden, Boggs, Clemens, and McGwire. Low population census figures contribute to their extreme rarity and value.
For example, a PSA NM-MT 8 Boggs rookie in 2021 could fetch $800-1000. Meanwhile a PSA Gem Mint 9 copy exceeded $10,000 last year. Even mid-to-lower end PSA 7s of star 1980s rookies routinely sell for hundreds. And of course, no-doubt PSA 10 perfection would cost truly deep pocketed collectors many thousands or even six figures to acquire one of the ultra-elite population leaders like Gooden.
Meanwhile, stars already established by 1985 such as Schmidt, Ryan, and Henderson can still return nice profits as graded specimens too. While not quite as valuable as freshly-teen rookie cards, PSA 8+ slabs of these seasoned sluggers cross auction blocks in the $200-500 range on a regular basis. They make for affordable graded options for collectors priced out of true “holy grails.”
Popularity and appreciation have grown tremendously for 1980s trading cards in recent years. So if you have pristine 1985 Donruss hiding in attic boxes, getting them slabbed and graded is highly recommended to preserve them and potentially uncover hidden value. Whether a collector seeks stockpiling stars, chasing rookie pop or simply wants nice graded examples to enjoy, PSA-certified 1985 Donruss cards deliver enjoyment and profit potential in equal measure 35+ years later.
