The 1986 baseball card season was one of transition and change in the baseball card industry. While Topps had dominated the baseball card market for decades, they now faced new competition from Fleer and Donruss, who were both producing full baseball card sets for the second year in a row.
Topps released their standard 382 card set in 1986, featuring cards of all major and minor league players. Some of the top rookies featured in the 1986 Topps set included Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds. Clemens’ rookie card would go on to become one of the most valuable cards from the 1980s. The design of the 1986 Topps cards featured a photo on the front with the team name and logo at the top, along with the player’s name and position below the photo. Statistics from the previous season were on the back.
While Topps was the dominant brand, Fleer and Donruss were gaining ground. Fleer released a 402 card set in 1986 that also included all major and minor leaguers. The Fleer cards featured a photo on the front with the team logo at the top left and player info on the right side. Statistics were on the back as well. Notable rookies in the 1986 Fleer set included John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine, who would all have Hall of Fame careers.
Donruss also expanded to a 402 card release in 1986 after debuting with a 132 card set the previous year. The design of Donruss cards was unique, with a vertical photo on the front and statistics below. Player names were at the top. The backs featured career statistics and a blank space for collectors to add their own notes. Some top rookies in the 1986 Donruss set were Will Clark, Wally Joyner, and Bobby Thigpen.
While the main manufacturers released full sets, there were also several specialty and oddball card issues in 1986 as well. Fleer released smaller subsets like “Fleer All-Stars” highlighting top players, and “Fleer Stickers” which had gum-backed cards. Topps also had subsets like “Traded” cards showing players who were traded during the season.
Upper Deck did not begin producing baseball cards until 1989, but 1986 marked their first foray into the sports card industry with a 132 card football set. This helped signal the growing popularity of alternative card brands beyond the “Big 3” of Topps, Fleer, and Donruss.
The 1986 season cards are notable for capturing the careers of future Hall of Famers like Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and more in their rookie seasons. The competition between manufacturers also heated up, which would continue to grow and change the baseball card industry in the late 1980s and 1990s. While not as valuable as some era’s cards today, 1986 remains an interesting transition year between the dominance of Topps and the rise of new competitors on the scene. The rookies featured that year have ensured the 1986 cards remain popular with collectors and maintain value decades later.
The 1986 baseball card season showed both continuity with the traditional manufacturers but also the beginnings of change. New brands like Upper Deck were emerging while established companies like Fleer and Donruss gained ground. Top rookies like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Greg Maddux enshrined their early careers in the sets released that season. The growing competition set the stage for the boom of the baseball card market in the late 80s and 90s.
