The 1980s era of baseball cards was a transformative time for the hobby as it grew into the multibillion-dollar industry that it is today. While the sheer number of cards produced during the decade made most fairly common, there were still some rare gems that have become highly sought after by collectors. Here is a look at some of the rarest 1980s baseball cards that can fetch enormous prices in today’s market.

1988 Fleer Barry Bonds Rookie Card: Widely considered the rarest and most valuable card of the 1980s, the Bonds rookie is one of the true holy grails in the hobby. There were only about 100 copies of the card printed and distributed and it is believed fewer than 10 might still exist in gem mint condition. Now graded, the card has sold for as much as $30,000 in the past. Bonds went on to be one of the greatest players ever and this ultra-rare card caught his entire career.

1988 Score Mark McGwire Rookie Card: McGwire’s rookie also presents an opportunity for a huge payday. The notoriously small print run of Score baseball cards that year makes McGwire’s issue among the rarest. In high grade it has brought over $10,000 at auction. McGwire and Bonds launched a new era of power hitters in the late 80s/early 90s and their rookie cards are tremendous trophies for collectors.

1987 Topps Tiffany Roger Clemens: Topps’ partnership with Tiffany & Co. produced an elite, prestige issue of 1987 cards printed on high-quality card stock. The Clemens is one of the most iconic from the set and high grades can sell for thousands because so few Tiffany cards were produced. Finding one in pristine condition is like discovering a long-lost treasure in the hobby.

1984 Fleer Update Frank Viola Rookie: Fleer’s short print run update set from 1984 is legendary for housing rookie cards that are exceedingly rare. Near the top of the list is Cy Young winner Frank Viola. In a true gem mint state a Viola update rookie could crack five figures due to the minute quantity believed to exist. Pairing rarity with a star player pumps up the price big time.

1986 Fleer Sticker Billy Ripken “F— Face” Error: No list of 1980s rarities could exclude the infamous Ripken error card where an unfortunate print left an expletive readable on his forehead. While somewhat crude, the story behind its creation has become part of baseball card lore. In top condition an example might sell upwards of $10,000 because of its one-of-a-kind status as an accident born of the Fleer sticker printing process.

1985 Donruss Randy Johnson Rookie: Although not quite the star Bonds or McGwire became, “The Big Unit” still put together a Hall of Fame career. Finding his ultra-scarce early Donruss issue intact and pristine is genuinely difficult. Graded examples have reached five figures when examples surface because so few are estimated to have survived in that condition from 35 years ago. Johnson’s dominance makes this a valuable piece of his story.

1987 Fleer Update Bo Jackson Rookie: Bo Knows Rookies and his wildly popular Fleer issue is a set favorite. But the hard-to-find update variation takes it to another level. Factors like the short print run, the star power of Jackson’s dual-sport fame, and rarity drive a lot of fervor for high-grade copies among collectors. In a strong state of preservation, a ’87 Fleer Update Bo could be a career milestone card.

1983 Fleer Tim Raines Rookie: The Expos star wasn’t always in the limelight like McGwire or Bonds, but Raines put together an excellent career playing in relative obscurity with Montreal. Thanks to the notoriously small Fleer sets of the early 80s, finding his rookie in pristine condition is a real challenge. But for those who achieve it, a true gem Raines rookie can fetch serious money because so few survivors are known.

1986 Fleer Sticker Ozzie Smith Error Back: While Ripken’s gaffe gets more publicity, fleer sticker errors that year also yielded an unforgettable Ozzie Smith mistake. On some prints, the reverse was left completely blank white. Beyond the visual oddity, this is an entirely unique anomaly from the set and era. High grades could sell for thousands simply due to the one-of-a-kind collector value of basketball card errors and anomalies from the era.

While mass-produced compared to today, 1980s cardboard was still far scarcer than the digital cards of this era. Condition sensitive stars like Bonds, McGwire, Clemens and more can end up bringing five or even six figures when true pristine specimens surface decades later. With prices constantly rising as supply dwindles, these rare 80s gems will only become more coveted trophies in collectors’ holdings for years to come. The stars and stories of the decade are frozen in time on cardboard that appreciates greatly with age.