The 1988 Topps Big baseball card set was one of Topps’ most ambitious sets from the late 1980s. Produced in partnership with Parkhurst, it featured oversized 3.5” by 5” cards to showcase large player photos in addition to career stats and biographical info. With 144 cards in the base set plus additional inserts, 1988 Topps Big really delivered in terms of content and collectibility for baseball card fans at the time.
The large card size allowed for vivid, high quality color photos that made each player really pop off the card. Full body shots or action photos were the norm and the increased surface area meant finer details could be seen compared to typical smaller cards from Topps or other competitors. All of the key stars from 1987 were included, from superstars like Rickey Henderson and Ozzie Smith to breakout young talents like Mark McGwire and Will Clark. Design-wise, the cards had a clean and elegant look with plenty of negative space around each photo.
In addition to the player photos and names on the fronts, the backs of the cards featured statistical tables showcasing career totals as well as 1987 season stats. This was a great addition since it allowed collectors to easily compare players at a glance. There was also a lengthy paragraph of biographical information for each athlete, detailing their career paths and accomplishments up to that point. Everything was laid out in an easy to read font which added lots of value and allowed each card to really tell each player’s story visually.
Some of the notable rookie cards found in the base 1988 Topps Big set included Greg Maddux, Jay Bell, and Terry Mulholland. With these large rookie cards picturing young upcoming stars, their values have grown steadily over the decades. Other valuable and sought after stars in the set included base cards of Orel Hershiser, Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, and George Brett. With their fame and Hall of Fame caliber careers, graded examples of these popular players in Topps Big have sold for large sums over the years.
In addition to the large base set, Topps Big in 1988 also included several inserts ranging from traded players to traded draft picks as well as photo variations of selected stars. For example, there was a 25-card traded set highlighting players who were dealt to new teams prior to the 1988 season like Kirk Gibson and Frank Viola. Recognizing the increasing importance of the amateur draft, Topps also created a 13-card draft pick subset to showcase recently selected prospects. With the inserts and variations, there were over 200 total cards to find in 1988 Topps Big factory sets.
While very popular upon release and a strong investment for collectors in the late 80s, the immense size of Topps Big cards presented preservation challenges over time that standard sized cards did not. Issues like creasing from improper storage, fading or damage to the large photos, as well as the increased rarity of high grade specimens all contributed to the set increasing steadily in resale value in the vintage trading card market from the 1990s onward. As a truly one-of-a-kind tobacco-era release, graded 1988 Topps Big have reached into the thousands of dollars per card for true gem mint examples.
Specifically, the George Brett (#1), Ozzie Smith (#19), and Tom Seaver (#40) base cards in PSA/NGC 10 Gem Mint condition have all exceeded $10,000 at auction due to their superb iconic photos and the players’ all-time great careers and fan followings. Rookie cards like Terry Mulholland (#116) and Greg Maddux (#133) in top grades have also gained immense value over time, regularly hammering for over $1,000 each now given how their careers have panned out.
For serious vintage baseball card collectors, owning a high quality 1988 Topps Big set has become an impressive troph
