The Most Valuable Topps Baseball Cards of 1979
The 1979 Topps baseball card set, totaling 726 cards, closed out the decade with a minimalist design that has become a favorite among vintage collectors. Each card features a white border with a colorful block running across the bottom with the team name in bold block letters. The result is a simple yet appealing look that highlights the player photography without unnecessary distractions.
The set’s biggest claim to fame is the rookie card of Ozzie Smith, “The Wizard,” whose defensive brilliance at shortstop made him one of the most beloved players of the 1980s and a Hall of Fame legend.
While the design doesn’t have the flash of the 1975 or 1972 issues, the 1979 set is celebrated for its balance of star power, affordability, and the presence of a truly iconic rookie card. For collectors, it represents both the culmination of 1970s Topps design trends and a gateway to the modern hobby.
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#116 Ozzie Smith - $77,099
Say hello to Ozzie Smith, better known as the “Wizard of Oz” for his unparalleled defensive skills, who would win thirteen straight Gold Gloves starting in 1980. Smith was also a fifteen-time All-Star and a first ballot Hall of Famer. While not known for his hitting, Smith had over 2,000 career hits and had a respectable .264 career batting average.
#40 Dennis Eckersley - $9,990
When you have a card of a first-ballot Hall of Famer combined with a relative scarcity of cards in mint condition, you get the second most valuable card of the 1979 series. Eckersley was a starter at this point in his career, winning 17 games and posting a strong 2.99 Earned Run Average in 1979. Although he is sometimes more remembered by the home run he gave up to Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series than anything else, Eckersley was a six-time All-Star and amazingly for a relief pitcher, he won the Cy Young award and the MVP in 1992.
#24 Paul Molitor - $8,811
Another first-ballot Hall of Famer, Molitor was second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1978 and hit an impressive .322 in 1979. He is still listed here as a shortstop here even though he moved to play second-base in 1978 once the other Hall of Famer Robin Yount came back from injury. Paul spent most of his career in Milwaukee, but he is a fan favorite in three cities (Milwaukee, Toronto, and Minneapolis).
#330 George Brett - $7,200
Another first-ballot Hall of Famer, George Brett was in the middle of his fourth of thirteen All-Star seasons. Brett had a .329 average in 1979, good enough for sixth in the majors. This was a precursor to his magical 1980 season where he flirted with .400 for the whole year, ultimately winding up with a .390 average. The Royals failed to make the playoffs in 1979, but would make it to the World Series in 1980 and in 1985, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980 in the battle of elite third basemen but defeating the St Louis Cardinals in 1985.
#401 Ray Knight - $6,662
As a two-time All-Star and World Series MVP, Knight was a very good player. He earned the 1986 World Series MVP for the Mets by batting .391 and hitting the go-ahead run in game seven. He might be most remembered, however, when he scored the winning run in game six when the grounder to first infamously went through the legs of Bill Buckner. Despite these heroics, the value of this card has as much to do with the rarity in finding it in gem mint condition.
#650 Pete Rose - $6,100
Rose didn’t play for the Reds in 1979 as he left the Reds, where he played for nearly two decades, and joined the Phillies and moved to first-base to help the team win the 1980 World Series. Rose would thrill the nation in 1978 when he hit in forty-four consecutive games, second only to Joe Dimaggio’s modern baseball record fifty-six game hitting streak.
#115 Nolan Ryan - $5,450
At age thirty-two, Ryan was still mowing down batters at an unprecedented rate. In his last year with the Angels, Ryan led the league in both strikeouts and shutouts. He would sign with the Houston Astros and pitch for them through the 1988 season, after which he would pitch for the Texas Rangers through 1993, when he retired at forty-six.
#55 Willie Stargell - $4,730
Stargell was thirty-nine in 1979 and somehow won his first and only Most Valuable Player award. Although his numbers didn’t jump off the page but he was among the league leaders in many hitting categories and he was the emotional leader and inspiration behind the Pirates World Series winning season.
#182 Tim Johnson - $3,500
Johnson was in the last of his seven-year career, mostly as a utility infielder. Finding this card in Gem Mint condition is the key to its value.
#610 Mike Schmidt - $2,630
Schmidt was entering the prime of his career as he won his fourth of ten Gold Glove awards, was first in walks, second in Home Runs, and among the league leaders in Runs Batted In. He would go on to win the National League Most Valuable Player award in three of the next seven seasons, leading the Phillies to their first World Series Championship.