The Most Valuable Topps Baseball Cards of 1986
Topps’ 1986 flagship features a distinctive half-black/half-white frame where the top quarter is black with the team name in big block letters, a small position circle sits at a lower corner, and the player’s name runs along the bottom. The checklist spans 792 cards.
While the base set lacks a single “monster” rookie, it does deliver several notable first-year cards, led by Len Dykstra, Cecil Fielder, Ozzie Guillén, Darren Daulton, and Mickey Tettleton.
The key rookies appear in the 1986 Topps Traded set, which includes Barry Bonds, José Canseco, and Bo Jackson. Topps also produced the Topps Tiffany (and Topps Tiffany Traded) sets, which include the same cards as in the base set but use a glossy paper and had a limited production run. The Tiffany cards are more valuable than the base cards due to their limited availability, but those are not included in this list.
Overall, 1986 Topps combines a bold, readable design, deep star power, and historically significant companion releases that keep it firmly on early-’80s collectors’ short lists.
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#690 Ryan Sandberg - $3,861
Sandberg was in the early part of his Hall of Fame career, earning his third of ten straight All-Star selections in 1986. Sandberg was an excellent fielder as well, winning nine Gold Glove awards. His MVP season was in 1984 and the value of this card and many other of the most valuable in the set is the perfect combination of star player and somewhat limited availability of cards in gem mint condition.
#100 Nolan Ryan - $2,500
Ryan was over twenty years into his career and still had almost a decade to go. He was still striking out hitters at a ferocious clip of 9.8 per nine innings yet his control was better as he walked significantly fewer batters than he used to. He would occasionally lose control of a pitch, as evidenced by his league leading fifteen wild pitches in 1986, but that was part of his charm.
#1 Pete Rose - $1,650
Managers who were also players was a feature of the early days of baseball, but it was nearly extinct from the last 1960s on. Rose, aka “Charlie Hustle,” would have have been a perfect fit for the early days of baseball, so it it fitting that he would be the last manager to also play. While not his last card, this is the last year the Rose played, making it the last card of his active playing career. While not formally in the Hall of Fame due to his gambling on baseball games, Rose is considered one of the best to ever play.
#531 Tony LaRussa - $1,582
LaRussa is one of the most decorated managers of all time. He is second all-time in managerial wins behind the legendary Connie Mack and he has three World Series titles, six league championships, and 13 division titles under his belt. Despite the accolades, manager cards are not the most sought after. However, when it is really hard to find in gem mint condition like this one is, then you have something of value.
#751 Howard Johnson - $1,582
Johnson played fourteen seasons in the Major Leagues and he was a very good player from 1986 through 1991 where he was a two time All-Star and was tenth in MVP voting in a third season. He also was on two World Series winning teams, the 1984 Detroit Tigers and the 1986 New York Mets. This card happens to be particularly hard to find in pristine condition.
#500 Rickey Henderson - $1,425
Henderson was traded to the Yankees prior to the 1985 season, but this is the first Topps card that shows him in a Yankees uniform. That is a shame as he crushed it in his first year with the Yankees as he hit .314, led the league in stolen bases, and was third in MVP voting. He was not quite as effective at the plate in 1986, but still earned one of his ten All-Star nods.
#50T Bo Jackson - $1,035
The only significant rookie card of 1986 is that of Bo Jackson, which appeared in the Topps Traded set. Jackson is not a Hall of Famer, but became a cultural icon in the late 1980s as one of the rare athletes to play both professional football and baseball. Jackson’s legend grew as he ran up the outfield wall and broke bats with seeming ease and is reported to have run one of the fastest times ever at the NFL combine.
#300 George Brett - $1,000
Brett was an all star in 1986, but it was a bit of a letdown year after he led the team to their first World Series title in 1985. Brett still had a few more excellent years in him and would play through the 1993 season. A first ballot Hall of Famer and a contender for the title of greatest third baseman of all time, Brett’s cards are always among the most popular in the set.