How Many of These Impossible (and Valuable!) 1980s Baseball Cards Did You Have?
Last week we looked at five cards from 1980-1982 that remain scorching hot with collectors. This week we continue the series with five more from the first half of the decade. Kicking things off is a card of a baseball player who never pitched a single inning or even took a single major league at bat.
1982 TCMA Oneonta Yankees John Elway
Collectors at the time likely walked by the Oneonta Yankees team set countless times at card shows and scoffed at the $4 price tag. Little did they know this 17-card offering from TCMA would offer a greater return on investment than pretty much anything else they might have picked up.
1982 TCMA Hawaiian Islanders Tony Gwynn
This next card is also from a TCMA minor league set, but the player in question had a far superior baseball career to that of John Elway. Though playing for the Hawaiian Islanders of the Pacific Coast League at the time, he would quickly go on to establish himself as the most beloved San Diego Padre of all time.
1982 Fleer John Littlefield Error
John Littlefield pitched two major league seasons, compiling a modest record of 7 wins and 8 losses, and yet his 1982 Fleer card is among the decade's hottest cards--at least if you have the right version. (Or should we say the left version.) Early printings of Littlefield's card featured a reversed image, quickly corrected, that remains the toughest 1982 Fleer card out there for collectors of the master set.
RELATED: Remembering 1982 Fleer: The Set (Almost) Everybody Hates
1983 "1952 Topps Reprint" Mickey Mantle signed
Just as TCMA minor league cards were often overlooked in the early 1980s, the same was true of reprints. That said, when the reprints came directly from Topps, at least some collectors took notice. Plus, how many of us back then, when it came to 1952 Topps, could afford to collect the real thing? Still, at least some portion of this card's value comes from a peculiarity that may come as a surprise to today's modern collector.
Back in 1983 it was taken as gospel that a signature, even from a great like the Commerce Comet, would ruin the value of a baseball card. While today, signed copies of early cards of Mantle, Mays, and Aaron represent grail cards to many collectors, there was absolutely a time when getting such cards signed was regarded as idiotic. Naturally, the concern applied less to reprint cards than it did original vintage. Still, you can bet there were a fair number of collectors who preferred to keep their 1952 reprint sets mint. Good thing at least some made an exception for the Mick!
RELATED: Is Mickey Mantle Still King of the Hobby?
1984 Fleer Update Kirby Puckett
While Topps had been producing Update sets since 1981, Fleer waited until 1984 to make their debut offering. Call it beginner's luck, but today it's the Fleer version that collectors can't get enough of, thanks to the set's lower production run and vastly superior checklist. (Yes, Topps somehow saw fit to omit Kirby Puckett and Roger Clemens!)
So there you have it: five more impossible cards from the 1980s. If your mom threw away your collection, you can at least take some solace in the fact that you probably didn't have any of these. On the other hand, if you still have your cards today and haven't fished through them in a while, you now know some cards to look for before hauling that stash to Goodwill or putting your shoeboxes onto Facebook Marketplace. And of course, tune in soon for even more of these Impossible Baseball Cards of the 1980s!
RELATED: The Impossible Baseball Cards of the 1970s
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.