The Low-Key Best Baseball Card Set of the 1980s
Talk to collectors about the best baseball card set of the 1980s and the two sets you'll hear about most are 1989 Upper Deck and 1987 Topps. And why not! Both are outstanding sets. The Upper Deck set was the Hobby's first mainstream premium offering, setting the table for most of today's high-end offerings.
Meanwhile, the 1987 Topps set, with its faux wood grain design, paid homage to the Hobby's past (1962 Topps in particular) while featuring an all-time great roster of young superstars such as Barry Bonds, Bo Jackson, and Will Clark.
In addition to both these great sets, the 1980s has a great many other contenders for best of the decade: 1983 Topps, 1984 Fleer, and (believe it or not!) even 1988 Score are sets that I believe still hold up today. 1986 Sportflics was an absolute phenomenon when its cards hit the street. And if small sets of retired greats are your thing, could a more perfect set be found than the 1983 Donruss "Hall of Fame Heroes" with its exquisite Dick Perez artwork?
In the end, however, I believe top honors go to the set that had (and still has!) everything: 1985 Donruss. Recognizing this is not at all a consensus opinion, allow me to make my case.
Clean and Timeless Design
Sure, Donruss included the D'85 logo in the upper left corner, but these cards boast a clean design that still holds up today. Still, there was a sleekness to the cards when they came out that marked a dramatic break from their early 1980s predecessors and their mid-decade contemporaries. Topps and Fleer were pushing out Fords and Chevrolets. Donruss handed us a Porsche. And the photos? Not bad at all, at least for the era!
Epic Subsets
As was the case for most of the decade, Donruss brought us the two top subsets, bar none, across any major release: Diamond Kings and Rated Rookies. While none of the 1985 Rated Rookies made it to Cooperstown, all were a great pull at the time. As for the Diamond Kings, what cards from the decade look better autographed?
Rookies Galore!
For most of the decade, the hot rookies we sent straight from pack to screw-down ended up Hobby punch-lines. Not so with the 1985 Donruss set where the set's hottest pulls (at the time!) continue to generate collector interest today. Opening packs of 1985 Donruss, it was an EVENT to pull a card of Dr. K! His cardboard was the absolute currency of cool as he cruised his way to a unanimous Cy Young season, and Donruss absolutely did Doc best among all comers that year.
Cool Extras
Normally, it was Fleer who delivered the goods best when it came to the random extras packed onto a set's checklist, whether we're talking about the brand's Super Star Specials ("Holland Tunnell" anyone?) or its legendary base cards of Glenn Hubbard, Jay Johnstone, Mickey Hatcher, and others. Still, Donruss absolutely brought it in 1985, highlighted by base cards of Pete Rose on the Expos and Reds and its "Two for the Title" card that was scorching hot at the time.
Box Bottoms!
If you've made it this far but remain unconvinced, allow me to administer the coup de grace. The 1985 Donruss set was the first to introduce what became a staple for the remainder of the decade: box bottom cards. And what's more, their debut offering included what is universally recognized as the GOAT of all box bottom cards, its Doc Gooden card, which featured the young sophomore sensation in a Stadium Club-calibre photo six years before Stadium Club even existed!
If you've forgotten what an amazing set this is, I encourage you to break out your old binder or even add a set to your eBay shopping cart. Better yet, if you've got a little extra cash burning a hole in your pocket, why not pick up an unopened box or two and build the set the old fashioned way! I won't pretend boxes go cheap these days, but Lord knows there sure are more expensive ways to recapture your youth, and literally zero of them come with a Lou Gehrig puzzle!
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.