The Five Essential Baseball Cards of 1981 Topps
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It truly was the best of times and the worst of times in baseball in 1981. On one hand, the "Fernandomania" phenomenon brought unmatched levels of excitement to the game every fourth of fifth day in a craze that transcended the sport to make national headlines. On the other hand, 1981 also saw a prolonged players' strike that brought with it a buzzkill unprecedented in the professional game's 100+ year history.
On the Hobby side of things, the big story was choice. Topps was no longer the only game in town. Packs of Fleer and Donruss cards lined store shelves right alongside Topps. In this new competitive environment a sub-standard set might have proved deadly for Topps. Fortunately, however, as was nearly always the case, Topps delivered with a high quality, 726-card offering. What's more, even today, five of those cards remain essential in any collection.
1981 Topps Dodgers Future Stars feat. Fernando Valenzuela
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Is Fernando Valenzuela a Hall of Famer? No, at least not at the moment. But is he a legend? Without a doubt! When the card came out, the rookie card craze had not yet kicked into high gear. Believe it or not, most collectors opened packs hoping to pull cards of established stars or simply make progress toward a complete set. Still, this was a card with genuine buzz. Whether the hype was because it was Fernando's first Topps card or simply his only Topps card, who knows! Either way, good luck finding it for anything less than a dollar that season!
1981 Topps Harold Baines
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The 1981 Topps set included only one individual rookie card of a Hall of Famer: Harold Baines. Granted, Baines is rarely considered one of the game's immortals on par with Babe Ruth or Willie Mays, but he's hardly alone in that regard. Among the position players with fewer wins above replacement (WAR) than Harold Baines are Hack Wilson, Chick Hafey, and Lloyd Waner, and that's to say nothing of the pitchers. In truth, with both Fernando and this next player receiving upgrades in the 1981 Topps Traded set, Harold Baines may have the single most essential card in the entire set.
1981 Topps Expos Future Stars feat. Tim Raines
Apart from Harold Baines, the only other Hall of Fame rookie card in the 1981 Topps set belongs to Tim Raines, who shares his first Topps cardboard with teammates Roberto Ramos and Bobby Pate, This is a card that really heated up with Raines' 2017 Hall of Fame induction, but the truth is it was pretty hot in 1981 as well. Though there was no Raines-mania to match the buzz around Fernando, the young speedster stole 71 bases in only 88 games. Over a full 162 game season, that number works out to 131 swipes, which remarkably is one pilfer above Rickey Henderson's single season record.
1981 Topps Andre Dawson
Rookies aside, the 1981 Topps set is loaded with Hall of Famers. What's more, plenty of these Hall of Famers have terrific cards in the set. But how many of them have a perfect baseball card? Aesthetically, does it get any nicer than this dugout shot of the Hawk, clad in what may be baseball's all-time greatest uniform this side of the Yankee pinstripes? Answer: No, it does not.
1981 Topps Rickey Henderson
RELATED: The Five Essential Baseball Cards of 1980 Topps
Let's face it. Not all collectors can afford Rickey's rookie card. For those collectors, this second-year card is the next best thing, but there's more to the card than just that. There's also history.
Flip the card over and a handul of new statistical categories make their first ever appearance for Topps, among them stolen bases and walks. Great timing since Rickey had 100+ of each of them. Not only was this the first time that feat had occurred in baseball's "Modern Era" but even today it has happened only three times, all by Rickey!
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.