Top 3 Most Valuable Mets Cards from the 1986 Topps Tiffany Set
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This year marks the 40th anniversary of the 1986 World Series-winning Mets team, featuring Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, and Keith Hernandez, among others. The series is best known for the infamous Bill Buckner blunder, in which he allowed a slow-rolling ground ball hit by Mookie Wilson to get through his legs, allowing the winning runner to score and forcing a seventh game.
The Mets went on to win that game and the 1986 World Series and we honor the 40th anniversary with the 1986 Topps Tiffany set.
Topps Tiffany Set More Than Junk Wax
The Topps Tiffany set was produced from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s and could be categorized as one of the first parallels created by a card company.
While they featured the same art on the front and information and design on the back, these cards were printed on premium stock and were noticeably brighter than their regular counterparts. These cards were only distributed through box sets and had print runs of 5,000 to 15,000, depending on the year.
While players on the Mets 1986 World Series team recieved rings to commemorate the championship, collectors can grab a trading card. And if they want a better-than-base, they can get a Tiffany. But according to Card Ladder, the top ones could cost you close to $1,000. Here are three of the top sales.
#3 | Dwight Gooden - #202
The first card on the list is of Dwight Gooden. The card is an insert, the '85 Record Breaker, card No. 202 in the set, and is graded a PSA Mint 9. The card commemorates his 24-game-winning-season in 1985 and features a full shot of Gooden mid windeup. At the bottom, it lists his name, team, and the milestone achieved.
According to Card Ladder, this card last sold for $500 on May 31, 2025. The card was sold via auction, though Card Ladder does not show where it was auction through. The owner has lost considerable value on it, as Card Ladder now lists it at just $85.
No. 2 | Darryl Strawberry - #80
The second card on this list is a Darryl Strawberry Card No. 80 and is graded an incredible PSA GEM MT 10 (It is a 40-year-old card). The card features a waist-high image of Strawberry, which appears to be during warmups, as his expression does not look like he's in a hurry.
This card has a pop count of just 43 and, according to Card Ladder, sold on December 23, 2025, for $809. According to Card Ladder, this card is not worth about half as much, at just $488.
No. 1 | Dwight Gooden - #250
The top 1986 Topps Tiffany card of the New York Mets is unique in that it has an in-person autograph. Dwight Gooden's No. 250 card features a young Gooden, mid-windup, facing the batter. The blue ink autograph is signed across the very middle of the piece, and as you can see from the photo, it features no streakiness.
Adding to the uniqueness is the fact that both the autograph and the card were graded PSA GEM MT 10. There's no telling when it was signed, but it still is a 40-year old card that gemmed.
According to Card Ladder, this piece sold on March 7, 2023, for a grand total of $890. Unlike the other two on the list, this card sold via the best offer. Also, unlike the other two cards, it has jumped in value. Card Ladder lists the value of this as more than $1,500.
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After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz