Skip to main content. At just over 24 years old, Puckett was the leadoff batter on May 8, 1984, in his first of 1,783 regular-season games played in his career. In just 108 games played that year, Puckett led the Majors with 112 RBIs while batting .317 and blasting 20 home runs, which at least earned him his sixth and final Silver Slugger Award. However, the highlight of his career came in the 11th inning when he launched the 2-1 pitch from Charlie Leibrandt over the fence in left-center field to send the World Series to a seventh game. For the third time in his career, Puckett scored at least 100 runs, crossing the plate 104 times, while driving in more than 100 runs for the second time in his career with 110 RBIs. Puckett returned from the injury in 1996 and hit .344 during Spring Training until he woke up in late March with no vision in his right eye. Baseball Sports Trading Cards & Accessories for sale - Free shipping on many items - Browse Topps baseball cards & baseball card sets on eBay. Puckett registered a .540 slugging percentage that year, the second-best of his career, and he was hitting home runs in 4.2 percent of his at-bats, the second-best rate of his career. Release Date: Retail - November 22; Hobby - December 17 Hobby Configuration: 18 cards per pack, 6 packs per box, 12 boxes per case. Mantenha-se ao corrente das ltimas notcias da poltica europeia, da economia e do desporto na euronews He also had a chance to play in the postseason for the first time in his brief career after Minnesota had a 14-win turnaround to win the AL West. 1979 Topps #650 Pete Rose. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for LOT OF 2 STARTER SET 70' s 80' s OPC HOCKEY CARDS VINTAGE at the best online prices at eBay! And you'll even find them in all kinds of different color variations or parallels that can signify a certain degree of rarity. Additionally, Puckett and thirty other players (mostly big names) were included in a "Century Marks" parallel that have the "Century Marks" name stamped in blue foil across the top while the signature is also in blue ink. 654 sold. At 91-71, they finished in a distant second place to a loaded Oakland Athletics team led by Jose Canseco and Mark Mcgwire that went 104-58. To try and stand out just a bit more, Fleer released their "Ultra" product line as a premier product that came in foil packs. However, he did establish a career-high 45 doubles but scored just 75 runs, the fewest he'd had in any season after his rookie campaign. New posts: Hot thread with new posts: No new posts: Hot thread with no new posts: Thread is closed Before I get started, I just want to clarify some of the criteria I used in creating this list. 1952 Topps Base 1988 Best San Bernardino Spirit And it would take fourteen games into the 1985 season before he uncorked his first career homer. His batting average, though, dipped to .288 despite his on-base and slugging percentage both increasing over that first season. However, one thing is clear about this card and the set in general: they are incredibly difficult to find in top condition. Shop from the largest online inventory of baseball cards for sale. The set had 52 cards, and an additional 52 were made with blue backs. To me, it's one of his best-looking cards ever produced. or He brought a certain joy and passion to the game that elevated his on-field production to another level. Trending: Best Topps Baseball Cards. Statistically, Puckett's power took a significant step back during the 1989 season, hitting just nine home runs while driving in only 85 runs as his slugging percentage dropped 80 points. Like Rose, the same applies for Nolan Ryan: you'll always find his name at or near the top of the list of key cards in any set in which he appeared.. It wasnt particularly attractive or futuristic, but that was the year as a 9 year-old boy I fell in love with baseball and began collecting cards. During the first part of his career, Tom Seaver was absolutely dominant on the mound as he racked up 20-win seasons, Cy Young Awards, ERA Titles and Strikeout Titles like it was nothing. Puckett made an instant impact with four hits in his debut, scoring once and stealing a base in Minnesotas 5-0 win. Special Deals; SCC Break Room; Release Schedule; Free Shipping over $199! In contrast to the economical designs common in earlier decades, this card set featured bright, hand-colored player photos on the front. At the time of the injury, Puckett was tied for his career high with a .379 on-base percentage and was slugging above .500 for the fifth time in his twelve years in the league. The 1991 Topps Desert Shield set has steadily grown in popularity over the years, and because of this, their values continue to climb. His .336 slugging percentage and .320 on-base percentage would end up being the worst totals of his career. The same head shot from the card of the year before makes a comeback but Topps mixed in a nice action shot of Clemente making a leaping catch. That was the last time Puckett batted below .300 until the 1990 season when he slipped just below the mark with a .298 batting average. However, he continued to be a doubles-hitting machine with 39 doubles among his 184 hits that season as he began his transition to right field defensively. Estimated PSA 9 Value: $1,800. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Tim Horton's Hockey Cards 2022-23 Inmotion Phenoms PM-1 - PM-18 U-Pick at the best online prices at eBay! The rarer the refractor, the higher the price. The only way they can have much value is by either being the Tiffany version (Topps' premium factory set) and/or being graded by PSA to be The same comparison between the 1985 Leaf and Donruss sets applies to the 1985 OPC and Topps sets as well: the OPC print run was less than Topps's, and the quality wasn't on par either. Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. O-Pee-Chee had produced a set as far back as 1937 but consistently served as a Topps's partner to create baseball cards for the Canadian market since 1965. Finally, all 200 cards also have refractor parallels like the Puckett refractor that you see here. Though Ryan left a legacy as the greatest fireballer to ever play the game, his early years with the Mets weren't exactly signaling how great he would become. He would finish the season third in Rookie of the Year voting after batting .296 with just 17 extra-base hits in his first full season as a pro. 7 Days-1.4%. The 1996 Leaf Signature Series is credited as the first product in the hobby that included an autographed card in every pack. Puckett did continue to be a master at making contact, leading the league in both batting average at .339 and hits with 215, the third straight year he led the MLB in hits and fourth consecutive season with at least 200 hits. That's where the difficulty in finding them in top shape comes into play. While he technically made his Fleer debut in the company's 1984 Fleer Update set, this was the first time that Puckett appeared in a standard Fleer set. Lower PSA grades have risen more rapidly over the past few years, while 7s and 8s are more stable as a long-term investment. Maybe most importantly of all was Puckett's ability to come through for his teammates in the clutch, as noted by his play during two World Series wins in 1987 and 1991. In 557 at-bats during his rookie campaign, Puckett failed to hit a single home run. The entire hobby was flipped on end as the newcomer changed the collecting world for good. 2022 Topps Baseball Complete Set Factory Sealed Retail Edition Free shipping. So, the 1985 OPC set wasn't as much of a newcomer to the hobby as the 1985 Leaf set, but since this was Puckett's first OPC card, I figured I'd include it on this list. Yet another cardboard celebration is on tap with 1986 Topps Baseball's 35th anniversary. So, the whole idea of refractor cards is to offer collectors another selection of cards to chase in any given set. In the fourth inning of an April 22, 1985 game against Seattle, Puckett hit a three-home shot off Ken Schrom that gave Minnesota a 5-0 lead. Topps celebrates 70 Years of baseball cards with a new program that pushes boundaries while paying homage to our heritage. 1956 Topps #33. Where Puckett took the biggest step back was getting on base after his on-base percentage dropped to .349, the lowest it was for any season after his first two in the MLB. Puckett's 1985 Fleer rookie card is another iconic card from the 1980s and the grey borders give it a unique look overall. If not for the player's strike that cut the 1994 season short, Puckett probably could have finished higher than seventh in MVP voting. Pucketts true breakout season came in 1986 when he won the first of his six Golden Glove Awards and six Silver Sluggers. However, on an individual note, Puckett earned an All-Star roster spot for the third year in a row and won his third consecutive Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. The 365 total bases he accumulated were also a career best, but the Twins still struggled and posted just 71 victories that season to finish a distant sixth in the AL West. Puckett also played in just 146 games, the fewest in his career since being called up in 1984 for the first time. Buy from many sellers and get your cards all in one shipment! The set itself was Topps's attempt at offering a super-premium set to compete against Upper Deck's "SP" and Fleer's "Flair" super-premium sets. Nearly all his offensive production increased in that second year as he finished with 74 RBIs, 13 triples, and 29 doubles, all of which were more than twice as many as he had in his rookie season. Flair production numbers were significantly lower than those of Ultra to maintain relative scarcity. Puckett hit .319 with 15 home runs and 89 RBIs, though many of his other stats weren't all that impressive in the regular season. Feeding off the momentum from the 1991 postseason, Puckett had a career year in 1992 at the age of 32. O-Pee-Chee had produced a set as far back as 1937 but consistently served as a Topps's partner to create baseball cards for the Canadian market since 1965. While there are many great Kirby Puckett baseball cards to collect in this hobby, most of my favorites are from his playing days until his retirement in 1996. And Topps used Kodak paper to give them an added shimmer and boost in quality. Feeling the heat from Upper Deck's move into the hobby as a premium card manufacturer, Topps dipped its toes into the upper-scale segment of the market when it released its "Stadium Club" line in 1991. Puckett batted just .298 with 12 homers and 80 RBIs while collecting only 164 hits in 551 at-bats. And it's his OPC rookie card anyway, so it hasto be on this list. The dual-imagery and fantastic full-color photography immediately jumped off the card front while the card stock was thicker than anything else in the hobby. Ever since this Puckett rookie card appeared in the 1984 Fleer Update set, it's been one of the most iconic cards of the era. Although the surgeries did help him, it was not enough for him to safely continue playing for the Twins, and he retired in the middle of the 1996 season. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Founded in 1938 as a chewing gum company, Topps released their first baseball card set in 1951. Free shipping for many products! After hitting just four home runs in his first 289 major league games, Puckett blasted 31 homers in his third year in the Majors to go along with 96 RBIs and a career-high 119 runs scored. Shop COMC's extensive selection of baseball cards. He'll forever be an icon throughout the state of Minnesota as he was one of the most beloved superstars to play professionally in the Twin Cities. And it was enough to land him a spot on the Triple-A roster in Toledo the following year, where he'd play in just 21 games before the Twins called him up to the Big Leagues early in the 1984 MLB season. He also drove in 31 runs and stole 14 bases in 21 attempts while doing his part to put the ball in play more often than not with just 16 walks and 69 strikeouts. In 548 at-bats over 138 games played for the Class A Visalia Oaks in 1983, Kirby Puckett batted .314 with nine home runs, 97 RBI and 105 runs scored. The Bowman's Best brand has since gone on to have several years of success, but this was the first year when it all started. $8.50. Pre-owned. But, they didn't make the same mistake when they launched into the super-premium segment of the market with their 1993 Flair product line. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Tim Hortons Hockey Cards 2022-23 UD Red Variant Die Cut DC1-DC42 U-Pick at the best online prices at eBay! Pre-owned. Autographs: We're always buying! The company also decided to colorize all rookies and prospects with blue card fronts while the veterans were shown on red card fronts. It's hard to believe now, but when Topps first released its "Topps Chrome" line in 1996, the hobby had mixed feelings about the cards. Tom Brady 2000 Pacific Autographs #403 #/200 (PSA) Tom Brady 2000 Pacific Autographs #403 #/200 (PSA) Kobe Bryant 1996-97 Bowman's Best Picks Refractors #BP10 RC Kobe Bryant 1996-97 Bowman's Best Picks Refractors #BP10 RC TRADING CARDS. 1980 Topps #482 Rickey Henderson Rookie Card. As a team, the Twins struggled in the AL Central that season and were well out of playoff contention when the strike stopped the season. The easiest way to tell the Desert Shield version from the base version is to simply look for the gold stamping on the front of the card which, in this case, is in the upper-right of Puckett's card. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1968-69 OPC O-PEE-CHEE Hockey Set Break #214 Bobby Orr VG-EX NORRIS Boston at the best online prices at eBay! Puckett would hit three more home runs in his second season while leading all of MLB with 691 official at-bats among his 744 plate appearances. The first eighteen cards of the set are All-Stars, and you'll notice that on Puckett's card, the phrase "1993 A.L. Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $2,000. His base card can still fetch around $50 in PSA 10 condition but the 1996 Topps base cards, in general, are much less popular than another product line that they famously released that year. Free shipping for many products! Regardless, this set has its place in hobby history, so Puckett's card deserves a spot on this list. ), Cards that are part of sets that introduced hobby "firsts". Shop a huge selection of Baseball Cards from vintage boxes to today's newest releases. Donruss, Fleer, and Topps had been churning out sets over and over, so Upper Deck had to do something different to get their foot in the door: release an advanced product with top-quality photography on premium card stock. SHOP EBAY NOW One of the most desirable rookie cards of the 1970s, the 1978 Topps Eddie Murray shows the legendary slugger taking a practice swing and looking right at the camera.. Find sealed boxes, cases and single cards from Topps, Panini, Leaf and more! 1978 Topps #36 Eddie Murray Rookie Card. Donruss wasn't the only mainstream card company in 1985 to have a Canadian cousin churning out cards for the Canadian market. And the imagery on Puckett's card speaks for itself. Although Puckett was named an All-Star again, the 1990 season ended Puckett's streak of Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards at four years. In 1993, however, refractors were considered anything but basic as it was the first set to offer such a card. I am personally partial to the 1991 set. All-Star" is printed across the top in an arching pattern. 5 Tyler ONeill Drives in Career-Best 5 RBI in Opening Day Win 121 Dusty Baker 12th Manager in History to Win 2,000 Games 743. Another of Clemente's most expensive cards is his second year issue from the 1956 Topps set.. If you look around the collecting community these days, you'll see all kinds of "Refractors" that are more or less cards produced with special technology to refract light. Puckett was also the 1993 recipient of the Branch Rickey Award for his work in the community off the field. 2022 Topps New York Mets Team Set Series 1 2 Update 29 Cards. The 1988 Twins' hopes for a World Series repeat fell apart as they missed the playoffs entirely, despite having a better regular-season record than the 1987 team that won the World Series. Looking back on Puckett's resume, you can see that it was jam-packed with accomplishments: Though his career was sadly cut short by an eye injury caused by a freak accident, Puckett did plenty during his twelve seasons of MLB play to cement his legacy as one of the game's greatest. New. Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $1,750. Estimated PSA 10 Value: $4,000. The Old Judge picture cards were issued from 1886 to 1890 and more than 2000 different baseball cards from that set have been cataloged, not to mention the many cards made for other sports and non sports. The highlight of the 1993 season for Puckett was the All-Star Game, where he was named MVP after going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a home run to lead the American League to a 9-3 win. Although Puckett unfortunately never played during the 1996 season, or ever again for that matter, he still appeared in the 1996 Topps set at card #50. Two years after being the third overall pick in the 1982 MLB Draft, Kirby Puckett made his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins. The photography on the cards in this set is top-notch and features many great action shots. Another vintage card that has slowly risen over the past decade, its hard to find a better option considering its scarcity and story. Investing in cards involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone. An image of Puckett leading off from base may not have been the most exciting choice that Upper Deck could have used for this card, but you can still quickly get an idea of the quality that the company brought to the table with this card. His six hits in the seven games of the World Series weren't all that impressive, but he was at his best in the final two games of the season. Contact him at [emailprotected]. As notcias de ltima hora disponveis em acesso livre em video on demande. Later that year, he was awarded the Roberto Clemente Award for his work in the Minnesota community. But, the aesthetics on Puckett's stands out a bit more than others, in my opinion, as the triple-imagery sequence of Puckett making a sliding catch and coming up for the throw creates a lot of visual pop. Though he had yet to hit a triple for the only time in his career, Puckett was sitting at 39 doubles, leaving him one shy of 40 doubles for the fourth time in his career. 2021 Sports Card Investor, LLC. Several cards on this list were part of sets that introduced hobby "firsts," and this card is one final example of another. cases and single cards from Topps, Panini, Leaf and more! Miscellaneous Baseball Card Singles And Other Picture Cards, 2004 Bowman Heritage Baseball Card Singles, 2004 Bowman Heritage Insert and Parallel Set Singles, 2004 Topps Cracker Jack Baseball Card Singles, 2004 Topps Cracker Jack Insert and Parallel Set Singles, 2004 Upper Deck Baseball Card Insert Specials Singles, 2004 Upper Deck Vintage Update Baseball Card Singles, 2004 Upper Deck Play Ball Update Baseball Card Singles, 2003 Bowman Heritage Baseball Card Singles, 2003 Ultra Gold Medallion Baseball Card Singles, 2002 Topps Archives Best Years Baseball Cards Singles, 2001 Upper Deck Evolution Baseball Card Singles, 2000 Pacific Aurora Baseball Card Singles, 2000 Topps Limited Insert and Regular Baseball Card Singles. And, given their relative rarity compared to their standard Topps Chrome counterparts, they can carry a decent price premium when graded in top condition. There's no question that Puckett was one of the greatest players of his era. 2000 Topps Traded Base . The brand introduced a parallel offshoot printed on chromium stock (hence the name) that featured 165 players from the base set. Puckett's arm-raising celebration wouldn't have mattered nearly as much if the Twins didn't win 1-0 in 10 innings the next night to capture their second World Series title. It's fair to say that Fleer underdelivered on its attempt at a premium set with its 1991 Ultra release. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Lot Of 14 2021-22 Upper Deck Extended Spx Gold Silver Numberd Rookie Card Lot at the best online prices at eBay! Puckett led the MLB in hits for the fourth and final time in his career with 210 and led the league in total bases for the second time after finishing with 313. 2021 Panini Contenders Baseball Hobby Box Break Average. He managed to crank out 223 hits in 680 at-bats with 37 doubles and six triples to boost his batting average up to .328, and his slugging percentage rose to .537. Joe Garagiola. Buy and Sell Baseball, Football, Basketball, and Hockey Trading cards. 30 Days. With a checklist of only 200 cards, the set features 90 veterans (like Puckett), 90 rookies/prospects, and 20 "Mirror Image" cards that show both a veteran and prospect player on them. Each of the 165 base Topps Chrome cards could also be found in a refractor parallel. What is now commonplace throughout many sets in the hobby is credited for starting with Pinnacle's 1996 Select Certified release: the concept of multiple, different colored, limited parallels or "rainbows.". Estimated PSA 8 Value: $2,000. The full-color photography that dominates the front of the card offered collectors a different collecting experience after seeing borders year after year. The 1990 season was arguably the worst of Puckett's career despite being a pretty good year for most Major Leaguers. Some were lost, some were damaged, some were simply thrown away to be forgotten for good. So, as you can imagine, finding a gem mint example of Puckett's OPC rookie card can be challenging, and collectors will pay large price tags as a result. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC, Topps base cards (it's the most iconic brand, after all), The first card of a particular major brand (his first Leaf, Upper Deck, etc. Login. At 35 years old, Puckett was proving he still had plenty left in the tank during the 1995 season after batting .314 with 99 RBIs and 23 home runs through 137 games until a freak accident ended his season. And he was still very much a respectable pitcher during his time in Cincinnati from 1977 to 1982 as he'd win Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2022-23 UPPER DECK TIM HORTONS NATHAN MACKINNON FLOW OF TIME NT-9 Hockey Card at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products! The 1977 MLB Rookie of the Year, Topps recognized Murray as one of their "All In his first playoff series, the center fielder struggled with just five hits in 24 at-bats against the Tigers, but he shined in the 1987 World Series against St. Louis. 1982 Topps #30 Tom Seaver. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2022-23 Tim Hortons hockey cards You Pick at the best online prices at eBay! Baseball card price guide for 2239 baseball players, 462 baseball sets and over 23449 unique baseball cards. 2022 Bowman Sapphire Edition Chrome Prospects, 2022 Topps Chrome Logofractor Edition Pink, 2020 Bowman Sapphire Edition Chrome Prospects, 2022 Topps Chrome Logofractor Edition Base, 2022 Topps Update Rookie Debut - Gold Foil, 2019 Bowman Draft Sapphire Edition Chrome. The Leaf print run wasn't nearly as large as Donruss's, nor was the print quality on the same level. This Minor League card produced by Larry Fritsch Cards and sponsored by Tyson Foods was part of the "1983 Minor League Stars of Tomorrow" set that featured Minor Leagues from across the nation. Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? He would hit just 24 home runs this season, the most he would hit for the rest of his career, and walked only 23 times, the fewest he had after his rookie season. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! Rookie cards, autographs and more. 2002 Topps Archives Best Years Baseball Cards Singles: 2001 Topps Baseball Card Singles: 2001 Upper Deck Evolution Baseball Card Singles : 2000 Bowman Baseball Card Singles: 2000 Pacific Aurora Baseball Card Singles: 2000 Topps Baseball Card Singles: 2000 Topps Limited Insert and Regular Baseball Card Singles: 1999 Topps Baseball Card Singles Free shipping for many products! But, while today refractors are quite a common feature of many sets and, as mentioned before, there are now even different color variations of refractors themselves, the 1993 Finest set offered just a basic refractor. And in this guide, I'll take a look at thirty of his best baseball cards in the hobby. Puckett gave the Twins an early lead in the first inning with a triple and added an eighth-inning single along with an RBI sacrifice fly in the fifth. Kirby Puckett entered Cooperstown in 2001 and leaves a legacy as one of the greatest baseball players to ever play the game. When the 1989 Upper Deck set first hit store shelves, collectors rushed to get their hands on these premium cards. The first baseball cards were small by todays standards, 1-1/2 inches by 2-1/2 inches, and printed on thick cardboard. Shop. Estimated PSA 10 Value: $2,000. After a 25-year hiatus, the 1985 Leaf set marked the brand's return to the hobby since they produced their last set back in 1960. His six Gold Gloves and six Silver Sluggers are proof of that. But, it was the only one to feature refractors and credited as the set that started everything in the world of refractors. Topps was always the best brand to get, for the wonderfully stale bubble gum that came in each pack, and the hopes of landing a Jose Canseco card. Puckett's card features a beautiful, flowing autograph that takes up a good chunk of the lower part of the card that perfectly complements the fantastic image of him rounding the bases. Many cards from the 1986 Topps set, including Puckett's, have continued to steadily climb in value in recent years. But the foil packs were about as premium as it got because the cards themselves weren't glossy and could pass for a regular Fleer set quite easily. 2000 Wizards of the Coast MLB SHOWDOWN 12 2 Player Starter Sets FULL SEALED BOX! Free shipping for many products! 1970 Topps #712 Nolan Ryan. This Kirby Puckett rookie card is a key to the 1985 Topps set and continues to grow in popularity as high-grade cards from the 1980s have made a solid rebound in the hobby. 1.4%. FUTURA (Leonard Hilton McGurr) is a Graffiti Artist best known for his Abstract approach to Street Art. Choose from over 46 million cards in fixed priced or auction selling formats. Today, these cards are some of the most expensive cards from the 1990s. Puckett had ten hits in 28 at-bats while driving in three runs, including the game-tying run in Game 7 to help the Twins win the World Series for the first time since the franchise moved to Minnesota. Ordering 2022 Topps Now Baseball Cards. His production that year showed he was clearly skilled and capable of doing some serious damage at the plate. Perhaps equally important, Puckett was only striking out less than 10 percent of the time, which also was the second-lowest rate of his career. This set contained six parallels numbered in rarity according to the following lineup: Certified Red (1,800), Artist's Proof (500), Certified Blue (180), Mirror Red (90), Mirror Blue (45), and Mirror Gold (30). Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1992-93 UPPER DECK GORDIE HOWE HEROES COMPLETE 10 HOCKEY CARD INSERT SET Lot at the best online prices at eBay! Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for PICK YOUR NEW TIM HORTONS COLLECTOR SERIES 2022-2023 CARD at the best online prices at eBay! Dean's Cards features detailed scans of every vintage baseball card with a total of over one million sports cards online. As bad as the 1990 season was for Puckett and the Twins, 1991 was precisely the opposite. His minor dip in performance mirrored his team as Minnesota dropped to last in the AL West in 1990 with a 74-88 record. While Pete Rose cards are always great, this particular card is interesting for a couple of reasons.. Before the start of the 1979 season, the Phillies signed Rose to join their juggernaut as they felt he was the last missing link to get them over the World Series hump. Now known for containing the most valuable Derek Jeter rookie card, the 1993 Upper Deck SP set was the company's first super-premium set meant to compete with Finest and Flair. The cards could be used to play a simple baseball-themed game, and were only produced in 1951. Vintage cards of all-time greats like Honus Wagner and Mickey Mantle have sold for some of the highest prices in hobby history while more recent stars like Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Trout are popular among the modern collector. Estimated PSA 8 Value: $25. Limited to just 30 copies, the Mirror Gold is the rarest and most desirable of the rainbow parallels, and in today's market, they can fetch a hefty price tag in top grade. However, what is clear today is that the Topps Chrome brand has cemented itself as one of the most loved and most widely-anticipated product lines each year. All rights reserved. It was also the start of 10 consecutive All-Star nods for the center fielder as he moved up from 21st in MVP voting in 1985 to sixth in 1986. $5.30 shipping. READ OUR DISCLAIMER. While most players in the set signed upwards of 5,000 copies of their cards, Puckett was among those that signed 1,000. Puckett raised his batting average for the third year in a row, finishing with a .332 average as his slugging percentage and on-base percentage stayed reasonably stable. By 1991, not only did Fleer have Donruss and Topps to compete against, but Upper Deck had cemented itself as a reputable brand as well. These efforts culminated in his sixth and final Gold Glove and his fifth Silver Slugger Award while he earned three first-place MVP votes to finish second in 1992, the highest placement of his career. The popular 1933 Goudey Gum Co. issue, which included cards of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, best identifies this era. Because Topps produced a minimal number of these cards and gave packs to troops stationed in the Middle East during the Gulf War, it isn't easy to find surviving examples in high grade these days. MLB Baseball Hot Packs-The Best-15 Cards-5 Rookies-Look for 1/1-Mem-Auto-READ. Brief disclaimer: most of the cards on this list will generally not be worth anything Much like their 1988 Donruss, Fleer, Score counterparts, so many of them were produced that their values really took a nosedive.. That would have put him on pace for roughly 150 RBIs and close to 30 home runs for the season had it been completed. There may be only five red refractors of a certain card, while there are one hundred blue refractors of the same card. Not to mention that Score had joined the market in 1988, Topps had revitalized the Bowman brand in 1989, and Leaf and O-Pee-Chee were also still in the mix. 1954 Hank Aaron Topps #128. The 1993 season was another dip for Puckett as he batted just .296 with 89 RBIs, even though he smashed 22 homers. Arguably the sport most associated with the hobby, baseball has a rich history that stretches from tobacco cards to ultra-modern superfractors. The eye appeal on this card is fantastic as Topps captured the Hall of Famer in the middle of his follow-through to produce what is arguably the best Puckett visual of any of his Topps cards. Leaf produced just 100 copies of the "Century Marks" cards for each player making them tougher to find. After batting .429 with six RBIs and scoring four runs to help Minnesota blast through Toronto in five games, Puckett earned the honor of ALCS MVP. As a result, his popularity soared with fans (especially those in Minnesota) and collectors alike, making his cards some of the most sought after in any set in which he appeared. Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $600. At the time, some collectors liked the new look and feel of the cards, while others weren't too fond of them. Series 1 has the first 25 players in the set. And I've always loved the baby blue uniform, red helmet and Twins cartoon logo in the upper-left corner of this card. Puckett struck out just 59 times and set his career-high with a .379 on-base percentage while the Twins plummeted below .500 again. He was then diagnosed with glaucoma and underwent three surgeries to restore his vision enough to continue playing. "Best" is a subjective term left to opinion, but when I tried to identify Puckett's best cards, I looked for the following kinds of cards: So, this list does not simply contain his most expensive cards, but instead, it includes a nice mix of cards based on various criteria. He still finished seventh in MVP voting and won his fifth Gold Glove Award, but Puckett's true heroics would come in October when Minnesota returned to the postseason. He did still manage to his on-base percentage at .365, just above his career average of .360, aided in large part by setting a career mark with 57 walks. Slab Strong (Protective Slab Bumper Sleeves), 2020 Topps Chrome Update Sapphire Edition, 2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks & Prospects. We offer the best selection of baseball cards from the Pre-War era to modern day, and from manufacturers ranging like Topps and Bowman to Fleer and Donruss. In 1987, Puckett led the MLB in hits for the first of four times in his career, belting 207 hits, including 32 doubles and 28 home runs for the Twins. If you still need more, the Retro Rookie Ticket insert highlights the 1998 and 2000 designs with the current 2021 rookies. Today, the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card from this set is one of the most iconic cards in hobby history. Certain sets in the hobby changed the game forever, and one of those is the 1993 Finest set. The Stadium Club line continued annually throughout the 1990s while it appeared in an on-again, off-again fashion from 2000 onward. Since most collectors in this hobby tend to draw the line on the "vintage era" at 1980, many consider the Rickey Henderson rookie card to be the last big-name vintage rookie.. And while its value pales in comparison to other big-name vintage rookies like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Part of a 70-card continuation line, the Topps Platinum Players Die-Cuts insert aims to identify the 70 greatest players on Topps cards. Disaster struck when Dennis Martinez broke Puckett's jaw with a fastball in his first at-bat of the Sept. 28 game against the Cleveland Indians. His 19 homers were the most he had hit in five years to go along with a .329 batting average and .490 slugging percentage, his best in five seasons. Half of his hits came in the critical Game 6 as he finished just a double shy of the cycle. After the success of its 1993 Finest set, Topps introduced a similar concept to the hobby a year later with its 1994 Bowman's Best line. The 1951 Topps Red Backs #38 Duke Snider comes from the first set of baseball trading cards produced by Topps. And he played with joy and enthusiasm that few players can genuinely exhibit at the highest level in the game. Of course, Puckett will always be remembered for his performance in the 1991 World Series. I've always loved the 1985 Donruss design with the black borders and full-color imagery and Puckett's rookie card is no exception. Donruss wasn't the only mainstream card company in 1985 to have a Canadian cousin churning out cards for the Canadian market. He also scored 109 runs, the second of three times he hit triple digits in runs scored during his career. While this card may notlooklike a premium card, that was Fleer's full intention when they released their "Ultra" brand in 1991. 2021 Topps 35th Anniversary Vladimir Guerrero Jr. # 86b-35 Toronto Blue Jays. Free shipping for many products! Estimated Extended Autograph PSA 10 Value: $1,000, Estimated Century Marks Autograph PSA 10 Value: $2,000. He also loves to write about the hobby and has written for Beckett, Topps, SABR and of course, this website. Being the Canadian cousin to Donruss, you can see that there isn't much different about the Leaf design overall except for the green leaf logo in the upper-left and the French text and Leaf trademark data on the reverse. Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Value: $65. For the second year in a row, Puckett finished in third place in MVP voting in 1988 despite driving in a career-best 121 RBIs, batting a career-high .356, and leading the league in hits (234) and total bases (358).