1986 Topps Baseball Forum

To continue with a theme I started earlier this year, I'd like to go back and take a look at another moment in baseball card history.

Pete Rose led off this set with a tribute to all of his previous Topps cards (The Pete Rose Years) after becoming the Hit King in the same way that the 1974 Topps set paid tribute to Hank Aaron after becoming the HR King.

Topps started a 5-year run (1986-1990) of the "Turn Back the Clock" series, which featured prominent Topps cards and memories from 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years ago.  The series was loosely based on the 5-card "Turn Back the Clock" series from the 1977 set.  A complete set of "Turn Back the Clock" cards from 1986-1990 would feature past Topps cards from 1961-1985. 

The 1986 Topps (including Traded) set featured early cards from players like: Barry Bonds, Will Clark, Jose Canseco, Bo Jackson, Andres Galarraga, Roger Clemens, Kirby Puckett, Don Mattingly, Darryl Strawberry, Tony Gwynn, Ryne Sandberg, Wade Boggs, and Cal Ripken, etc.

This set remains very affordable, although the price seems to have risen slightly above many of the newer sets from the same era (1987-1992). 

What are your thoughts?  Love it? Hate It?

Just a solid set. Always love a good special series line the Rose cards. The design wasn't special or bad. It's right in my wheelhouse for players and stars, so I love the content. Although 792 was too many cards. 

Alas, I don't have a lot more to say about the set. 

V3

Not to show off my age but got started with this set. I started playing little league at 9. Have been a fan of rose and the reds which is why I started playing baseball. Great set in my eyes thanks rounddiamond87 for the flash back.

Always liked it. Don't have many from it besides most of the box bottoms, and some of the Rose cards though.

I loved this set. I was 23 years old and had just got out of the service. I built the set one card at a time. If I remember correctly it was 35 cents a pack. And the final card I need was #125 Davey Lopes. Good memories!

I don't look back at it as fondly as the 83 and, especially, 84 sets, but I do remeber the first time I built it. I was a young buck still and the LCS gifted me with at least a half sets. Spent plenty of my parent's money trying to finsih it off. Got even worse in 87....

I absolutely love this set.  I'm not a set collector, but if I was, this would be the first I collect!!  All of the 80s sets were so fantastic.

Similar sentiments for me, in that I think it's a bit underrated.

I wrote about the '86 set on my blog just a couple of months ago. If you'd like a fun 5-minute read that features some nice-looking cards from the set, here's the link: https://ninepockets.blogspot.com/2019/09/completed-set-1986-topps-baseball.html

I liked it, nothing special, no ERRs/VARs though. I have a few sets and plenty of dupes.

Thinking back, I liked Donruss and Fleer better, nice change of pace.

Probably not a set I bought a lot of that year but over time I've finished it. Had our first kid in 85 and worked in a shop so not a lot of extra cash at that time in my life. I'd guess the value of the set has more to do with the black borders and card stock more than anything else.  Cards chipped pretty easy and I think they bowed also.