The 1980 Topps baseball cards are without a doubt, some of our favorites. With some great in-play photos. The cards capture the spirit of the game well.
Whether you are a nostalgic older collector. With memories of the good old days of collecting and trading cards with your childhood friends.
Or a younger collector who simply appreciate sports history. Old baseball cards are one of the hottest commodities in the memorabilia market.
The 1980 Topps baseball set is of particular interest to a lot of collectors. It marked the final year that Topps was the exclusive manufacturer of baseball cards.
Below are the 12 most valuable cards from the 1980 Topps baseball set. There are cards for all budgets on this list. With many of the PSA 8 and PSA 9 cards being well within the price range of most collectors.
12. Johnny Bench, Card #100
Approximate PSA 10 Value – $470
Approximate PSA 9 Value – $70
Considered by most analysts and fans alike as the greatest catcher of all time. Johnny Bench was the best player from the legendary Cincinnati Reds teams from the 1970s that would win back-to-back world series titles in 1975 and 1976.
He was a 14-time all-star, 10-time gold glove award winner. And 2-time MVP, all while amassing 389 home runs and 1,376 RBIs for his career. Bench also led MLB in home runs in 1970 and 1972, and RBIs in 1970, 1972, and 1974.
While he was nearing the end of his career in 1979, Bench still put up a very good individual season,. Ending the year with a .276 batting average, .364 on-base percentage, and .824 OPS. While also hitting 22 home runs and driving in 80 RBIs.
11. Steve Carlton, Card #210
Approximate PSA 10 Value – $510
Approximate PSA 9 Value – $50
Simply one of the most underrated and underappreciate pitchers of the modern era. Steve Carlton won 329 games over a 24-year career that spanned from 1965 to 1988.
He ended up with an impressive career ERA of 3.22, pitched over 5,000 innings, and compiled more than 4,000 strikeouts. He was named to 10 All-Star teams. Won 4 Cy Young awards, and finished in the top-5 for MVP voting 3 times. An impressive feat for a pitcher.
Carlton won 2 World Series titles in his career. First in 1967 with the St. Louis Cardinals, and then in 1980 with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The 1979 season was a down year for Carlton, who ended up going 18-11 with a 3.62 ERA. But he would quickly rebound the following season.
10. Jim Rice, Card #200
Approximate PSA 10 Value – $525
Approximate PSA 9 Value – $50
Jim Rice enjoyed an outstanding offensive career with the Boston Red Sox. Ending his playing days with a .298 batting average, .352 OBP, and .854 OPS.
He also hit 382 home runs and drove in 1,451 RBIs, the 4th most RBIs in Red Sox franchise history. Rice was an 8-time all-star and won the 1978 AL MVP.
The 1979 season was one of the best seasons of Rice’s career. As he would end the season with a career-high .325 batting average, along with 39 home runs and 130 RBIs.
9. Eddie Murray, Card #160
Approximate PSA 10 Value – $570
Approximate PSA 9 Value – $50
Another underrated player on this list. Eddie Murray was a terrific offensive 1st baseman and designated hitter. Playing the majority of his career with the Baltimore Orioles.
He had a career batting average of .287, an OBP of .359, and an OPS of .836. While also hitting 504 home runs and driving in 1,917 RBIs, the 10th most RBIs in MLB history.
The 1979 season was just the 3rd of Murray’s career. But even at this early stage of his career, Murray would showcase the offensive efficiency that would define him. Hitting .295 with 25 home runs and 99 RBIs.
8. Mike Schmidt, Card #270
Approximate PSA 10 Value – $750
Approximate PSA 9 Value – $50
Mike Schmidt is quite simply the best 3rd baseman of all time. And the best player in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies franchise.
He spent his entire 18-year career with the Phillies. Hitting 548 home runs for his career. 16th most in MLB history, and driving in 1548 RBIs. The most ever in the history of the Phillies franchise.
Schmidt was named to 12 all-star teams, won 10 gold glove awards, 6 silver slugger awards, and also won 3 MVPs.
The 1979 season saw Schmidt finish 13th in MVP, by all accounts a disappointing year for him. However, in this “disappointing” season, he still managed to hit 45 home runs and drive in 114 RBIs.
7. Robin Yount, Card #265
Approximate PSA 10 Value – $825
Approximate PSA 9 Value – $40
Robin Yount played both shortstop and centerfield for the Milwaukee Brewers over a 20-year career.
He led all of MLB in hits once, doubles twice, and triples twice. He has the distinction of winning 2 MVP awards at 2 different positions, shortstop and centerfield.
Yount is one of the rare MLB players who developed into a great player several seasons into his career. Not making an all-star game until his 7th season.
The 1979 season was the year before Yount’s breakout offensive year. It saw him hit a pedestrian .267 with 8 home runs and 51 RBIs.
6. Ozzie Smith, Card #393
Approximate PSA 10 Value – $1,200
Approximate PSA 9 Value – $70
Ozzie Smith was the greatest defensive shortstop of all time, and arguably the greatest defensive player of all time.
He was named to 15 all-star games and won an incredible 13 gold glove awards during his 19 years in Major League Baseball with the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals.
Winning a championship with the Cardinals in 1982.
1979 was just Smith’s 2nd year in the league. This was the year before his breakout season in 1980 when he became a game-changing defensive shortstop.
5. Reggie Jackson, Card #600
Approximate PSA 10 Value – $1,200
Approximate PSA 9 Value – $100
Forever known as “Mr. October” due to his legendary 3-home run performance in game 6 of the 1977 World Series.
Reggie Jackson was one of the best power hitters of the 1970s and early 80s. He hit 563 home runs in his career, drove in 1702 RBIs, and ended up with more than 2,500 hits.
Jackson was named to 14 all-star teams and was the 1973 AL MVP. He won 5 championships, 3 with the Oakland Athletics and 2 with the New York Yankees.
The 1979 season was another stellar year for Jackson. Who ended the season with a .297 batting average, .382 OBP, and .926 OPS. All while hitting 29 home runs and driving in 89 RBIs.
4. Pete Rose, Card #540
Approximate PSA 10 Value – $1,500
Approximate PSA 9 Value – $75
MLB’s all-time hit leader. Pete Rose ended his career with 4,256 hits, a record that will probably never again be broken.
He was the heart and soul of the Big Red Machine teams of the 1970s. Helping the Cincinnati Reds win 2 straight World Series titles in 1975 and 1976.
Pete Rose batted .303 for his career, was named to an incredible 17 all-star games, and was the 1973 NL MVP. Rose also finished in the top 10 of MVP voting 9 different times during his career. Not including his 1973 MVP season, a testament to how great a player the league recognized he was.
He had an outstanding season in 1979, finishing with a batting average of .331 and leading the league with a .418 OBP.
3. George Brett, Card #450
Approximate PSA 10 Value – $2,000
Approximate PSA 9 Value – $90
George Brett was a fierce competitor and legendary hitter during his career. Finishing his playing days with an impressive .305 batting average.
He was the 1980 AL MVP, where he maintained an incredible .390 batting average .454 OBP, .664 slugging, and 1.118 OPS. All while hitting 24 home runs and driving in 118 RBIs.
He was named to 13 all-star games during his 21 seasons in the league. All with the Kansas City Royals, and won a championship with them in 1985.
While the 1979 season was the year before his legendary MVP season. Brett still had another outstanding year, hitting .329 with 23 home runs and 107 RBIs.
2. Nolan Ryan, Card #580
Approximate PSA 10 Value – $8,500
Approximate PSA 9 Value – $325
Nolan Ryan is probably the most popular pitcher of all time. Captivating the hearts of baseball fans with his incredible accomplishments.
Whether it is his 7 career no-hitters, 5,714 strikeouts, 324 wins, or 3.19 career ERA. Ryan’s baseball feats leave little to the imagination.
He spent 27 seasons in the league, which ties him with Cap Anson for most in MLB history. Playing from 1966 to 1993.
He was an 8-time all-star, and although he never won a Cy Young award. He finished in the top 5 of Cy Young voting 5 times, and the top 10 of Cy Young voting 8 times.
The 1979 season was a disappointing year for Ryan. Who would end up going 16-14 with a 3.60 ERA. Although he would still be named an all-star that season and led the American League in strikeouts.
1. Rickey Henderson Rookie Card, #482
Approximate PSA 10 Value – $115,000
Approximate PSA 9 Value – $2,000
With an incredibly high price tag. The #482 Rickey Henderson rookie card is by far the most valuable of the 1980 Topps set. And probably the most valuable baseball card from the entire decade of the 1980s.
One of the most talented baseball players in MLB history. Rickey Henderson was a 10-time all-star. He amassed 3,055 hits, and is the all-time leader in both runs scored and stolen bases.
Henderson played 25 seasons for 9 different teams, most notably with the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees.
Despite missing 26 games during the 1990 regular season. Henderson was so dominant that year that he was still named the AL MVP.
Henderson had a solid rookie season in 1979, hitting .274 with a .338 OBP in 89 games.
When I was just starting out with my card collection, I had lots of questions about authenticity, trading, and card conditions. But with not that much information available online, I felt quite alone in my queries. Some questions still haven’t been answered to this day.
This site aims to rectify this, and now, I am passing on my knowledge!
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