Welcome Cubs Fans!

This blog will discuss the 1980s and the baseball card collecting hobby, with a focus on the Chicago Cubs. Contrary to vintage baseball cards, the majority of modern cards are affordable. The various sets will be considerably simpler to obtain. So, with thousands of cards in between, we'll start with 80 Topps and end with 89 Upper Deck. The apex of this period was represented by the Sandberg Rookie of the Year in 1983.


Thursday, May 29, 2025

1987 Swell Prototypes

Number of Cards

The 1987 Swell Prototypes includes 7 cards, featuring 2 Cubs players and 1 VAR.

Card Dimensions

The standard-size cards are the following dimensions: 2-1/2" by 3-1/2"

Basic Features

The collection was created by the Philadelphia Chewing Gum Corporation, known for their Swell brand of chewing gum. This was a trial production for the renowned sets of 1989 Swell Baseball Greats, 1990 Swell Baseball Greats, 1991 Swell Baseball Greats. Unfortunately, Swell had not released a baseball card since the 1948 R448 Swell Sport Thrills, and regrettably, there were no Cubs cards included.

Chicago Cubs 1985 Topps Mini Checklist


Number Player
116 Terry Francona Silver Border
116 Terry Francona White Border
661 Leon Durham