Welcome Cubs Fans!

This blog will explore the baseball card collecting hobby of the 1980s, particularly highlighting the Chicago Cubs. Unlike vintage baseball cards, most modern cards are quite budget-friendly. The different sets will be much easier to find. Therefore, with thousands of cards in the mix, we will begin with the 80 Topps and conclude with the highly valuable 1985 Topps Mini Test. The pinnacle of this era was marked 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