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.
1986 O-Pee-Chee has 396 cards which there are 12 Cubs players
Size of Cards
The standard-sized cards are the following dimensions: 2-1/2" by 3-1/2"
Basic Features
These cards are nearly the same as the Topps, differing only by the O-Pee-Chee logo. Each front showcases a vibrant, centered photograph of the player, accompanied by a banner at the bottom displaying his name and team, framed by a thin border in the team's colors and a white perimeter. The backs, printed in both English and French, include the player's name, position, and personal details arranged horizontally between the card number and the O-Pee-Chee logo. A section of yearly statistics is prominently displayed in black on a dual-color pink background. Additionally, at the bottom of each card, there's a fascinating fact about the player. For players who have switched teams, the card features an overprint indicating the new team and the date of the trade.
The 1989 Kay-Bee Superstars of Baseball Set includes 33 cards which there are 2 Cubs players
Size of Cards
The standard-size glossy cards measure 2-1/2 x 3-1/2
Basic Features
Topps created the product, which will be sold in Kay Bee toy stores. Yellow and magenta borders are on the fronts. The brown and yellow, horizontally oriented backs have a portrait and statistics and facts.
Topps Kay-Bee released sets for five consecutive years, all with a themed name and checklist: 1986-Young Superstars, 1987-Superstars of Baseball, 1988-Superstars of Baseball , 1989-Superstars of Baseball, 1990-Kings.
Chicago Cubs 1989 Kay-Bee Young Superstars of Baseball Checklist
The 1988 Canon Baseball Set includes 25 cards which are all Cubs players
Size of Cards
Cards measure 3 1/2" by 5 1/2"
Basic Features
Members of the 1988 Chicago Cubs are featured in this blank-backed, black-and-white portrait with white borders. Canon funded the images, which were created so that the players could use them to reply to autograph requests. Unfortunately, most of them were not signed!
Chicago Cubs 1988 Canon Baseball Card Checklist
Number
Player
1
Joe Altobelli CO
2
Chuck Cottier CO
3
Larry Cox
4
Jody Davis
5
Andre Dawson
6
Frank DiPino
7
Shawon Dunston
8
Leon Durham
9
Rich Gossage
10
Drew Hall
11
Darrin Jackson
12
Les Lancaster
13
Vance Law
14
Greg Maddux
15
David Martinez
16
Jose Martinez
17
Jerry Mumphrey
18
Al Nipper
19
Rafael Palmeiro
20
Dick Pole CO
21
Ryne Sandberg
22
Calvin Schiraldi
23
Jim Sundberg
24
Rick Sutcliffe
25
Don Zimmer MG
Always like this photo of Sutcliffe against the ivy.
1989 Baseball Card Magazine has 72 cards which there are 5 Cubs players
Card Dimensions
The standard-sized cards are the following dimensions: 2-1/2" by 3-1/2"
Basic Features
In 1989 set, the cards used the 1959 Topps design without permission, probably gave Topps the idea for later Heritage sets.
These cards were distributed in six card panels inside the 12 issues of 1989 Baseball Card Magazine to make a total set of 72 cards. Of course, these cards are of very cheap paper stock and most are cut up so size is approximate.
Chicago Cubs 1989 Baseball Card Magazine Checklist
1985 All-Star Program has 180 cards which there are 10 Cubs player
Size of Cards
The size of the cards are 1 1/4 x 2 inches
Basic Features
This set features color photos of the American League and National League All-Star nominees. The cards were distributed inside the official program on foldout sheets with 30 cards.
The cards are unnumbered and the backs are uninformative (aka cheap)...
Chicago Cubs 1985 All-Star Program Inserts Checklist
