Trade List > Baseball > 1980 - 1985

The following cards are available for trade. If you see anything that interests you, please feel free to drop me an email.

 1980 O-Pee-Chee: 122

1980 Topps: 42, 203 (2), 660

1981 Donruss: 89, 90 (7), 91, 211, 332, 364

1981 Fleer: 147, 152, 267, 276

1981 O-Pee-Chee: ***Please note that condition does vary. I can provide details for specific cards.***
9 (2), 11, 13, 19, 24, 36, 37, 39, 43, 46, 48, 52, 56, 60, 62, 68, 71, 75, 79, 86, 87, 104 (3), 111, 116, 117 (2), 122, 123, 126 (2), 129, 130, 131 (2), 132, 134 (2), 138 (2), 147, 157, 160, 161 (2), 162, 163, 168, 169, 170, 176, 178, 179 (2), 180, 181, 184, 188, 195, 199, 201, 203, 205, 210 (2), 216 (2), 217, 225, 228, 229 (2), 237, 238 (2), 239, 248, 250 (2), 251, 253, 261, 275 (2), 278, 280, 286, 288 (2), 289, 290 (2), 294 (2), 300, 301, 303, 305, 310 (2), 311 (2), 312, 314, 315 (2), 316, 324 (2), 336, 342 (4), 347, 348, 349, 354 (2), 361, 363, 365 (3), 366, 367

1981 Topps: 71, 158, 315, 427, 458, 578 (2), 660, 816, 819

1982 Donruss: 23 (2), 25, 29, 31, 51, 61, 72, 92, 93, 114, 125, 134, 135, 155, 157, 158, 159, 177, 198, 218 (2), 219, 233, 239, 252, 255, 260, 261, 281, 298, 302, 303 (2), 324, 328, 338, 339, 345, 365, 366, 387, 429, 450, 457, 459, 468, 469, 470 (2), 471, 482, 485, 487, 491 (2), 492, 507, 512 (2), 513, 528, 532 (2), 533, 540, 542, 546, 551 (2), 552, 563, 567, 573, 584, 588, 594 (2), 595, 605, 609, 614 (2), 615, 626, 630, 636 (2), 643 (2), 646, 650

1982 Fleer: 132, 303, 320 (2), 447, 459, 469, 638

1982 O-Pee-Chee: 227, 244

1982 Topps: 3 (2), 131, 171, 191, 198 (2), 259, 292, 341 (2), 344 (8), 354, 386, 414, 445, 452, 526, 766, 779, 788

1982 Topps Stickers: 57

1983 Donruss: 162, 540, 586

1983 Fleer: 131, 136, 187, 221, 230, 232, 280, 288, 343, 365, 597, 603

1983 Topps: 31 (2), 111 (2), 164, 498, 595 (2)

1983 Topps Stickers: 14

1984 Donruss: 41, 254

1984 Fleer: 271, 429, 477, 552, 631

1984 Topps: 8, 30, 34, 41, 67, 84, 87, 100, 119, 134, 159, 162, 182, 186, 200 (5), 223, 292, 303, 336, 373, 387, 393, 400, 435, 436, 460, 479, 516 (2), 529, 531, 537, 551, 576, 596, 637, 652, 653, 661, 667, 688, 700, 734, 740, 769

1985 Donruss: 87, 190, 254, 421, 438, 581

1985 Fleer: 82, 371, 393

1985 Leaf: 234

1985 O-Pee-Chee: 7, 81, 85, 86, 299, 310, 319, 331, 370,

1985 Topps: 7, 20, 23, 29 (2), 62, 73 (2), 111, 115, 126, 133, 136, 143, 145, 150, 160, 166, 192, 197, 200, 205, 213, 238, 259 (2), 277 (2), 278, 279 (2), 285, 293, 299, 300, 301 (2), 307, 319, 333, 340, 345, 347, 348, 349, 350, 360, 366, 378, 400, 408, 422, 424, 425, 435, 450, 480 (2), 485, 500, 528, 539, 552, 570, 586, 600, 607, 610, 630 (4), 638, 640, 643, 662, 670 (2), 672 (2), 685, 686, 690, 700, 701 (2), 703, 704, 705 (3), 706 (2), 707, 714 (2), 717, 730, 744, 754, 756, 759, 770, 771, 785, 787

1984 All-Star:
17. Dave Winfield, New York Yankees (2)

1985 Topps Traded: 127

RIP John Hughes Redux

 

In the film world, he was the voice of the 1980s so here's a quintessential 1981 custom. 

(Thanks to Bad Wax for the awesome tutorial.)

One of These Things is Doing It's Own Thing, One of These Things Desn't Belong

The day before I disappeared from my home computer a surprise package from Jim at GCRL arrived on my doorstep. I didn't have time to go through them until I came back, despite my pain and suspense.

Jim sent an awesome bunch of cards, mostly Expos but a couple John Jaha inserts and even a Canadian or two thrown in for good measure. I've got a few highlights and observations but first, a game. Play the video here and follow the instructions (just alter "cookie" for "baseball player" and ignore quantity). There's something strange about one of these below. Can you guess? They're arranged in numerical order, so as not to give any hints.

These cool little pieces aren't cards but rather mini-posters from 1981 O-Pee-Chee. Jim included seven of the 24 cards in the set, which I'm guessing are divided between 12 Expos and 12 Blue Jays. I looove fun little oddball finds, especially when they're Canadian in origin.

Moving on to some more goodies Jim sent, were these four cards. Have you ever stopped to notice how cool Rondell White is? The guy just oozes with it - at least he did for the era. I'm not sure if the lines in his fair are quite back yet. Jim included four different Ronell's and in each one he just has this aura of cool about him. Take a peak:

So if you need tips on cool and you can't find Rico Suave, I'm sure Rondell can be tracked down and offer some pointers.

While there were oodles of neat cards from Jim, this is my favorite:

That would be Ron Hunt making an awkward "action" pose for the camera. It's not a traditional baseball card but rather a postcard. I'd imagine it's from the early 1970s as Hunt was an Expos for less than four seasons between 1971 and 1974. From the shadowy bright lights, to the simple background, to the awkward look on Hunt's face to the facsimile autograph, this postcard just reeks of good simplicity.

Over the years I've amassed a few similar postcards but the Hunt is one I know I have not seen until now.

Thanks again, Jim, for the awesome bunch of cards!

Where's Fernando's Penmanship?

Biggest 'Manias' from the 1980s:

3) Wrestlemania

2) Hulk-a-mania

 1) Fernando Mania

Here's the thing, though. Wrestlemania just celebrated its 25th anniversary. Hulk-a-mania will never die, brutha. But Fernando Mania - it seems to have disappeared.

Fernando Valenzuela was one of baseball's biggest stars in the early part of the 1980s. Before he was old enough to legally buy a beer and drop a nickel in a Vegas slot machine he'd already won the National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards. And that was in his first full season. For the next half-a-decade he was one of the game's brightest stars. With his excentirc windup and knack for the strike out, Valenzuela captured the imagination of the game's fans.

After setting a career-high with 21 wins in 1986, Valenzuela started his decline from superstar to falling star. Although he remained a fan favourite, he was never his dominant self for any length of time. Yet he managed to hang on, going from team to team and finding a way to stay in the Majors before being released one last time in 1997 by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Valenzuela's legacy today is one of being one of the game's ultimate fan favorites. Yet, when it comes to cardboard, he's hardly around. Despite the fact that we're in an age of nostalgia in the hobby, Fernando Mania is still something of a dot on a vast horizon. He's appeared on about 50 cards since 2000. While that might seem like a lot, when you think about all the parallels and inserts that come in modern sets, it's barely a blip. If you narrow it down further to premium "hits," the numbers dwindle further. While there's a handful of game-used bat cards, Valenzuela has a grand total of one certified autograph card. It's found in 2005 Sweet Spot Classics Baseball. With autographs in 2007 and 2009 Upper Deck Spectrum, friggin' Corey Feldman from The Goonies has more autographed cards inserted in baseball products.

 

While Joe Blanton, Andre Ethier, Noah Lowry and Tom Gorzelanny continue to have autograph after autograph released, this 80s icon remains one of the few names from the past that hasn't been milked. The reasons for the lack of Valenzuela autographs can only be specualted. Perhaps he's not a fan of signing things, maybe he charges too much, maybe he hates the picture Upper Deck used on his 2005 card, or maybe he's disappeared from the public radar. Who knows. There's currently just one of the Valenzuela autographs listed on eBay and it's got a Buy it Now price of more than $100. I think it's time Fernando Mania gets a little kick in the pants so getting an autograph can be a little more affordable.