You’ll notice pretty quickly going through this list that 1988 Topps baseball cards aren’t (unfortunately) worth a whole lot.
Cards were exploding at the time, and were immensely popular…so Topps responded by producing a ton of these cards. And unlike today, there weren’t lots of inserts, parallels, autos and even other brands and sets to give collectors more to go after.
1988 Topps Baseball Rookies
The rookie set isn’t even one to set the world on fire:
- Tom Glavine
- Jim Abbot
- Roberto Alomar
- Mark Grace
Yes, Tom Glavine is one of the best pitchers ever, but not one to set the world on fire (you’ll notice that Abbot’s rookie card sells for more than Glavine’s).
Top 22 1988 Topps Baseball Cards
- 1988 Topps Don Mattingly World of Baseball #300
- 1988 Topps Nolan Ryan #250
- 1988 Topps Cal Ripken Jr. #650
- 1988 Topps Barry Bonds #450
- 1988 Topps Nolan Ryan Turn Back the Clock #661
- 1988 Topps Wade Boggs All-Star #388
- 1988 Topps Nolan Ryan Record Breakers #6
- 1988 Topps Al Leiter #18 (Corrected)
- 1988 Topps Rickey Henderson #60
- 1988 Topps Bo Jackson #750
- 1988 Topps Don Mattingly #300
- 1988 Topps Jose Canseco #370
- 1988 Topps Mark McGwire #580
- 1988 Topps Mike Schmidt #600
- 1988 Topps Traded Jim Abbott #1T (Rookie)
- 1988 Topps Record Breakers Eddie Murray #4 (Caption in Box)
- 1988 Topps Greg Maddux #361
- 1988 Topps Wade Boggs #200
- 1988 Topps Tony Gwynn #360
- 1988 Topps Tom Glavine #779 (Rookie)
- 1988 Topps Mark McGwire Record Breaker #3 (White Triangle Error)
- 1988 Topps Mark McGwire Record Breaker #3 (Corrected)
1. 1988 Topps Don Mattingly World of Baseball #300
PSA 9 Value: $285
This card might be cheating a bit, as it was included as a promo card for the U.K. release. This makes it rare enough that only 101 of these have ever been graded (and only ONE PSA 10) despite carrying a nice price tag.
So, it’s a nice card for Mattingly collectors, but not only likely sitting in your old box of 1988 Topps cards.
(Also, did you notice that the card doesn’t have any mentions or logos from the Yankees? Weird, considering when a U.K. set was released, team names and logos were used.)
2. 1988 Topps Nolan Ryan #250
PSA 10 Value: $150
Now, we come to the most valuable card in the regular 1988 Topps set! If you’re familiar with cards from the era, then it’s no surprise that Nolan Ryan tops the list!
As one of the most popular pitchers of all time (7 no-hitters and beating the crap out of people help), it’s amazing that his card severely outpaces rookies from this class.
3. 1988 Topps Cal Ripken Jr. #650
PSA 10 Value: $130
Another all-time popular player, this non-rookie version of Cal Ripken Jr. carries nice value. In 1988, Ripken was coming off his 5th straight all-star appearance…and he would go on to appear in 14 more in a row!
The fact that he was an all-star in 2001 (at age 40) with an OPS+ of 70 goes to show how immensely popular this man was. Playing for one team so long and with his insane ironman streak, it’s easy to see why he was so beloved—and still is in the hobby.
4. 1988 Topps Barry Bonds #450
PSA 10 Value: $115
From one beloved player to one…not so beloved. However, even a veteran base card of Barry Bonds still carries some heft, coming in at fourth on this list. (“Heft” being relative, of course. $115 for a PSA 10 isn’t a lot!)
Barry had yet to even earn an all-star appearance (that wouldn’t happen for two more seasons, actually), but he’d go on to have the most decorated career in baseball history. Despite the scandals, many collectors still see him as one of the best players ever and collect him for that reason.
5. 1988 Topps Nolan Ryan Turn Back the Clock #661
PSA 10 Value: $99
Again, we see The Ryan Express making the list with an insert card!
You probably already knew about the 7 no-hitters, but did you know that he also holds the record for most games with 15+ strikeouts at 26? That’s…a lot.
6. 1988 Topps Wade Boggs All-Star #388
PSA 10 Value: $93
Interestingly enough, the Wade Boggs insert in this set actually carries more value than his base card…which is rare to see.
Ugly as this card may be, it certainly stands out as a memento from the time period. This card looks and feels more like a card from the ’80s than just about any other. The moustache helps, too.
7. 1988 Topps Nolan Ryan Record Breakers #6
PSA 10 Value: $90
Another Nolan Ryan card! Collectors can’t get enough of him.
Did you know that he also had 12 one-hitters and 18 two-hitters? Despite his middling career W-L record (324-292) and having barely a 2-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, it’s those highs and the incredibly fast pitches that garnered him so much attention.
8. 1988 Topps Al Leiter #18 (Corrected)
PSA 10 Value: $85
Al Leiter’s original card in this set was an error card, featuring a player named Steve George, who never really had a career in the big leagues.
Topps quickly fixed their mistake, and it’s the corrected version (not the error) that actually carries some decent value today.
9. 1988 Topps Rickey Henderson #60
PSA 10 Value: $85
Some sports fans remember him as an Oakland A (he did have four stints with the club), but he had some of his best seasons with the Yankees!
4 of his 10 all-star appearances came with them, including a 3rd-place MVP finish in ’85. One of the most exciting players ever who didn’t hit many home runs (even though he was better at that than some remember with 297).
10. 1988 Topps Bo Jackson #750
PSA 10 Value: $80
The legend himself. As perhaps the best pure athlete of all time, the man has more random, exciting stories than anyone else (like the 4.13 40-yard time). The man even has a 30-for-30 documentary to himself!
That’s why, despite a middling baseball career, his non-rookie base cards still are collectors items.
11. 1988 Topps Don Mattingly #300
PSA 10 Value: $75
Now, we get to Mattingly’s regular base card in the set, and not the U.K. promo version.
A very good player with a full career in pinstripes that included an MVP award, Mattingly is an icon who rightfully still gets some hobby love.
12. 1988 Topps Jose Canseco #370
PSA 10 Value: $70
All-in-all, it’s interesting that Jose Canseco makes it this far up the list. While he did have an MVP award, there were only 6 all-star appearances in his career, and he only played with the A’s until he was 27 (thus not totally belonging to one team).
Oh, and the steroids don’t help…yet for some reason, he still does pretty well in the hobby.
13. 1988 Topps Mark McGwire #580
PSA 10 Value: $70
Did you know that McGwire never won an MVP award? Sosa beat him out in the famed 70-homer season! His ’96 season saw him lead baseball in home runs, OBP, Slugging, and OPS+…and he finished in seventh place!
In other words, he was never a very popular or well-respected player even when he was whopping all those dingers. Steroid accusations hurt him as well, pushing him all the way down to 13th on this list.
14. 1988 Topps Mike Schmidt #600
PSA 10 Value: $65
While this card makes Schmitty look like a pitching coach in his mid-40s, Mike Schmidt was actually coming off an all-star appearance. In his second-to-last season, Topps could have at least given him an action shot in his famed Phillies jersey.
15. 1988 Topps Traded Jim Abbott #1T (Rookie)
PSA 10 Value: $65
Collectors love the story of Jim Abbott. The one-armed pitcher garnered attention and fame for having overcome extraordinary odds to have a real career in the majors.
While never making an all-star game, he still threw a no-hitter…which is the stuff of legends.
16. 1988 Topps Record Breakers Eddie Murray #4 (Caption in Box)
PSA 10 Value: $60
Another error card, the corrected version doesn’t have the caption on the front. Steady Eddie actually led all of baseball in RBIs for the entire 1980s!
Throw in his 8 top-10 MVP finishes, and you get a guy who was a very solid player for a long time.
17. 1988 Topps Greg Maddux #361
PSA 10 Value: $55
Considered by some to be the best pitcher in MLB history, he’s the only person to have 15 wins in 17 straight seasons!
With over 3,000 strikeouts and less than 1,000 walks, Greg Maddux won an incredible 4 straight Cy Young Awards, and 7 straight top-5 finishes.
Astonishingly, he only had 8 all-star appearances in his career, evidence that he wasn’t all that popular and the reason he’s down so far on this list.
18. 1988 Topps Wade Boggs #200
PSA 10 Value: $55
Here we go with Boggs’ base card, a crouched-over version of him (perhaps) hitting the ball. In 1988, he would go on to lead the majors in runs, doubles, walks, batting average, and OBP. However, his low home run and RBI totals cap his hobby potential.
19. 1988 Topps Tony Gwynn #360
PSA 10 Value: $45
One of the best pure hitters to ever play the game, he faced Pedro Martinez and Greg Maddux a combined 139 times…and he NEVER struck out.
Despite 8 batting titles, his hobby love is still minimal, likely because he never broke 20 home runs in a season, and only broke 100 RBIs once.
20. 1988 Topps Tom Glavine #779 (Rookie)
PSA 10 Value: $40
No we finally make it to unmistakably the best rookie in the class. Despite two Cy Young awards, 10 all-star appearances, and an induction into the Hall of Fame, Glavine isn’t considered among the upper echelon of pitchers.
His calling card was his steadiness and availability, pitching over 180 innings 19 times. However, a career 3.54 ERA shows that he generally wasn’t dominant, but rather had a few incredible seasons interspersed with many decent-to-pretty-good seasons.
21. 1988 Topps Mark McGwire Record Breaker #3 (White Triangle Error)
PSA 10 Value: $36
Not even Mark McGwire’s error card in this set can generate some love. Take a look at his left foot and you’ll find a white triangle that was later corrected.
22. 1988 Topps Mark McGwire Record Breaker #3 (Corrected)
PSA 10 Value: $30
And here we are: the corrected version!
Mark McGwire probably deserves better than to be nearly forgotten by the hobby, but he just never seemed all that popular, minus one season where the world focused on the home run chase.
