Skip to main content

10 reasons why Topps finally made the right call

 
Topps released details on this year's Series 1 yesterday. Release date is Feb. 15, which is a mid-week day that means I could potentially land some cards at a nearby big-box  ... if this was 2019. If I get something by the end of February, I'll be surprised.
 
No matter, I'm not too into current cards these days, but I refuse to dim the little-boy excitement that returns every year at this time when the new cards are released.
 
One specific mention in the release caught my eye:
 

All right, let's break that down.
 
Yes, it's the 1988 Topps design's turn to be featured in Topps' yearly retro insert set if we're adhering to weird 35th anniversary stipulations. But that was NEVER A GUARANTEE because of what Topps did in 2018. So, not surprisingly but also, yes, surprisingly. You never know what Topps is going to pull.
 
I know this is just an insert set, who really cares, and Topps has inundated us with so many past designs -- between all the retro inserts in the flagship sets now, Archives and Heritage, we are not for want of new players on an old design.

But the '88 design has been overlooked by too many people in this hobby, and has been relegated to ugly-stepchild status thanks to arriving immediately after 1987 Topps. I like championing the overlooked and I've always liked the '88 design -- better than anything else in the '80s besides 1983 Topps -- so I'm happy that at least Topps is finally getting it right. (And I've written many words devoted to '88 Topps in the past).

I have 10 reasons why this is at long last the correct call. It's finally '88's time to shine.



1. It's the first set I recall purchasing in pack form after a five-year hiatus

I wrote before that I vividly recall buying a pack of 1988 Topps that year, and just one pack. I wanted to see what cards looked like after a few years away. I did not buy any packs in 1984 and 1985, I just bought the entire set at once. I have no recollection of buying any packs of 1986 or 1987 Topps. It's possible I did, but I was in college at the time and cards weren't a priority at all. Everything's a beery haze.



2. Topps is owning its weird switch-up

For those who have been in the hobby longer than five years, you may remember that the retro-designs in Topps flagship sets once recalled Topps' 30th anniversary, not its 35th. Thirty is a nice, round number and in 2017, Topps had that excuse to trot out the 1987 design AGAIN and every collector who does not have an altar built to '87 Topps in their home threw up their hands and said, "Welp, can't argue much there."

Then, in 2018, when we were waiting for those '88 design inserts, Topps magically changed its anniversary celebration to 35 years -- huh? -- and we went back in time to '83 Topps designs. I don't know why this happened. Speculation is that the in-house designers didn't have time to replicate the more-complicated '88 design. But who knows. All I know was '88 got robbed and justice was not served. I've been protesting ever since.



3. 3-D greatness

One of my favorite aspects of the 1988 Topps design is the 3-D effect on almost every card. The team name is often overlapped by a player's head or a bat or an arm. But the photo never overlaps the player name in the corner. That fascinated me. I previously wrote a post about '88 Topps and there was lots of talk about how difficult the design and the 3-D effect was to replicate back in the day. But the effect is so cool, and the effort involved shows.



4. The Al Leiter error

These two cards are fascinating to me, among the most fascinating error cards ever made. The main reason for that is we're not talking about a border color change or a mark on the photo or even a player name spelled incorrectly. Topps had to replace the entire subject of the photo.

Returning to the '88 design would recognize a time when Topps actually corrected its errors (think the Mike Yastrzemski error in 2022 Topps, which was left alone), and issued new cards for the set.




5. The Eddie Murray Record Breaker card

This also covers the previous topic because there were two versions of the Record Breaker, although one of them isn't necessarily in error, it just has type missing.

But the main reason for showcasing this card is for the phenomenal portrayal of Murray as a switch-hitter. It shows thought and a little bit of amusement. One of my favorite cards in the set.



6. The Mets cards

One of my favorite aspects of the 1988 design is how colorful it is -- much more colorful than 1987 Topps. That's why I could never understand collectors who think '88 Topps is "boring," look at all the color! Color borders! Color team names! Color ribbons!

Topps was still doing that weird thing where it used color combinations in the design that did not match the team being shown. But it was coming around. Some teams received proper treatment in '88 and nothing matched better than the Mets cards. They are terrific. I didn't even like the Mets then, in fact I hated them. But they had some great cards.


 
7. The Tom Lasorda card
 
This is only one of the most famous manager cards ever made. I'd put it in the top 10 or top 20. When did you see someone hanging out in a golf cart on a baseball card before?
 
I also really like the slight change of the design for the manager cards in this set, which brings me to ...
 
 

8. The rookie cup cards
 
This is my favorite design treatment of the rookie cup recognition on individual cards of all-time. Instead of merely placing the cup somewhere on the card, Topps fully colored in the right corner, transforming the ribbon into a colorful triangle containing the cup. Just wonderful.


 
9. Bo Jackson and the 88 Set Blog
 
This card is beautiful. It contains a beauty that I don't think anything in 1987 Topps can match. The card is awash in blue and the green frame accents the photo colors even more.
 
This card was voted -- easily -- as the best card in the 1988 Topps set by the readers of the 88 Topps Cards blog more than 14 years ago. The 88 Topps blog was the first set blog ever written, I believe. It is one of the first card blogs I came across and I was an avid reader as Andy devoted a single post to each card in the set.

The blog was established on the 20th anniversary of the '88 set (there's another nice round anniversary number) and I think it's interesting that one of the most famous set blogs ever written paid tribute to none other than 1988 Topps.



10. It's not the 1987 Topps design

Goodbye wood.

Comments

Dude. What did Future Stars B.J. Surhoff ever do to you? I've always been a fan of the 1988 design. In fact, I like just about all the 1980s designs for much the same reason as you're liking (loving) the 1972 and 1975 designs. These were the cards I grew up collecting in my formative years. That's why I love, in particular, 1987. Though it is admittedly over-over-over-over-over-etc used nowadays. Very nice blog post as usual!
John Bateman said…
The 88 Topps blog - One of the first blogs I ever saw. As I mentioned before in Comments - It changed me on this set going from junk wax to a classic.

792 cards of pure masterpiece - no set manipulation like what Topps does today.

However, I am starting to get a good feeling about this 2023 Topps set. (I am not talking about Topps Big) But this could be one the best Topps sets in 40-50 years.

Keep it simple Topps.
My personal favorite from the 88 set, and not just because it's an Angels card, is #649 DeWayne Buice. The red background behind the red/white/blue uniform and lettering is just stunning.
bryan was here said…
Finally! Topps has finally decided to show love to my two favourite sets by including the '78 in last year's Archives and the 35th anniversary salute to the '88 this year!

Finally! No more wood.
1988 will be special to me because it marked the start of my collecting days. As an 11 year old I finally started to really get into following my Cubbies on WGN and having some money to buy cards. Don't have a ton of '88s in overall but still liked the design...
Nick Vossbrink said…
With you on all of this except for the Lasorda card and even there if it didn't haunt my nightmares I'd like that too.
Fuji said…
Ten years ago, I ranked the 80's Topps baseball flagship designs and 1988 was at the bottom. It's grown on me a little since then. Cards like that Hearn helps its cause. Maybe I'll rerank them again this year to see if my taste has changed enough to shuffle some sets around. The problem is, I actually really like the bulk of the 80's Topps designs.

As for Topps using the 1988 design... I too am glad they're moving on from the 1987 design (even though I really like that design).
Nick said…
I fully expect to be sick of the '88 design by the end of the year, but for now I have to admit I'm thrilled Topps is actually gonna use it. Always liked the look - it's been growing on me the last few years too - and it's way under-represented in the current hobby. Might actually be more excited for the '88 inserts more than the base set itself.
bbcardz said…
The little-boy excitement I get every year when flagship Topps is released has definitely increased this year. The 2023 base card design is a winner and now the '88 Topps design will be showcased in an insert set. This is GREAT! And I'm pretty sure the parallel and chrome versions of the 35th anniversary cards will really pop. And I hope there's Record Breakers cards in the base set, too.
Anonymous said…
I was gifted the '88 set during that year. Sold it at a flea market a few years later. It is attractive, though I don't dig that Murray card.
Old Cards said…
I bought the complete 1988 set when it came out and then a few years later I was given a mixed lot of them. You make a great case for the design, but I think I have too many of them to fully appreciate the set!
Well said, by both you and the various commenters... And I concur with my peers: DeWayne Buice's card is a classic, and why BJ? WHY?????
night owl said…
No need to get excited, Surhoff was chosen because I have like 8 of them and it was the first one I pulled out of the dupes. ... Also, Future Stars cards had it coming.
88' set is a classic, still a junk wax set though. The 88's and their block ish type on the top of the card stands out from the other 80's as well (the 86' was too large). Like the 77's did.
Bo said…
1987 was the first set of cards I collected. I think on some level the woodgrain gave it a more "adult" feeling. I remember feeling disappointed the first time I opened a 1988 pack. The bright orange backs seemed more childish, and the front was not terribly interesting for an 11-year-old.

That said, I have far more appreciation for the set. I just finished uploading my thousands of dupes from that set into TCDB this week, so I've just finished taking a look at every photo. Lots of fun details. For example, you mention Lasorda in the golf cart which is a great card. There are also two younger managers with interesting manager cards - Lou Piniella is demonstrating a batting grip, and Tony LaRussa is wearing a fielders glove.
Doc Samson said…
I distinctly remember when 1988 Topps originally came out. Many collectors didn’t like the design. They thought the entire set was a big letdown. I never understood why. To me, this was “The Magazine Set.” Plus, Topps really upped the quality of their photography, especially compared to 1985 and 1986.

I also always thought that the 1988 design would work really well today, especially with the technological advancements that have been made with printing today. Thanks again, Mr. Owl.


Jafronius said…
I did not know about the missing text for the Murray RB card.
Matt said…
I'm looking forward to seeing the '88 design again!
Benjamin said…
See I am in the minority here, but I just don't like that design. It's just boring. To be fair, I don't really like 86 or 87 all that much either. 85 I didn't mind because of the color and team name in the slanted box at the bottom. But you look at what Topps did in 1991 to 93 and 88 just seems so outdated and ugly. The gold backs don't help much either. You may howl at this, but I think Score had the best set of 1988. So many action photos, great card backs (those essay write-ups on white stock), the colored borders that made it like 6 sets in 1, etc.

So, I will be trading any 88 inserts I find in exchange for base cards to anyone who wants them.
gogosox60 said…
Best card of the set is the Carlton Fisk card!!! Lots of player shots at old Comiskey Park!