1981 Topps Baseball Forum

I didn't collecting baseball cards in 1981 (I was only 4), but I did go back and pick this set up 15 years ago along with the extended Topps Traded set. 

This was the last year that Topps manufactured 727-card sets after a 4-year run (1978-1981).  Previously, Topps sets consisted of 660 cards.  Afterward, Topps sets would consist of 792 cards.    

This was also the first year of a long run of Topps Traded/Update sets that would be released consistently every year except for 3 years ('96, '97, '98), until today.  Traded sets had almost always existed within Topps sets in some form dating back to their original 1951 set, but not in the separate box form would last for many years after 1981.  The 1981 Topps Traded set used the same design an dnumbering format as the base set (#727-858), so the cards were nearly indistinguishable.

What do you remember about this set, or collecting during this era?

This is the set that got me started.  My favorite set ever, though strictly for nostalgic reasons.  1981 is also the first World Series I remember seeing.  I was too young to actually be fully aware of Fernando-mania though.  And I never owned any of the traded cards until within the last year, when I picked up a Joaquin Andujar.  The card I remember most is Dick Ruthven, because I thought he looked funny with that wad of tobacco in his mouth.

Why does this set have 818 cards if only 726 cards were in the set ?

In 1981 The Topps Traded Set continued the set numbering. Here is the Topps Trade link.

https://www.tradingcarddb.com/ViewSet.cfm/sid/86/1981-Topps-Traded

Mickey58' wrote:

Why does this set have 818 cards if only 726 cards were in the set ?

Maybe my all time favorite set. It was the first year I really got into collecting enough to try to collect the entire set. I got an allowance back then of $5 per month and I would take my $5 and walk down to the pharmacy and buy cards. I would walk home opening packs and chewing gum. I probably remeber this part "the journey" most fondly. I remmebr the last card I needed to complete the set and of course it was this spectacular rookie named Joe Charboneau. I didn't have many friends that collected and my only avenue I had for completing the set was buying more packs. I opened lots of packs for that last card or two that I needed. At home I cleared out my top dresser drawer and used that as my storage spot for my cards. My favorite card from the set was Cecil Cooper. He had a monster year in 1980 and we would try to mimic his batting stance when we played wiffle ball. Good times.

Joe Charboneau grabbed my out of the stands and put me on the field with him to play catch before a minor league game. Because of this he is and had always been one of my favorite players.

Memories 1981 Topps..I bought a vending case that year, 24 boxes times 500 per box.  Lots of sorting.  Still have a ton of double prints! 

I hated it back then, felt Donruss and Fleer were awesome. Something new and different compared to Topps. But, Topps was a lot easier to find, and I didn't get that many chances to get packs, so I had to settle for what I considered the "dog" that year. Still not all that happy with how it looks compared to other years Topps sets, but it has grown on me a bit.

I’ve been trying to build this set through trades. I started off with only a handful and am up to 117. More than a few of those are from BSwagger. Glad to know they were well loved by him.