1981 Topps Traded

Description

1981 Topps Traded is a 132-card set, released exclusively to Hobby outlets -- the first such "Hobby Only" product of its kind. Like the 1974 and 1976 Topps Traded sets, the product features players who had changed teams during the strike-shortened 1981 season in their new uniforms, along with a number of players who made their Major League debut during the 1981 season. Unlike future Topps Traded sets, the emphasis is on the Traded, with very few rookies -- the most prominent being future basketball star Danny Ainge, who had a cup-of-coffee with the Blue Jays in 1981. Tim Raines, Jeff Reardon, and Fernando Valenzuela, who all appeared in the 1981 Topps set on multi-player cards, have their first individual Topps cards; however, they are not "true" rookie cards. Also, for the only time in this brand's existence, the set is sequentially-numbered as an extension of the 1981 Topps set.

Each dealer was required to purchase a minimum of two, 100-set cases at a cost of $450/case.

Birth of the XRC

1981 Topps Traded was the first "Hobby Only" product and as such, there was some questions among collectors of the era as to the product's legitimacy. Specifically, whether or not the "extended" rookie cards should be treated as legitimate rookie cards, since they were not distributed in wax packs and only available through Hobby dealers. In a bit of a cop-out, Dr. Jim Beckett, whose annual price guide had become the authority in the nascent Hobby of the early 80s, decreed that those players who had already appeared in the 1981 Topps release (Raines, Reardon, Valenzuela, and others) would not have the the "RC" tag applied to their Topps Traded cards. Meanwhile, those players who had their first Topps card in the Traded set, would instead have their card labelled an "Extended Rookie Card" or (XRC), with their card in the following year's set as their "true" rookie. There are only three XRCs (Ainge, Gary Gray, and Gene Nelson) in 1981 Topps Traded.

By 1989, as collectors began to accept the legitimacy of "Traded," "Update," and "Rookie" sets, the XRC tag was phased out; however, grandfathered to cards from extended sets from 1981-88.

Distribution

Factory set only. Hobby only. 100 sets per case.

Checklist

Base Set

• 858 Checklist CL 727-858
• 727 Danny Ainge XRC
• 728 Doyle Alexander
• 729 Gary Alexander
• 730 Bill Almon
• 731 Joaquin Andujar
• 732 Bob Bailor
• 733 Juan Beniquez
• 734 Dave Bergman
• 735 Tony Bernazard
• 736 Larry Biittner
• 737 Doug Bird
• 738 Bert Blyleven
• 739 Mark Bomback
• 740 Bobby Bonds
• 741 Rick Bosetti
• 742 Hubie Brooks
• 743 Rick Burleson
• 744 Ray Burris
• 745 Jeff Burroughs
• 746 Enos Cabell
• 747 Ken Clay
• 748 Mark Clear
• 749 Larry Cox
• 750 Hector Cruz
• 751 Victor Cruz
• 752 Mike Cubbage
• 753 Dick Davis
• 754 Brian Doyle
• 755 Dick Drago
• 756 Leon Durham
• 757 Jim Dwyer
• 758 Dave Edwards
• 759 Jim Essian
• 760 Bill Fahey
• 761 Rollie Fingers
• 762 Carlton Fisk
• 763 Barry Foote
• 764 Ken Forsch
• 765 Kiko Garcia
• 766 Cesar Geronimo
• 767 Gary Gray XRC
• 768 Mickey Hatcher
• 769 Steve Henderson
• 770 Marc Hill
• 771 Butch Hobson
• 772 Rick Honeycutt
• 773 Roy Howell
• 774 Mike Ivie
• 775 Roy Lee Jackson
• 776 Cliff Johnson
• 777 Randy Jones
• 778 Ruppert Jones
• 779 Mick Kelleher
• 780 Terry Kennedy
• 781 Dave Kingman
• 782 Bob Knepper
• 783 Ken Kravec
• 784 Bob Lacey
• 785 Dennis Lamp
• 786 Rafael Landestoy
• 787 Ken Landreaux
• 788 Carney Lansford
• 789 Dave LaRoche
• 790 Joe Lefebvre
• 791 Ron LeFlore
• 792 Randy Lerch
• 793 Sixto Lezcano
• 794 John Littlefield
• 795 Mike Lum
• 796 Greg Luzinski
• 797 Fred Lynn
• 798 Jerry Martin
• 799 Buck Martinez
• 800 Gary Matthews
• 801 Mario Mendoza
• 802 Larry Milbourne
• 803 Rick Miller
• 804 John Montefusco
• 805 Jerry Morales
• 806 Jose Morales
• 807 Joe Morgan
• 808 Jerry Mumphrey
• 809 Gene Nelson XRC
• 810 Ed Ott
• 811 Bob Owchinko
• 812 Gaylord Perry
• 813 Mike Phillips
• 814 Darrell Porter
• 815 Mike Proly
• 816 Tim Raines
• 817 Lenny Randle
• 818 Doug Rau
• 819 Jeff Reardon
• 820 Ken Reitz
• 821 Steve Renko
• 822 Rick Reuschel
• 823 Dave Revering
• 824 Dave Roberts
• 825 Leon Roberts
• 826 Joe Rudi
• 827 Kevin Saucier
• 828 Tony Scott
• 829 Bob Shirley
• 830 Ted Simmons
• 831 Lary Sorensen
• 832 Jim Spencer
• 833 Harry Spilman
• 834 Fred Stanley
• 835 Rusty Staub
• 836 Bill Stein
• 837 Joe Strain
• 838 Bruce Sutter
• 839 Don Sutton
• 840 Steve Swisher
• 841 Frank Tanana
• 842 Gene Tenace
• 843 Jason Thompson
• 844 Dickie Thon
• 845 Bill Travers
• 846 Tom Underwood
• 847 John Urrea
• 848 Mike Vail
• 849 Ellis Valentine
• 850 Fernando Valenzuela
• 851 Pete Vuckovich
• 852 Mark Wagner
• 853 Bob Walk
• 854 Claudell Washington
• 855 Dave Winfield
• 856 Geoff Zahn
• 857 Richie Zisk