Looking through the 1988 Topps baseball card set can be a fun stroll down memory lane.
Though it contains only 132 cards, it's packed with some of the biggest names of the "Junk Era."
Many of these guys became some of the brightest stars of the 1990s.
And some turned out to be Hall-of-Famers...
Featuring the same design as the 1988 Topps flagship design, collectors could find young call-ups, players who had been traded and even members of the USA Olympic team.
It delivered exactly what you'd expect from a late-80s Topps Traded set.
And in this guide, we'll take a look at the 15 most valuable.
Let's jump right in!
1988 Topps Traded #1T Jim Abbott Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $55
Jim Abbott is a glaring example of someone overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to pursue their dream.
In Abbott's case, his dream was to be a starting pitcher in the Majors.
And he set out to do so despite being born without a right hand.
After a successful three-year collegiate career at the University of Michigan, the California Angels selected Abbott with the eighth pick of the 1988 MLB Draft.
And the Angels were so high on Abbott that they promoted him directly to their 1989 starting rotation.
Abbott's dream had become a reality.
The 21-year-old Flint, Michigan native went 12-12 over 29 starts with a 3.92 ERA, finishing fifth in the AL Rookie-of-the-Year race.
Abbott spent ten seasons in the Majors with the Angels, Yankees, White Sox and Brewers.
And he was at his best in 1991, winning 18 games for the Angels with a 2.89 ERA while finishing third in the Cy Young race.
His story remains as inspiring today as it was then.
And collectors still hold his rookie card in high regard.
1988 Topps Traded #4T Roberto Alomar Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35
Roberto Alomar finished the '88 MLB season as the San Diego Padres' starting second baseman, hitting .266 with nine homers, 24 doubles, six triples, 24 stolen bases, 84 runs scored, and 41 RBIs in 143 games.
He also finished 5th in the NL Rookie-of-the-Year race.
However, things didn't start exactly how Alomar would've liked.
Alomar was devastated when he learned that then-manager Larry Bowa didn't ink him on the Padres' roster during Spring Training.
"I just told him to keep his head up, that it's a long season," manager Larry Bowa said. "The chances of Robbie coming to the big leagues in 1988 are pretty good."
Bowa was right.
Alomar turned his sadness into pure production in the Minors, earning a promotion by mid-April.
However, Bowa only lasted around a month and a half.
The Padres fired him after a 16-30 start.
New manager Jack McKeon turned things around, pushing the Padres to a 67-48 finish and third place in the National League West.
Alomar's Spring Training disappointment was firmly behind him.
And he would soon entrench himself as a perennial All-Star and Gold Glover for years to come.
1988 Topps Traded #42T Mark Grace Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35
When the Chicago Cubs drafted Mark Grace in the 24th round of the 1985 MLB Draft, few would have guessed he'd wind up as a franchise legend.
Yet his work ethic, determination and raw talent got him there.
Grace's bat skill shone early as he sailed through Single and Double-A, postting a combined OPS near .940.
And 21 games in Triple-A was all it took before the Cubs called him up in 1988.
The 24-year old first baseman wasted no time getting to work, raising eyebrows with his Gold Glove-caliber defense and solid bat.
After only three weeks, the starting job was his.
The Cubs had seen enough and shipped the previous starter, Leon Durham, to Cincinnati.
Chicago's confidence in their young, budding start paid off.
Grace finished runner-up to Cincinnati's Chris Sabo in the NL Rookie of the Year voting with a .296/.371/.403 slash line, 7 homers, 23 doubles, four triples, 65 runs scored, and 57 RBIs.
Grace would spend thirteen years in Chicago, earning three All-Star appearances and four Gold Gloves.
1988 Topps Traded #98T Chris Sabo Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35
For a half-decade, it felt like Chris Sabo's time would never come.
A second-round selection of the Cincinnati Reds in the 1983 Draft, Sabo underwhelmed in five minor-league seasons.
Though universally beloved by teammates for his effort level and competitive spirit, Sabo's lack of production was an issue.
So when 1988 Spring Training rolled around, nobody thought that the 26-year-old third baseman had a prayer to make the club.
Pete Rose felt differently.
And it makes sense: why wouldn't "Charlie Hustle" be a fan of a player like Sabo?
Named the team's starting third baseman with Buddy Bell on the injured list, Sabo never gave up the job.
Edging out Cubs first baseman Mark Grace for NL Rookie of the Year, the '88 NL All-Star became just the fourth player in MLB history (and the first rookie) to post 40 stolen bases (46) and 40 doubles in a single season.
He hit to a .271/.314/.414 slash line for the second-place Reds with 11 homers and 44 RBIs in 137 games.
1988 Topps Traded #39T Ron Gant
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
The 1988 season was a historic low point for the Braves.
Atlanta did nothing right (or particularly good) under managers Chuck Tanner and Russ Nixon, ending the campaign with an MLB-worst 54-106 record.
It remains an all-time low point in the Atlanta era (1966-present) and is the worst record for the club since 1935.
However, every season has a silver lining, no matter how faint.
And for the 1988 Braves, that was Ron Gant.
After a 21-game debut in 1987 and a short stint in Triple-A, Gant stepped in as an everyday second and third baseman.
During otherwise quiet home games, the 23-year-old rookie provided power, speed, and a needed spark.
The Braves drew just over 10,000 fans a game in 1988, falling short of 1,000,000 at the gate for the first time since the strike-shortened 1981 campaign.
Falling one homer and one stolen base shy of a 20/20 season, Gant slashed .259/.317/.439 with 28 doubles, eight triples, 85 runs scored, and 60 RBIs in 146 games.
He placed fourth on the National League's Rookie of the Year ballot.
1988 Topps Traded #110T Lee Smith
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
No matter what Lee Smith did in 1988, his weight continued to make him a target for criticism.
Smith admitted to Cubs management that his weight was becoming an issue, exacerbating his knee problems as the season progressed.
The Cubs continued to monitor Smith's offseason progress and ultimately traded Smith to Boston for pitchers Calvin Schiraldi and Al Nipper.
"The only thing that ticked me off was that it took so long," Smith said later. "I wanted to get traded from the Cubs after 1985 and go somewhere where I could win."
Considering the sorry state of the Cubs, it's no surprise that they whiffed on their diagnosis of Smith.
The 30-year-old righty proved his doubters wrong in '88, pushing through his knee issues to save 29 games in 64 appearances.
He appeared in the same number of innings as the year before (83.2), yet gave up 12 fewer hits (82) with a better ERA (2.80).
Smith was the final boss for the AL East's best team and would go on to save just under 300 games over the next decade.
The Red Sox bowed out in three straight to the A's, but Smith's place as a top-tier closer was secured, regardless of what the scale might read.
1988 Topps Traded #124T Robin Ventura Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
Even before he was drafted, Robin Ventura was on the fast track to the Majors.
In three years at Oklahoma State, Ventura emerged as one of the best collegiate hitters of the 1980s.
It was all highlighted by a magnificent sophomore campaign in which he hit .428 with 20 homers, 110 RBIs, and a wild 58-game hitting streak.
When the Chicago White Sox grabbed Ventura with the 10th pick of the 1988 Draft, the consensus was that he was a ready-made Major Leaguer.
Ventura's glove projected very well for an MLB third baseman, and he had already shown an elite ability to hit for power and average.
The White Sox handled Ventura with all this in mind, sending him to Double-A for just one season (1989) before promoting him to the big-league club to stay.
He'd go on to play parts of ten campaigns on the Southside, notching five Gold Gloves and a 1992 All-Star nod in a Sox uniform.
1988 Topps Traded #128T David Wells Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
One of the most consistent and effective starting pitchers of the 90s and 2000s, David Wells couldn't buy a start in his first few years as a Major Leaguer.
Selected by the Blue Jays in the 1982 MLB Draft, Wells started all 52 of his minor-league appearances from 1982 to 1984.
He seemed ticketed for the Jays' starting rotation sooner rather than later.
Plans changed when Wells lost the 1985 season following Tommy John surgery.
After returning from injury, he started just 22 of his final 71 appearances at the minor-league level.
Blue Jays manager Jimy Williams remained cautious with Wells' arm after his permanent promotion in 1988.
Williams used Wells as a full-time reliever rather than giving him a look in the rotation or as a spot starter.
The results were iffy at best.
The 25-year-old lefty appeared in 41 games for the third-place Jays, posting a 3-5 record with an unseemly 4.62 ERA.
His 1.492 WHIP would be his worst for a full season until his final year in 2007.
Wells bounced back with a fantastic 1989 out of the 'pen before transitioning back to a starting role at the turn of the decade.
1988 Topps Traded #5T Brady Anderson Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
It took 41 games for the Boston Red Sox to give up on Brady Anderson.
Named Baseball America's top AL East prospect for 1988, the former 10th-round pick started the campaign as an injury replacement for Ellis Burks.
It was a tricky proposition.
The Red Sox were back in contention and didn't have time to let Anderson learn on the fly.
The young outfielder was on a short rope.
Anderson opened the year in fine form, yet fell into a deep slump by the end of May.
Sitting at 25-24 and looking for a shake-up, the Sox sent Anderson back to Triple-A for seasoning.
Or at least that's what he thought.
The 24-year-old played 49 games for Pawtucket before he was shipped to Baltimore for 20-game winner Mike Boddicker.
The transition from one AL East rival to another was fruitful, though awkward at first.
Anderson finished the year as Baltimore's starting center fielder, hitting .198 with a homer and nine RBIs.
It would take four years for him to figure it out--time the Orioles had, and the Red Sox did not.
1988 Topps Traded #21T Jay Buhner
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
You know you've made it when your name gets dropped on Seinfeld.
"What did you trade Jay Buhner for?" George Constanza asked Larry David, the stand-in for Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. "You don't know what you're doing!"
It took a few years, but New York eventually rued the day they dealt Buhner to the Mariners for power-hitting DH Ken Phelps.
Buhner was a raw talent ready to be unlocked, and Phelps was on the brink of a steep decline.
It turned out to be one of Steinbrenner's most glaring trade snafus.
Buhner's 124 combined homers from 1995-97 could have added even more juice to a burgeoning Yankees dynasty.
In 1998, though, Buhner was an expendable project with years to go.
He hit just .215/.302/.421 in 25 games for the Yankees, striking out 25 times in just 76 plate appearances.
After his move to Seattle, Buhner came around, hitting .224 with a respectable .778 OPS, ten homers, and 25 RBIs in 223 plate appearances (192 at-bats).
The strikeouts remained an issue (68), but there was undoubtedly something there.
1988 Topps Traded #40T Kirk Gibson
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
Kirk Gibson didn't exactly win the 1988 NL MVP award out of spite.
Yet, it wasn't far off.
After nine years with the Detroit Tigers and a World Series title in 1984, Gibson was done.
Granted free agency due to a collusion ruling against MLB owners, the 31-year-old left fielder headed West, inking a three-year, $4.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
That sent new Tigers owner Tom Monaghan into a media tirade as he ripped Gibson on every media platform he could find.
Gibson answered with his bat.
On a tear from April to September, Gibson ended the year slashing .290/.377/.483 with 25 homers, 28 doubles, 106 runs scored, and 76 RBIs in 150 games en route to his first-and-only league MVP award.
Los Angeles won the NL West by seven games, setting up a classic seven-game NLCS with the New York Mets.
Gibson hurt his knee on a slide in Game 6 and was forced to play through intense pain in Los Angeles' 6-0 Game 7 win.
That's when history came knocking.
Unable to start Game 1 of the World Series against Oakland, Gibson stewed on the bench with ice on both knees.
Down 4-3 after a Jose Canseco grand slam and down to their last out, the Dodgers called on a hobbled Gibson with a runner on first.
What followed is now essential baseball lore.
Gibson hit an iconic walk-off blast on one leg, sending Dodger Stadium into a frenzy.
Los Angeles shocked the juggernaut A's in five for Gibson's second World Series ring.
1988 Topps Traded #41T Goose Gossage
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
You have to hand it to the Cubs.
Until breaking the curse in 2006, the lovable losers repeatedly doubled down on their mistakes in epic fashion.
After trading away Lee Smith over concerns about his health, Chicago acquired Goose Gossage in a deal with the Padres.
The idea was to shake off Smith's weight problems and troublesome knee issues in favor of a nine-time All-Star and perennial Cy Young candidate.
The problem, as always for the Cubs, was timing.
Gossage was firmly on the downslope and was forced to experiment "with off-speed pitches to compensate for a diminished fastball."
Gossage had always used his blazing fastball to overwhelm opposing hitters in the clutch.
Now, he needed an arsenal of junk to stave off Father Time.
Gossage pitched to a 4.33 ERA in 1988, the third worst of his 17-year career thus far.
He touched double-digit saves (13) for the last time, and his K/9 rate (6.2) dipped to well below his career 7.5 average.
The future Hall-of-Famer was released after the season.
1988 Topps Traded #66T Tino Martinez Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
You won’t find a better Division II player than Tino Martinez.
After two state championships at two different high schools, Martinez enrolled at the University of Tampa, notching three consecutive All-American nominations and earning finalist consideration for the Golden Spikes Award (best amateur baseball player).
No Division II standout has ever won said honor.
Martinez’s legend at the University of Tampa skyrocketed his draft stock in 1988.
In search of an impact power bat, the Mariners jumped on Tino with the 14th overall pick.
Other notable names picked before Martinez include Jim Abbott, Robin Ventura, and Steve Avery.
After his selection in the ‘88 Draft, Martinez took an abbreviated route to his MLB debut.
He skipped rookie ball and Single-A entirely, opening his professional career in 1989 with a full-season stint at Double-A Williamsport.
He played three years of Minor-League ball, posting a combined OPS of just below .950 in his last two seasons at Triple-A Calgary.
1988 Topps Traded #68T Jack McDowell
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
Jack McDowell was going to be a Cy Young candidate or a bust.
The Chicago White Sox didn't give him an in-between.
"The third day I was in Chicago, Floyd Bannister told me, 'Hey, everybody is going to want a piece of you,'" McDowell said. "They get a guy who's 22 and a hard thrower in the big leagues, and they want you to be the best, but sometimes they can get a little carried away."
His teammate's words hit it right on the nose.
Selected 5th overall in the 1987 MLB Draft, McDowell already had the fastball and the explosive secondary break to be an ace.
There were, however, hidden issues.
After a brilliant four-start debut in 1987, McDowell started 26 games for the White Sox in '88, finishing 5-10 with a solid 3.97 ERA.
It looked like he was ready to hammer down a spot in the rotation before a groin injury took him down for the final five weeks of the campaign.
That's when it all took a turn.
McDowell would soon be diagnosed with a chronic hip problem that caused him to alter his mechanics without thinking.
The problem kept getting worse, and his fastball took the brunt before the '89 season.
It would get better, but it sucked for the time being.
1988 Topps Traded #126T Walt Weiss Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $55
It's not often that a Rookie of the Year season ends in utter disappointment.
Sadly, that was the case for Oakland A's shortstop Walt Weiss.
Weiss was far from an impact hitter for the '88 AL champs, but that was to be expected in an era of light-hitting middle infielders.
His paltry .250/.312/.321 slash line meant little compared to his brilliant defense and steadying presence at the six.
In 700 regular-season chances, Weiss committed just 15 errors for a sterling .979 fielding percentage.
That's what made his brutal error in Game 4 of the 1988 World Series so disheartening.
Down two games to one to the upstart Dodgers, the A's had momentum after taking Game 3 at home.
However, the team's hopes of tying the Series took a death blow in the top of the third inning.
Trailing 2-1, A's ace Dave Stewart induced a routine line drive to Weiss at short.
The young infielder reacted too slowly and bungled the play, allowing Franklin Stubbs to score a critical third run.
Oakland fell 4-3 and lost the Series in five.
Weiss' award-winning year now had a painful "what if" attached to it.
1988 Topps Traded Baseball Cards In Review
So, there you have it.
While their values may not break the bank as some cards in today's market will, the 1988 Topps Traded set offers plenty of great-looking cards of some of the biggest stars of the day.
And there is so much postseason history tied up with some of these guys, too.
Kirk Gibson needs no introduction in that department.
Roberto Alomar, Ron Gant, Tino Martinez and others would also come up big for their teams at various points in the playoffs, too.
With only 132 cards in the checklist, there wasn't a lot of room for impact.
But many of the players on this checklist, and this list specifically, came up big and would have extremely impressive careers.