Growing up in the late 1980's, I remember my friends and I all dreaming of owning a 1985 Topps Mark McGwire rookie card.
It was one of the hottest cards at the time...
Not quite as big as some of the vintage baseball cards.
But in terms of modern cards it was way up there alongside the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card.
McGwire was one of the most popular players playing for one of the most powerful teams in baseball.
They aren't worth as much as they used to be, but in top condition they can still go for hundreds of dollars.
And in this guide I go over everything you need to know about collecting the 1985 Topps Mark McGwire rookie card.
Let's jump right in!
1985 Topps #401 Mark McGwire Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $3,000
This is his first recognized mainstream rookie card.
I say “first” because the hobby also recognizes a lot of his cards printed in 1987 as rookies, too.
Some actually put more emphasis on those 1987 cards as being “true” rookies since they were the first cards to show him in an Oakland Athletics uniform.
But hobbyists still chase his 1985 Topps and Topps Tiffany card and consider it his most valuable and sought after of all his rookies.
Topps went with a vertical layout in 1985 and featured the team logo and name as well as the player name and position at the bottom.
But Topps took a different design approach for the USA Olympic Team subset, cards number #389 to #404.
For the Olympic Team cards, Topps featured a baseball in the upper left corner with “USA” in bold alongside a titled banner that reads “1984 United States Baseball Team”.
Nice shots of players in their USA team uniform dominate the middle and in small print along the bottom you can see the player’s name and position.
1985 Topps Tiffany #401
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $17,000
There is also a Topps Tiffany version of the Mark McGwire rookie card.
And it is much more valuable than its regular Topps counterpart...
Why is that?
From 1984 to 1991, Topps released a limited number of "Tiffany" factory sets so far fewer were printed making them more scarce.
Secondly, the Tiffany cards were higher quality.
You can easily tell the difference in the card stock of Tiffany cards as they are much whiter and have a glossy finish on them.
Below you'll see the Tiffany version on the left and the regular version on the right:
The reverse sides of the cards are also drastically different.
On the left, you'll see the Tiffany version, which depicts a much more lime green coloration.
That color scheme makes the reverse of the Tiffany Mark McGwire rookie card much easier to read.
1987 Donruss #46 Mark McGwire Rated Rookie
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $90
As I mentioned earlier, many collectors recognize some of his cards from 1987 as rookie cards as well.
The key reason being: they were the first cards to feature McGwire in a MLB uniform.
Let's take a look at his 1987 Donruss issue first.
I always loved the “Rated Rookie” callout on Donruss cards of that era.
And I think that the design of their 1987 cards were some of their best overall.
The colored borders didn’t do collectors any favor in terms of chipping and wearing easily. But I always thought they had a unique look.
1987 Donruss Rookies #1
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $100
Donruss also had a “Rookies” set in 1987 and McGwire was card #1 on the list.
It’s got pretty much the same look and feel as the card above but shows him in a different shot along with a “The Rookies” logo in the bottom.
1987 Fleer Update #U-76
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $50
McGwire made it into Fleer's Update set in 1987 and is shown following through on a swing with a bright smile on his face.
The blue borders of that set are instantly recognizable.
1987 Leaf #46 Mark McGwire Rated Rookie
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $950
Donruss’s Canadian counterpart, Leaf, produced rated rookie cards for McGwire as well.
They have the same look and design as the Donruss version but the Leaf logo is clearly visible in the top left.
Notice the Leaf version is much more expensive than the Donruss version if you find them in PSA 10 condition.
They’re considered more scarce, hence the price bump.
1987 Topps #336
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $95
This is probably McGwire’s second most popular rookie card.
The 1987 Topps issue was the first time the company featured McGwire in an Oakland Athletics uniform and a card that many kids of that era chased feverishly.
Mark McGwire’s Legacy
Mark McGwire goes down in history as one of the game’s most feared power hitters of all-time. He famously broke Roger Maris’s single season home run record in 1998 when he went on to rack up 70 dingers.
He played 16 seasons in the big leagues between the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals.
His list of accomplishments is outstanding:
- 1987 American League Rookie of The Year
- 12-time All-Star
- 2-time World Series Champion
- 3-time Silver Slugger
But his legacy will forever be tarnished by the steroids scandal that rocked the sport in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.
It remains to be seen if Major League Baseball will ever allow stars from that era in the Hall of Fame.
Nevertheless, McGwire’s rookie cards still hold value and are sought after by many collectors.