1983 Topps
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps trading card products for 1983. All sets listed are standard size (2½ × 3½ inches) unless noted.
Baseball
Base Set
The 1983 Topps set had 792 cards issued in wax, cello and rack packs. It was also issued as a complete factory set in the J.C. Penney catalog circular portrait inset in the lower corner on the front. Subsets include All-Stars, League Leaders, Record Breakers, Super Veterans, and Team Leader cards. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 in.
Traded Set
The Traded set totals 132 cards and was issued as a factory set and for the first time was printed in Ireland on white cardstock. The cards are identical in appearance to the base set except for the T in the numbering arranged alphabetically by player name. This set featured traded players and managers, and rookie cards. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 in.
Glossy Send-Ins
The Glossy set has 40 cards and were redeemable by mailing-away the game cards available in the 1983 Topps wax packs. The cards featured a glossy photo front and the back said All-Star Set Collector's Edition and included the players name, team, and position. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 in.
Foldouts
The Foldout set was distributed in 5 subsets each of which had 17 players for a total of 85 photos. The subsets included are Career Wins, Home Run Leaders, Batting Leaders, Relief Aces, and Stolen Base Leaders. Size: 3 1⁄2 × 5 5⁄16 inches
Reprint 52
This set is a reprinting of the 1952 Topps set. The set includes 402 reproductions of the original 407 card set reduced to standard size from the original 2 5⁄8 × 3 3⁄4. It was available as a factory set. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 in.
Other sets
Traded Steve Carlton Bronze A replica of a Steve Carlton card done in bronze. It was available to hobby dealers that bought cases of 1983 Topps Traded. Size: 1¼ × 1¾ inches.
1982 League Leaders Sheet An uncut sheet of nine players who led the league in major statistical categories in 1982. The sheet is blanked backe but most of the cards look like their regular issue card except for a white strip at the top noting the players feat. The sheet was available by mail-in offer. Size: 7½ × 10½ inches.
Stickers This stickers set is basically the same as the previous year but was increased to 330 stickers. There are 28 foil stickers as well as season highlights, playoffs and World Series. Size: 1-15/16 × 2-9/16 inches.
Sticker Boxes The back panels of the sticker boxes featured one card. There are eight cards total in this set. The cards have a borderless player photo on the front and are blank backed. Standard sized.
Food/Retail Issues
In 1983, Topps issued several promotional sets in conjunction with other companies.
Drake's Big Hitters
For the third straight year, Topps produced for Northeastern regional bakery Drake's a promotional set of 33 cards. The cards were issued in boxes of Drake's Cakes and featured position players and no pitchers. The front of the cards have a design that differs from the Topps set while the backs resemble the Topps cards. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 in.
Gardner's Bakery Brewers
Topps produced for Wisconsin bakery Gardner's Bakery a promotional set of 22 cards of Milwaukee Brewers players. The cards were issued with the company's baked goods. The front of the cards have a design that differs from the Topps set while the backs resemble the Topps cards. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 in.
Perma-Graphics
For the second straight year, Topps issued two sets for Perma-Graphics. One set was an 18 card set of All-Stars while the other was 24 cards. Both sets were made of plastic and resemble credit cards Size: 2 1⁄8 × 3 3⁄8 inches
Licensed sets
For the O-Pee-Chee set that resembled the Topps issue see List of O-Pee-Chee Sports Cards.
Football
Base set
The 1983 football set contains 396 cards, a reduction from the 528 card sets that Topps had been producing since 1973. Subsets include Record Breakers, playoffs, league leaders, checklists, and Team Leaders cards. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 in.
Sticker Inserts
This set contains 33 cards and was issued as an insert in the regular issue wax packs. The backs of the cards form one of three puzzles. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 in.
Stickers
This set totals 330 stickers. Unlike previous years the photos of these stickers have rounded frames instead of square. The backs advertise an album for placing the stickers in. There are also four foil subsets. Stickers 1 and 2 combine to form a photo of Franco Harris while stickers 3 and 4 have the Walter Payton photo. Size: 1 15⁄16 × 2 9⁄16 inches
Sticker Boxes
On each sticker box was printed two cards; an offensive and a defensive player were featured on each box. There are 12 boxes, or 24 cards in all. Numbering appears on the boxes, but the numbering of each individual card is unclear. (Wes Chandler/Nolan Cromwell)(Marvin Powell/Ed "TOO TALL" Jones) (Ken Anderson/Tony Peters)(Pat Donovan/Mark Gastineau)(Mark Moseley/Dave Jennings)(Freeman McNeil/Lawrence Taylor)(Randy Moss/Gary Johnson)(Dwight Clark/Mark Haynes)(Jeff Van Note/Harry Carson)(Kellen Winslow/Lester Hayes)(Tony Dorsett/Hugh Green)(John Hannah/Randy White) Size: 2.5 × 3.5 in.
Multi-sport
Greatest Olympians
Ahead of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, Topps issued a 99 card set commemorating past Olympians and was distributed in rack packs. The cards have white backgrounds with a yellow frame around the athlete's photo. The set title is above the photo and the athletes name in red is below. The Olympic games that the athlete participated in is written within the yellow frame. The cards also feature the LA Olympic Committee logo and the flag of the athlete's nation. The set is mostly U.S. Olympians with a few international athletes from both the summer and winter games. There are variations of these cards with the Olympic rings logo instead of the LA Committee logo. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 in.
M&M's Olympic Heroes
This Olympic issue was available as a 44-card box set. The card designs are nearly the same as the Greatest Olympians set above. The differences are the set title 'Olympic Heroes' above the photo, the name below is done in black, and the photo frame is red. The M&M logo is included on the fronts along with the LA Committee and Olympic rings logos. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 in.
Non-sport
A-Team
Topps made 78 cards about the television series The A-Team. The set features 66 cards and 12 stickers. The cards have blue borders with thin red, yellow, and black frame lines around the photo below which is the caption written in black over a yellow panel. The stickers are red bordered. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 inches
Barbie Album Stickers
The Barbie set contains 216 stickers and was produced by Panini for Topps. There are 150 story stickers distributed among 18 different themes dealing primarily with fashion. Other subsets include 6 die-cut logos and slogans, 18 fashion overlays, 4 two-on-ones, and 38 die-cut dolls. There is also a 36-page album for which the stickers can be placed. Size: 2 × 3 inches
Jaws 3-D
Topps produced a 44 card set based on the 3-D Jaws film. The front photos have wave style frames. Below the picture is a description next to which the card number is printed on Jaws' head jutting out from the bottom of the card. Topps applied the 3-D concept to the images sketched on the card backs. These backs are viewed with 3-D glasses that came in the packs. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 inches
Menudo
This is an 88 card set based on the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo. There are 66 cards and 22 stickers some of which are puzzle backs. The text backs in this set are done in both English and Spanish. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 inches
Perlorian Cats Stickers
This 56 card set features cats in human clothing performing human activities. The whole set is stickers except for one title card. The stickers are of two types: one is rectangular color pictures with rounded edges of which there are 42 and the second type is smaller color photos set on solid color, irregular shaped backgrounds of which there are 13. The backs of the cards are puzzle pieces that combine to form one of 4 different pictures. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 inches
Return of the Jedi
The set for Episode VI of Star Wars totals 275 cards and was issued in two series. The first series had 132 cards and 33 stickers while the second series had 88 cards and 22 stickers. The card backs have text while the sticker backs form large pictures. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 inches
Return of the Jedi Album Stickers
This ROTJ set is entirely made up of stickers, 180 in all. This set was manufactured by Panini for Topps and included a 24-page album to house the stickers. Size: 2 1⁄8 × 3.5 inches
Superman III
Topps issued a 121 card set of the third Superman movie. The set is made up of 97 cards, 22 stickers, one title card, and one checklist. The cards have black borders with a yellow frame line around the picture. The captions below the picture are accompanied by the Superman 'S' logo. The card backs have text in red borders below a picture of Superman and Gus Gorman(Richard Pryor). The stickers have red and white striped backgrounds with thick blue frame lines around the photos. The sticker backs form one of two different puzzles. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 inches
24 Tattoos
This set is made up of 12 sheets of tattoos containing 24 tattoos each. The sheet was large enough that it was folded in half in the package which was a large blue paper wrapper with crimped edges at top and bottom. Size: 6 7⁄8 × 9 5⁄8 inches
Video City
This set totals 30 cards and is based on the video games Donkey Kong Junior, Frogger, Turbo, and Zaxxon. Four of the cards are scratch-off style game cards one for each title. The other 26 cards are stickers the backs of which feature either puzzle pieces, game play tips, or ads for 'Electronic Games' magazine. Size: 2.5 × 3.5 inches
External links
- Perlorian Cats Gallery - Trader Crack's
Sources
- Beckett, Dr. James et al. (2002). "Beckett Baseball Card Price Guide". Beckett Publications-Dallas, Texas ISBN 1-930692-17-X
- Lemke, Robert F. (2006). "Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards". KP ; Newton Abbot-Iola, Wisconsin ISBN 0-89689-372-3
- Beckett, Dr. James et al. (2005). "Beckett Football Card Price Guide". Beckett Publications-Dallas, Texas ISBN 1-930692-41-2
- "Tuff Stuff 2005 Standard Catalog of Football Cards". Krause Publications-Iola, Wisconsin ISBN 0-87349-866-6
- Benjamin, Christopher et al. (1988). "The Sport Americana price guide to the non-sports cards". Edgewater Book Co.-Cleveland, Ohio ISBN 0-937424-36-6
- Murphy, Mark (2002). "Unopened Pack, Wrapper & Display Box Guide". Mark Murphy-Stamford, Connecticut