The first time you caught a glimpse of 1985 Topps football cards, you knew they were different.
Horizontal (landscape) instead of the traditional vertical (portrait) photo orientation.
Lots of very closeup player photos, many without helmets, and some with solid screens behind them — studio photos, basically.
And, probably most striking of all, those beautiful, shiny black borders that were more than just borders and more like the canvas on which the card masterpiece was created.
All in all, the design added up to one of the most iconic gridiron issues of all time, yielding plenty of popular individual cards despite a fairly weak rookie card class.
If you’re ready for a walk down this asphalt-paved memory lane, then, check out the 16 most valuable 1985 Topps football cards below, as culled from actual selling prices for copies in PSA 9 condition.
Hut! Hut!
(Note: The following sections contain affiliate links to eBay and Amazon listings for the cards being discussed.)
1985 Topps Mike Munchak Rookie Card (#253)
Guards don’t tend to get much limelight, and their football cards hardly ever make hobby hot lists.
But Mike Munchak was one of the best ever, garnering nine Pro Bowl and two All-Pro selections while providing protection for the 1980s Houston Oilers teams that featured the quarterback wizardry of Warren Moon.
It took awhile for Munchak’s rookie card to make any hay, but his election to Canton in 2001 helped land him on lists like this one.
Value: $30-50
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1985 Topps Jack Lambert (#357)
Much as Lawrence Taylor did for outside linebackers in the 1980s, Jack Lambert spent the 1970s helping to set expectations for what a great middle linebacker could mean to a championship team.
At the heart of the Steel Curtain defense that helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win four Super Bowls from 1974 through 1979, Lambert was already retired by the time this card made its way into collector hands.
As such, it’s a rare career-capper that gave us all one final look at an NFL legend.
Value: $40-45
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1985 Topps Steve Largent (#389)
Entering the 1985 season, Steve Largent already had seven 1000-yard receiving seasons under his belt, but that fall, he racked up an NFL-leading 1287 yards.
That performance not only established a new Seattle Seahawks record but also set Largent on a path toward the all-time NFL record for career receiving yards. Indeed, when Largent retired after the 1989 season he stood #1 in receiving yards (eclipsing Charlie Joiner in 1987), total receptions, and receiving touchdowns.
Though all those records have since tumbled at the hands of others (Jerry Rice, mostly), Largent’s cards still take their rightful place as hunks of hobby – and NFL – history.
Value: $45-50
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1985 Topps Walter Payton – Bears Team Leaders (#22)
This card is like a dream for Bears fans, bringing to life a scenario that has driven their (our) gridiron fantasies for decades – Walter Payton has the ball, and he sees daylight.
Ostensibly a “team leaders” card, this one is all about Sweetness – which actually hits Topps’ target square on the head considering there’s never really been a Bears team leader like Number 34.
Value: $40-65
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1985 Topps Lawrence Taylor (#124)
Who is the greatest linebacker of all time?
Like almost any GOAT discussion, there is no one correct answer to that question that all fans will agree on. But just about everyone who witnessed the man play will tell you that Lawrence Taylor was a game-changer and one of the greatest at *any* position to ever take to the gridiron.
L.T.’s 1982 Topps rookie card helped football cards claim their own territory in the crazy 1990s hobby explosion, but his other cards – like this nifty 1985 – have more than held their own over the years.
Value: $50-70
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1985 Topps Eric Dickerson (#79)
What Dan Marino did for quarterback cards, Eric Dickerson did for running back cards.
The second overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft, Dickerson burst out of the gates like few RBs ever, streaking to 1808 yards and 18 touchdowns in his rookie season for the Los Angeles Rams.
That had collectors clamoring for his 1984 Topps rookie card as soon as we could get our hands on them, and Dickerson poured gas on the fire – a record 2105 yards and NFL-leading 14 TDs in 1984 set up Dickerson’s cards to be hobby staples for decades to come.
That bust in Canton only sealed the deal, keeping those cards – and this card – among hobby favorites today.
Value: $95-105
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