The first wax packs featuring 1986 Fleer baseball cards were born into a hobby fully engulfed in the fire of rookie card fever.

Spurred on by the recent exploits of youngsters like Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Don Mattingly, and Ron Kittle, and further fueled by our continued infatuation with Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and other “oldsters,” collectors couldn’t get enough of that rookie card buzz.

And 1986 Fleer obliged, too, featuring not only the reigning rookies of the year but a bum rush of multi-player rookie cards that fed our speculators’ hunger.

1986 Fleer Baseball Wax Pack

Some of those guys panned out, some didn’t, and the hobby as a whole took a big hit within a decade as we realized just how much product was out there.

But that doesn’t mean all is lost — in fact, the most valuable 1986 Fleer baseball cards are still favorites among collectors all these years later.

And which cards are those? Read on to find out, keeping in mind the rankings and values are based on recent eBay sales for PSA 9 specimens.

Play ball!

1986 Fleer Nolan Ryan (#310)

1986 Fleer Nolan  Ryan

You know the story — Nolan Ryan appears in a baseball card set, and that Nolan Ryan card is one of the most valuable cards in said set.

It happens just about every dang time The Ryan Express shows up, and it happens here in the 1986 Fleer set.

This hands-on-hip Astros shot sells for about $25 in PSA 9.

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1986 Fleer Pete Rose (#191)

1986 Fleer Pete  Rose

In 1986, Rose had just come off a magical run that saw him return to Riverfront Stadium as the Reds’ player-manager, lead the team back into contention, and surpass Ty Cobb as the all-time Hit King.

In the process, Charlie Hustle elevated his rookie card to hobby royalty, and that RC pulled the rest of Rose’s cardboard up the value ladder with it.

Rose may never make the Hall of Fame, but he maintains a stronghold on the affection of collectors, and this late-career action shot brings in close to $25 in PSA 9 today.

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1986 Fleer Cecil Fielder and Cory Snyder Rookie Card (#653)

1986 Fleer Cecil  Fielder and Cory  Snyder Rookie Card

When this card debuted, it was all about Snyder, who had been part of Team USA at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

He was the wonder boy who was going to make Cleveland fans forget Joe Charboneau and lead the Indians to a championship.

Except … home runs with very little on-base support and defense to make Dr. Strangeglove cringe got Snyder nowhere fast (though he did smack 33 dingers in 1987).

Meanwhile, Fielder had trouble sticking with the Blue Jays, became a superstar in Japan, then returned home to the Detroit Tigers.

That’s where, in 1990, Fielder became the first player since George Foster in 1977 to reach 50 home runs in a season (51 for Fielder), and turned himself into a fan favorite.

Today, the Big Daddy Fleer rookie card is about a $20 item in PSA 9 condition.

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1986 Fleer Jose Canseco Rookie Card (#649)

1986 Fleer Jose Canseco Eric Plunk Rookie Card

Early in 1985, even remote reaches of the baseball universe started to receive reports of the imminent arrival of the next diamond savior — Jose Canseco was going to rewrite the home run record books.

Five taters and a .302 batting average in a late-season cup of coffee only bolstered that conviction, and the hobby was fairly frothing to get our hands on Canseco’s 1986 RCs.

That next spring, Topps whiffed completely, and Donruss ruled the hobby with their solo Rated Rookies card of Jose.

In between, you had this Fleer Major League Prospect card, which was only slightly diminished by the presence of Jose’s Oakland A’s teammate Eric Plunk.

(On a side note, how intimidating must it have been to stand in the box against a 6’5″ strikeout pitcher named “Plunk”?)

Of course, things got a little silly for Jose after he became the Majors’ first 40-40 man and won the 1988 American League MVP award, and he ultimately fell short of Cooperstown.

Still, this card is part of hobby history and today sells for around $20 in PSA 9 condition.

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1986 Fleer Rickey Henderson (#108)

1986 Fleer Rickey  Henderson

Rickey Henderson, on the other hand, came out of the gates on fire and blazed his way all the way to the Hall of Fame.

In between, he became the game’s greatest ever leadoff hitter and obliterated pretty much every stolen base record.

As a consequence, his cards remain strong hobby favorites, and this Yankees-in-blue pasteboard approaches $20 in graded MINT condition today.

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1986 Fleer Cal Ripken Jr. (#284)

1986 Fleer Cal Ripken Jr

Like Rickey, Ripken was pretty much pedal-to-the-metal throughout his career with the Baltimore Orioles.

And, even beyond his 3000 hits and 400+ home runs, Rip had that signature “moment” — a moment that lasted for well over a decade.

Of course, by the time Cal broke Lou Gehrig‘s consecutive games played streak in 1995, he was already a legend destined for a plaque in Cooperstown.

All of Ripken’s cards maintain strong collector interest today, with his 1986 Fleer checking in around $15 in PSA 9.

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1986 Fleer Tony Gwynn (#323)

1986 Fleer Tony  Gwynn

What do eight NL batting titles, 3141 hits, and a career .338 batting average buy a guy?

Well, Cooperstown immortality, for one.

And undying hobby love, for another.

Add in Gwynn’s premature death at age 54 in 2014, and you have a beloved player who continues to tug at collector heartstrings — and purse strings — all these years later.

Mr. Padre’s 1986 Fleer card sells for about $15 in PSA 9 today.

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1986 Fleer Ryne Sandberg (#378)

1986 Fleer Ryne  Sandberg

Like Gwynn, Sandberg debuted in all three major sets in 1983 without a lot of fanfare.

And, like Gwynn, Sandberg broke out in 1984, which in Ryno’s case meant taking home the NL MVP award as the Chicago Cubs nabbed the flag in the old NL East division.

Sandberg had some ups and downs along the way, including a “failed” retirement in the mid-1990s, but he also ended up as one of the greatest second basemen ever (and a spot in Cooperstown).

As a result, Ryno’s cardboard is still strong, and this ’86 Fleer sells for about $15 in slabbed MINT condition today.

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1986 Fleer Ozzie Guillen Rookie Card (#206)

1986 Fleer Ozzie  Guillen Rookie Card

The rookie class of 1985 wasn’t all that exciting.

I mean, the National League was sort of exciting, what with Cardinals burner Vince Coleman leading the way thanks to a rookie record 110 stolen bases.

That was good enough to nab the ROY award, and, of course, Coleman would become more … um … exciting in the years to come.

Things were decidedly more blah in the AL, where good-field, light-hit White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen outpaced Brewers hurler Teddy Higuera for rookie hardware.

You can argue that Teddy should have actually won that ROY, and you won’t get much resistance from me, but Ozzie undoubtedly developed into the bigger personality.

Especially as he moved into the managerial ranks.

And, for years, Ozzie and Vince carried the Topps set, which missed out on some of the other big RCs listed here.

Today, the Guillen Fleer rookie is about a $15 buy in PSA 9 condition.

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1986 Fleer Tom Seaver (#216)

1986 Fleer Tom  Seaver

Greatest pitcher of the 1970s?

You’d have a hard time arguing against Seaver, who’s also in just about any rational person’s top ten of all time.

It still looks strange to see The Franchise in a ChiSox uniform, but it’s growing on me a bit after all these years.

And it’s grown on other collectors enough to push it close to $15 in PSA 9.

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1986 Fleer Kal Daniels and Paul O’Neill Rookie Card (#646)

1986 fleer paul oneill kal daniels rookie card

Once upon a time, the Cincinnati Reds were loaded with young talent who might someday lead them to a championship …

Eric DavisKurt StillwellBarry LarkinTom BrowningJeff Treadway

And, yes, Kal Daniels and Paul O’Neill.

And, while not all of those guys contributed to the 1990 World Series team, and while the late 1980s didn’t pan out like Reds fans had hoped, those were still some heady times.

In the end, Daniels put up a few good seasons before heading to the Dodgers, and O’Neill, of course, became a hero with the Yankees.

It’s all enough to keep the Daniels-O’Neill Fleer RC in a low-glow limelight all these years later, and to make it a $10 card in slabbed MINT condition.

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