From My Collection: 1984 Topps Andy Van Slyke Rookie Cards

In 1987 when I started following baseball closely, everyone I knew was a Phillies fan.  I guess I wanted to be different, so while inspecting my 1987 Topps baseball cards, I tried to figure out who to choose as my favorite team.  I settled on the Pittsburgh Pirates, which is a bit surprising, because the 1986 Pirates (whose statistics would be on the back of those 1987 Topps cards) really were not very good.  But I must have seen signs of something to come, as the Pirates soon challenged for the division, and won the division three straight years, 1990-1992.

Three 1984 Topps Andy Van Slyke rookie cards.

One of the central players on those Pirate division winners was Andy Van Slyke, whom they acquired in a trade for Tony Pena in 1987.  Van Slyke won five Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and was a three-time All-Star in his years with the Pirates.  Being a fan, I naturally wanted his cards, and one day found three of his rookie card at a show; I think they didn't cost very much, and they're in good shape with sharp corners.  If you look on ebay today for Andy Van Slyke rookie cards, there are actually multiple sellers offering lots of over 100+ of this one card, for about $20 per 100.