1984 Topps Ralston Purina Baseball Checklist and Details
1984 Topps Ralston Purina Baseball cards come from a bygone era where cereal lovers regularly found prizes and toys ready to make a morning great. But instead of stickers or quickly broken toys, here it was baseball cards.
The set has a modest 33 cards, the majority of which are now Hall of Famers. Highlights include Nolan Ryan, Reggie Jackson, George Brett and Ozzie Smith.
The design opts for portrait shots instead of action photos. It might not be the most lively, but cards do bring personality.
Fronts have a lot going on with banners across the top and bottom, both the Ralston Purina and Topps logos, card number and a note for the set being the first in a planned annual run (there was no follow-up in 1985).
Specially marked boxes of Cookie Crisp, Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior cereal came with four cards.
Collectors could also order complete sets of cards directly from Ralston Purina by sending in three proofs of purchase and $0.50.
Dealers were able to acquire sets in bulk as well. As a result, this set remains readily available still today and at reasonable prices.
Distinguishing Between 1984 Topps Ralston Purina and 1984 Topps Cereal
For food-issue fans, 1984 was a good year for baseball cards. This is one of two sets from Topps to make their way into cereal boxes. There’s also 1984 Topps Cereal Baseball, which was also distributed by Ralston Purina. The set is virtually the same with the same 33-card checklist and similar layout.
On the fronts, card tops are the key. Ralston Purina cards are labeled as such and have the company’s logo in the top corner. 1984 Topps Cereal cards have the card maker’s logo and “Cereal Series” banner.
Backs have the same stats and info but separate labels across the top once again. Ralston Purina cards also have the company’s checkered logo in the background.
1984 Topps Ralston Purina Baseball Checklist
33 cards.
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Check 1984 Topps Ralston Purina Baseball card values in the Beckett price guide.
1 Eddie Murray, Baltimore Orioles
2 Ozzie Smith, St. Louis Cardinals
3 Ted Simmons, Milwaukee Brewers
4 Pete Rose, Philadelphia Phillies
5 Greg Luzinski, Chicago White Sox
6 Andre Dawson, Montreal Expos
7 Dave Winfield, New York Yankees
8 Tom Seaver, New York Mets
9 Jim Rice, Boston Red Sox
10 Fernando Valenzuela, Los Angeles Dodgers
11 Wade Boggs, Boston Red Sox
12 Dale Murphy, Atlanta Braves
13 George Brett, Kansas City Royals
14 Nolan Ryan, Houston Astros
15 Rickey Henderson, Oakland Athletics
16 Steve Carlton, Philadelphia Phillies
17 Rod Carew, California Angels
18 Steve Garvey, San Diego Padres
19 Reggie Jackson, California Angels
20 Dave Concepcion, Cincinnati Reds
21 Robin Yount, Milwaukee Brewers
22 Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia Phillies
23 Jim Palmer, Baltimore Orioles
24 Bruce Sutter, St. Louis Cardinals
25 Dan Quisenberry, Kansas City Royals
26 Bill Madlock, Pittsburgh Pirates
27 Cecil Cooper, Milwaukee Brewers
28 Gary Carter, Montreal Expos
29 Fred Lynn, California Angels
30 Pedro Guerrero, Los Angeles Dodgers
31 Ron Guidry, New York Yankees
32 Keith Hernandez, New York Mets
33 Carlton Fisk, Chicago White Sox
