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1988 Topps Big · #172 · Base · Toronto Blue Jays
You are buying the exact card pictured — Dave Stieb's card from the oversized 1988 Topps Big set, #172.
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Manufacturer-issued card straight from the pack — no reprints, no reproductions. Orders ship within one business day, tracked, in a penny sleeve and rigid protection. 30-day returns accepted.
Why This Card Matters
Dave Stieb is the greatest pitcher in Blue Jays history and still holds the franchise record in **wins (175), innings (2,873), starts (408), complete games (103), shutouts (30) and strikeouts (1,658)** — first all-time in all six. A **seven-time All-Star**, he threw **the only no-hitter in Blue Jays history** on September 2, 1990, a 3-0 win at Cleveland. He got there the hard way: three separate no-hit bids died with two outs in the ninth, including a **perfect game broken up with two outs in the ninth** on August 4, 1989. Toronto put him on its **Level of Excellence in 1996**, in the inaugural class. This is his card in **1988 Topps Big**, the oversized set Topps issued from 1988 to 1990 in a 2⅝ × 3¾ inch format modelled on the 1956 Topps design.
| Player | Dave Stieb |
| Set | 1988 Topps Big |
| Subset / Insert | None — base set |
| Card Number | #172 |
| Serial Number | Not serial numbered |
| Team | Toronto Blue Jays |
| Attributes | Parallel: Base, Raw / ungraded |
| Condition | Raw / ungraded. Graded by us as EX (Excellent) — the corners show slight softness, with the card otherwise clean. Please review the front and back scans — they show the exact card you will receive, including centering, corners, edges and surface. **The card is graded EX (Excellent), and here is exactly why: the bottom-left corner is bent, with softness at the tip.** That is the single defect on the card and it is the reason this is not listed as Near Mint. It was confirmed by direct inspection in hand — a flatbed scan photographs a bent corner nearly flat, so the scan below understates it. Please factor it in. Everything else measures well. Centering against the symmetric red frame rule, which is inset on all four sides: **52/48 left-to-right and 43/57 top-to-bottom**. The other three corners are sharp. Edges are straight, with only a few sub-0.005 inch dark specks along the left edge. High-pass and mid-band filtering of both sides found **no crease, scratch, scuff, wax stain or indentation**. There is mild even toning around the front perimeter — reflectance falling from 235 at mid-edge to 218-222 near the edges and corners, roughly 6-7% dulling, front only, with the back uniform. One factory print flaw, which is not a condition issue: the yellow underprint sits about 2 px left of the red frame rule along the left border. That is how the card was printed. |
| Sport | Baseball |
Market-Informed Pricing
Priced against recent verified sold comps, not asking prices. Best Offer is enabled on every listing — reasonable offers are welcome.
Professional Imaging
High-resolution scans and photos so you can inspect corners, edges, surface, and centering yourself. What you see is what you get.
Secure Shipping
Penny sleeve, top loader or card saver, team bag, and rigid protection in every shipment. Packed right, shipped fast, from a smoke-free environment.
Format & Parallel Note
**This card is not standard size.** 1988 Topps Big cards measure **2⅝ × 3¾ inches** — measured here at 2.637 × 3.733 in — against the usual 2½ × 3½. It will **not** fit a standard penny sleeve, toploader or one-touch; it needs an oversized holder. That is how the set was issued, not a trimming or cutting issue. This is the **base** card. 1988 Topps Big has **no parallel program at all** — the only documented variation in the set is card #39 with a black Topps logo. **Not serial numbered**, verified on all four edges of both sides at 6x; the set predates serial numbering entirely. The back carries **no CODE# line** — Topps had not introduced that system yet — only a `C*` printer mark beside the 1988 copyright.
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