Manufacturer: Topps
Set: 1981 Topps Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Dave Stapleton
Position/Team: 2nd Base for Red Sox
Card #: 81
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Value Snapshot: Raw/Ungraded: 50¢ | Grade 10: $100
⬇️ See More Pricing Data Below
Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 10th round of the 1975 MLB Draft out of the University of South Alabama, Dave Stapleton was a highly versatile infielder and middle-of-the-order producer for Boston during the early 1980s.
Known for his ability to handle every position across the dirt, Stapleton spent his entire seven-year Major League career (1980–1986) with the Red Sox. He remains a famous figure in Boston sports lore both for his explosive rookie season and his peripheral involvement in the infamous 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.
Stapleton made an immediate splash upon arriving in Boston, nearly taking home major award hardware in his debut season.
- 1980 AL Rookie of the Year Runner-Up: Promoted in May 1980 after winning the Triple-A International League MVP award in 1979, Stapleton stepped in for an injured Jerry Remy and hit a blistering .321 with 33 doubles and 45 RBIs in 106 games. He finished 2nd in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Cleveland’s Joe Charboneau.
- Four-Position Infield Utility Feat: In 1981, he established himself as a premier super-utility weapon, becoming one of a select few players in MLB history to start at least 12 games in a single season at 1B, 2B, 3B, and SS.
- Game 6 Footnote: When Bill Buckner took the field in the late innings of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, manager John McNamara famously opted not to bring in Stapleton as a late-inning defensive replacement at first base—a routine substitution he had made throughout the postseason.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
Tracking the current market value for the 1981 Topps Dave Stapleton card #81. Below, find updated pricing data for ungraded (raw) copies, as well as verified PSA graded sales trends collected from secondary marketplaces.
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Raw/Ungraded: 50¢
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Grade 8: $10
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Grade 9: $18
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Grade 10: $100
Data Updated: September 2026
➡️ See All 1981 Topps Rookie Card Prices
Pricing data includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information. (Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
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