Manufacturer: Topps
Set: 1988 Topps Baseball ➡️
Player Name: John Smiley
Position/Team: Pitcher for Pirates
Card #: 423
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Value Snapshot: Raw/Ungraded: $1 | Grade 10: $50
⬇️ See More Pricing Data Below
Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 12th round of the 1983 MLB Draft, left-hander John Smiley was one of the most effective, smooth-throwing southpaws of the late 1980s and 1990s.
A central rotation pillar alongside Doug Drabek during the Pirates’ early-1990s NL East division titles, Smiley parlayed sharp command, a biting curveball, and a heavy fastball into a 12-year Major League career with the Pirates, Twins, Reds, and Cleveland.
Smiley anchored division-winning rotations in both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati before injuries cut short his late career.
1991 20-Win Season & Cy Young Voting: Smiley turned in a career-defining performance in 1991, posting a 20-9 record with a 3.08 ERA and 1.13 WHIP for the 98-win Pirates. He tied Tom Glavine for the Major League lead in wins and finished 3rd in NL Cy Young Award voting.
The Controversial 1992 Trade: In a cost-cutting move right before the 1992 season, Pittsburgh traded Smiley to the Minnesota Twins for Denny Neagle and Midre Cummings—a signature deal marking the end of Pittsburgh’s early-’90s core window.
1995 Reds All-Star Campaign: Bouncing back with the Cincinnati Reds, Smiley went 12-5 with a 3.46 ERA during the strike-shortened 1995 season, earning his second NL All-Star selection and helping propel Cincinnati to the NLCS.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
Tracking the current market value for the 1988 Topps John Smiley Card #423. 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: $1
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Grade 8: $15
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Grade 9: $20
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Grade 10: $50
Data Updated: September 2026
➡️ See All 1988 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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