Great Moments in 1986 Topps, Part 2

The 1986 Topps and Topps Traded sets, for all of their poor design and photography, do capture some pretty awesome aesthetic moments — at least as far as we can expect from the 1980s. My post yesterday featured some Great Moments in Coiffure, but that was just the beginning: there are plenty of other style tips to be gleaned. Behold! (All pics embiggenable, as per the us’.)

Great Moments in Facial Hair

Badass beards.

This is a fine collection of facial hair. My favorite is Garry Maddox — sort of a Teddy Pendergrass look, with the beard being bigger than the hair — and it complements that zip-up Phillies jersey quite nicely! (1986 would be Maddox’s last year in the big leagues.) I also love the look of Dick Ruthven and how high the hair goes up on his cheeks. Jeff Reardon always struck me as dad-like, while Kent “Conor” Oberkfell and Bob James have a nice mountain-man thing going on.

On the whole, though, if these Topps sets are any indication, beards weren’t all that common for ballplayers in 1986; the above eight are easily the best of the dozen or so players that sported them.

On the other hand, I’d say at least 60% of players rocked a lip-tickler in 1986.

My favorites in ballplayer moustachios, 1986.

Since there were so many players with mustaches, I had to make a point to select ones that were exceptional. Luis DeLeon’s gets wider at the edges and sort of bleeds into a shadow of a goatee. Goose Gossage takes this effect to the next level. The robustness of Stoddardstache suggests a powerful virility, indeed. It should be clear that, even amidst the copious examples, the 1986 San Diego Padres were an exemplary bunch.

Moustaches seem like a decent segue into this next category:

Great Origins of Hipster Trends

Compare & contrast with today’s hipsters.

I knew a dude when I lived in Lawrence, Kansas that looked just like that picture of Glenn Wilson. Billy Sample, whose last year in the majors was also 1986, is sporting a “trucker hat” that hipsters “brought back” in the early-’00s and Ashton Kutcher soon thereafter rendered acceptable for douchebags everywhere.

Speaking of hats, sometimes it is hard to wear one:

Just toss it up there and forget about it.

These mostly speak for themselves, but just in case you missed it, the hat that Jim Leyland is wearing is entirely mesh (with the exception of the bill, probably). They really need to bring that back.

Great Moments in Spectacles

I really like the glasses that Darrell Porter is wearing — I guess I’m a hipster — but could he catch in those things? Another card from the set suggests that catchers did that. What a year, 1986!

Ok, let’s bring it all together, now:

1986 Hat/Hair/Spectacle Value Pack.

And finally, for those of you who read NotGraphs to be turned on,

Great Moments in Sex Appeal

This Carney wants you to play his game — two balls for a dollar. 😉

Tune in tomorrow for further explorations in 1986 Topps!