1986 Topps & OPC Box Bottom Cards / Panels

Using the same approach as they did for their 1985 Football box bottom cards, Topps issued 4 different panels of 4 cards each on the bottom of their 1986 Baseball boxes. And just like the 1985 Football cards, the cards on the bottom of the boxes replaced the regular black borders with red to help differentiate the cards:





The backs look just like the regular issue, except for the fact that the cards are "numbered" A through P:


Even though Topps did not publish a checklist on the back of some of the cards like Fleer, they did let collectors know which players were available on the back panel of the box:

Topps' strategy of multiple box panels worked well on me as I remember buying multiple boxes

and checking the bottoms of each one to make sure I completed the set.

OPC issued a similar set with the same design, with the only difference being the O-Pee-Chee name on the front of the cards:


and the English / French backs with the OPC logo: