The 1987 Donruss baseball card set is widely considered one of the most valuable vintage issues ever released. While it didn’t feature any true rookie cards of future Hall of Famers, the 1987 Donruss set does contain several scarce and highly sought after short prints and variations that have made certain cards enormously valuable over the decades. Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the most valuable 1987 Donruss baseball cards on the market today.
One of the true crown jewels from the 1987 Donruss set is the Edgar Martinez short print card #481. This card is remarkably scarce, with estimates putting the print run at around 10-25 copies. Martinez went on to have a Hall of Fame caliber career primarily as the Seattle Mariners DH, making his short print that much more desirable long term. In gem mint condition, examples of this Martinez short print have sold at auction for over $25,000. Even well-worn lower grade copies in PSA 5 or 6 condition can fetch $5,000-$10,000 due to the extreme rarity.
Another incredibly valuable short print from the ‘87 Donruss set is the Robin Yount card #497. Like the Martinez, estimates put the print run of this card at less than 25 copies. Yount was a career long Milwaukee Brewer and 9-time All-Star, giving his short print strong long term appeal. High grade Yount #497 cards have sold for as much as $15,000 when they very rarely come up for auction. Even well-centered but worn lower grade examples in the PSA 5-7 range can trade hands for $3,000-$5,000.
Moving beyond the ultra-short prints, one of the most iconic and valuable insert cards from 1987 Donruss is the “Diamonds in the Rough” Mark McGwire rookie. This parallel insert showed McGwire in full batting stance with a diamond-patterned border. McGwire would go on to break the single season home run record a decade later in 1998 adding to the cachet of his rookie. Pristine mint condition McGwire “Diamonds” rookies have sold for over $10,000 at auction. Well-centered near mint copies can still fetch $3,000-5,000 even after thirty-five years.
Another enormously valuable insert rookie from ‘87 Donruss is the “Turn Back the Clock” Orel Hershiser card. This black and white parallel showed Hershiser in an old-timey ballcap and uniform to evoke baseball’s early eras. Hershiser would win the Cy Young award in 1988 while pitching a record 59 consecutive scoreless innings. Gem mint Hershiser “Turn Back the Clock” rookies have sold for up to $8,000. Even well-worn lower graded examples still trade for $2,000-$3,000 long after their initial release.
Moving beyond the star rookies of McGwire and Hershiser, two of the most historically notable athletes from the 1987 Donruss set are Lenny Dykstra and Bob Brenly. Dykstra’s card #128 shows him as a member of the lowly Phillies, before he would lead them to the 1993 World Series title. In gem mint 10 condition, examples of Dykstra’s base rookie have sold for over $3,000. But what makes his ‘87 Donruss even more scarce is the “Stars of the 80s” parallel insert version. Print runs of this Dykstra parallel are estimated at less than 5 copies. The sole PSA 10 graded example sold at auction in 2015 for an astounding $38,500, showing just how valuable true short prints can become.
Another member of that exclusive “Stars of the 80s” club is catcher Bob Brenly, as his parallel insert is equally as rare. Brenly would go on to manage the Diamondbacks to a World Series title in 2001. But back in ‘87 as a member of the lowly Padres, his “Stars of the 80s” parallel was among the most scarce printed. A single PSA 9 copy of this parallel Brenly sold in 2018 for $20,000 showing the demand for even the lower graded examples of true short prints decades later.
Rounding out the truly elite, there are a handful of 1987 Donruss variations and errors that are the true Holy Grails for set collectors. Chief among them is the “Wrong Photos” error which swapped photos on the Barry Bonds and Alan Trammell base cards. Only a handful are believed to exist in pristine condition. A PSA 10 example of the rare Bonds/Trammell swap sold in 2016 for a staggering $63,000. There are also scarce printing plate errors and die-cuts that are virtually impossible to acquire. While most collectors can only dream of owning these true one-of-ones, they help illustrate just how intriguing and historically important the oddball mistakes and errors can become as time passes.
In total there are over 700 player cards in the standard 1987 Donruss baseball set along with manager/coach cards, team checklists and organization cards. For the most advanced collectors, completing even a lower-grade set three decades later requires thousands of dollars of investment. But it is the true short prints, stars rookie cards, and unprecedented errors that make the 1987 Donruss set one of the crown jewels of the entire vintage sports card era. Prices remain strong for the select elite cards, while common players hold steady value. For both investors and fans of baseball history, the 1987 Donruss issue looms large as one of the greatest and most valuable sets ever made.
