The 1987 Donruss baseball card set is one of the most iconic releases in the entire hobby. While the base cards feature classic design and photography, it’s the various error cards that really make this set stand out to collectors. Several production mistakes were made during the printing of the ‘87 Donruss cards, leading to some extremely rare and valuable accidental variants finding their way into factory-sealed wax packs.
Perhaps the most famous error from the 1987 Donruss baseball set involves Dwight Gooden’s card. Due to an unusual die-cut mistake during manufacturing, a small number of Gooden’s cards were printed without any borders around the image. This borderless Gooden is considered the key error card from the ‘87 Donruss release. In near-mint condition, ungraded examples currently sell for $3,000-$5,000 depending on centering and quality. Higher grades which approach or achieve mint condition can fetch upwards of $10,000 when they surface in auction. The rarity and iconic status of the borderless Dwight Gooden error alone is enough to drive significant demand and valuation for this mistake card.
Another significant error found in ‘87 Donruss packs was an upside-down printing of Will Clark’s card. Like the Gooden, only a tiny population is accounted for, making the inverted Clark extremely scarce in the collecting world. In top-rated gem mint condition, this error can sell for over $2,000. Even well-centered near-mint 10s have been known to hit the $1,000 mark. Condition is absolutely critical, as even minor flaws will detract heavily from the upside-down Clark’s price tag due to its elusive population estimates.
Additional Donruss errors seen to a lesser extent include a truncated image variant of Andre Dawson’s card, which cuts off a portion of his head on the right side. PSA-graded examples of the cropped Dawson have reached $800-900. An off-center Ozzie Smith printing that shifts his image significantly left within the standard card frame has also turned up. Higher grade versions of this off-center Smith Error have been listed for $600-700 range.
But perhaps some of the most obscure and valuable 1987 Donruss mistakes have yet to be extensively documented and verified by the hobby. Rumored to exist are samples including a missing signature error, reversed front/back card printing swaps, mismatched player-stat misprints, and more. If examples of these truly one-of-a-kind production aberrations were to surface years later in top condition, there’s no telling the type of price they could potentially achieve on the competitive vintage sports card market.
The extreme scarcity and randomness of these manufacturing mistakes really makes the 1987 Donruss errors tough beans to track down for collectors. Even among the card’s most ardent fans, full populations will likely never be established for variants like the borderless Gooden, upside-down Clark, or lesser known misprints. This mystery and uncertainty surrounding just how many of each specific error printing escaped Quality Control lends them cachet among investors and specialists.
Whether slabs by PSA, BGS, or another third-party authenticator, modern grading has become essential for establishing condition and provenance of these ultra-key pieces from the 1987 Donruss set. Top-tier examples often trade hands between dedicated error card collectors or are directly acquired from the families or estates of individuals who first pulled them from packs decades ago. Given the uncontrollable production glitches that caused their creation, investment demand stays high.
For serious vintage baseball card investors or ‘87 Donruss aficionados, finding high grade examples of these production mistakes remains a perpetual white whale. But for those able to track down a verifiably authentic borderless Gooden, upside-down Clark, or other recognized error from the iconic 1980s set, the potential reward could be an extremely valuable and one-of-a-kind piece of cardboard history. Even 35 years after initial release, the mistaken variants from the 1987 Donruss baseball set retain an allure and valuations like few other sports cards of their era.
