The 1987 Fleer baseball card set was the third series of baseball cards produced by Fleer following their acquisition of the license from Topps in 1986. The 1987 set marked Fleer’s second year producing major league player cards and contained photographs of 652 different players from the American and National Leagues. The set featured colorful borders and action photography of the players. It marked both the continued shift to colored borders from Fleer after Topps traditionally used gray borders for decades, as well as a move towards more vibrant photography compared to the earlier plain style used by Topps.
A notable aspect of the 1987 Fleer set was the shift in the inclusion of retired players. Unlike previous years where retired players were rarely featured, the 1987 set included over 90 cards of players who were no longer active big leaguers. This was largely done to help fill out the set and provide collectors with popular names from baseball history. icons cards that featured retired players included Stan Musial, Ted Williams, Bob Gibson, and Hank Aaron.
Rookie cards were again included for players who debuted in 1986. Notable rookies in the 1987 Fleer set included future Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz from the Atlanta Braves. Other top rookies included Wally Joyner, Jeromy Burnitz, and Rondell White. None of the rookie cards from the 1987 Fleer set would achieve the valuation of the seminal Ken Griffey Jr. upper deck rookie from 1989 which has become one of the most valuable modern baseball cards ever made.
In terms of the design layout, each Fleer card featured a white border with team logo in the top left corner. The player’s name and position were displayed horizontally along the bottom in bold red letters against the white background. Each card included career statistics on the reverse along with an action photo taking up most of the back. Fleer opted for a cleaner design compared to the more busy and cluttered appearance of Topps cards during this era which featured more text throughout the borders.
Among the chase cards in the 1987 Fleer set were higher numbered parallels and insert cards. Two of the inserts included the “Tug of War” subset featuring players engaged in a tug of war battle beyond their card borders. Another popular insert was the “Diamond Kings” subset honoring some of the games all-time greats with embroidered crowns. The higher numbered parallels in the base set beyond the standard #661 included gold and silver foil versions of the base cards for collectors to seek out. The most elusive parallel was the ultra-rare Fleer trademark stamp card which occupied the #661 position in the set.
When it was released in 1987, the boxes of 1987 Fleer baseball cards retailed for around $2.49. Wax packs within the boxes contained 11 cards each including one per pack guaranteed shiny foil parallel card. Given the large set size of 652 total cards, it took collectors buying multiple boxes worth of packs to ultimately complete the entire 1987 Fleer base set. The sheer volume of available cards combined with the inclusion of so many retired players diluted the investment potential compared to ealier lower count odution sets from the 1980s. For collectors of the era, the 1987 Fleer cards represented a fun and affordable way to build their player collections spanning multiple eras of baseball history.
Since its original release over 30 years ago, the 1987 Fleer set has not achieved tremendous increases in collector demand or card values like some other vintage 1980s issues. Bulk common base cards from the set can often be acquired for less than $1 each even in top graded gem mint condition. The popular rookie cards, inserts, and short printed parallels have maintained appeal for collectors. The Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, and Stan Musial retired player cards featuring the legends near the end of their careers also hold nostalgic value. While not as prized as some other vintage sets, the 1987 Fleer baseball cards still provide an affordable cross-section of players from that period for collectors three decades later.
The 1987 Fleer baseball card set marked the company’s second year as a major baseball card producer and featured a large checklist of 652 players. Design improvements were made over 1986 with brighter photography and team logo borders. Retired players were prominently included along with popular rookie cards. While common base cards hold little modern value, the set remains an accessible relic of 1980s baseball card culture containing the likes of Williams, Musial and other iconic players.
