The 1987 Topps baseball card set is considered by many collectors to be one of the top error card sets of all time. While production mistakes have occurred in nearly every sports card issue over the decades, the ‘87 Topps errors stand out for their interesting varieties and high values some examples still command on the vintage trading card market today. Several factors contributed to the abundance of errors found in the 1987 Topps baseball card checklist.
First, Topps was going through organizational changes at the time which affected quality control. The company had just been purchased by The Fleer Corporation in 1982, and was still adapting to new leadership and management several years later when producing the 1987 baseball card release. Secondly, the size and scope of Topps baseball card sets had grown tremendously through the 1980s. The 1987 issue ballooned to a massive 792 total cards when including minor leaguers, managers, retired players, and special subsets. With so many individual cards to print, cut, and assemble, the likelihood of mistakes increased dramatically with the increased volume and complexities involved.
Perhaps the most famous and iconic error from the 1987 Topps set is the “error-less” Wade Boggs card #640. Due to an oversight on the production line, Boggs’ card was accidentally printed and distributed without any statistical information on the reverse. This extremely rare variation without statistics has sold for over $10,000 in uncirculated mint condition. Another highly valuable ‘87 Topps error is the Ryne Sandberg card #180, which should feature the star Chicago Cubs second baseman, but was mistakenly printed showing St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Joe Magrane instead. Only a handful are known to exist, with PSA/DNA-graded examples fetching $5,000 or more.
One of the oddest errors from the set involves Chicago White Sox reliever Donn Pall, whose card #667 was printed with an extra ‘L’ in his last name, creating the nonexistent surname ‘Palll’. The error variant is very scarce and desirable to collectors. Another oddity is the incorrect team logo used on Detroit Tigers pitcher Dave Rozema’s card #352. Instead of the Old English ‘D’ logo, it features an unknown team logo of an unnamed city skyline. Only a small population is known, and it regularly earns over $1,000 at auction.
Position player errors in the 1987 Topps set are also noteworthy and collectible. The Paul Molitor card #161 had his hometown listed incorrectly as ‘St. Petersburg’ instead of his actual hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota. It’s considered one of the more common errors, but choice specimens still sell for $500 or more. An egregious mistake occurred with Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken Jr.’s rookie card #526, featuring the future Hall of Famer without his uniform number ‘8’ appearing on his jersey at all. Even in well-worn condition, a 1988 Cal Ripken Jr. No Number rookie error can demand over $2,000 today.
Perhaps the most intriguing error relates to San Francisco Giants outfielder Jeffrey Leonard, whose card #623 was completely missing from some 1987 Topps factory sets altogether. Known as the “Blank Back Jeffrey Leonard,” it remains one of the rarest errors due to the systematically missing single card. Only a handful are known to exist, making it among the priciest with examples reaching $4,000-$5,000 in price. Another genuinely scarce omission error involves Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Mark Williamson’s card #719, which is sometimes missing his name and photo entirely from packs.
Of course, there were also plenty of miscellaneous statistical and typo errors littered throughout the 1987 Topps checklist. For example, Oakland A’s pitcher Curt Young’s card #276 lists an incorrect ERA and totals. The Philadelphia Phillies’ card #573 for reliever Don Carman lists “0-0” as his record, when he did not actually appear in the majors that season. St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Andy Van Slyke’s bio on card #643 contains typos as well as the wrong batting average. While such mechanical mistakes are more common, choice examples still appeal to error collectors for their one-of-a-kind nature.
The 1987 Topps baseball card set is renowned and endlessly fascinating to vintage sports memorabilia aficionados for its wealth of exciting and diverse production errors. Though not every mistake holds great value, the most significant and rare variants remain highly coveted trophies for advanced collectors decades later. From missing statistics to swapped photos, incorrect logos to systematically missing cards, the 1987 issue provided no shortage of unintended collecting intrigue. It serves as a premier example of how even unintentional flaws can enhance the long-term appeal of classic trading cards when theycapture the collector marketplace. The rich history and stories behind some of the set’s most noteworthy blunders ensure the ’87 Topps errors maintain a well-deserved spot in the hall of fame of error card anomalies.
