The 1987 Topps baseball card set was a highly anticipated release during the summer of 1987. Coming off a tumultuous 1986 season marked by a lengthy players’ strike, baseball fans were eager to get their hands on the newest Topps packs to find their favorite players and start building their collections. The 1987 Topps set would contain 792 total cards and feature many of the game’s biggest stars from the 1986 season.
Some key things to know about the 1987 Topps baseball cards include:
Design – The design featured a classic blue and white color scheme. Each card showed the player’s picture on a mostly white background with their name, team, and stats listed in blue text at the bottom. The Topps logo was prominently displayed at the top in blue.
Rosters – Most of the rosters reflected how players were aligned for the 1986 season. There were some notable offseason trades and free agent signings reflected, like Jose Canseco moving to the Oakland A’s and Bob Horner signing with the Atlanta Braves.
Rookies – Some top rookie cards included Mark McGwire, Lenny Dykstra, and Wally Joyner. McGwire’s rookie would go on to become one of the most valuable cards from the set in future years.
Short Prints – Topps included several short printed cards that were rarer to pull from packs. These included the final card (#792), Manager of the Year cards, and All-Star cards.
Inserts – For the first time, Topps included “Traded” cards showing players who were traded within the 1986 season with their new teams. Other inserts included League Leaders and All-Star cards.
Autographs – In extremely rare cases, packs could contain cards that were autographed by the players in silver or gold ink, adding immense value.
When the 1987 Topps packs first hit store shelves in late spring, they were a hot commodity. The excitement of the new baseball season combined with kids’ eagerness to collect cards led to packs flying off the shelves. Stores had to constantly restock their baseball card sections to keep up with demand.
Savvy collectors learned some strategies for trying to pull the most valuable and sought-after cards:
Check expiration dates – Packs closest to the expiration date were more “picked over” and less likely to contain hits. Newer packs gave a better chance.
Feel packs – With experience, collectors could sometimes feel through the wrapper to detect whether a pack contained a thicker card, possibly a short print or autographed card.
Buy full boxes – Cases and unbroken boxes increased the odds of scoring big by allowing collectors to purchase a larger sample size of packs.
Check wax packs last – It was thought that short prints and other special cards were more likely to end up in the wax paper end of the pack rather than the gum side.
Of course, even with strategies, luck still played a huge role. But the chase of trying to pull that one elusive rookie card or autographed hit was half the fun of collecting the 1987 Topps set.
In the decades since, many of the top rookie cards from 1987 have skyrocketed in value. For example:
Mark McGwire rookie – PSA 10 Gem Mint sold on eBay in 2021 for over $200,000
Lenny Dykstra rookie – PSA 10 brought nearly $50,000
Wally Joyner rookie – High-grade examples now sell for thousands
Ozzie Smith All-Star card #770 – A PSA 10 recently sold for over $15,000
Final card #792 – Just 100 were printed, PSA 10s sell for $5,000+
The 1987 Topps set is considered one of the most complete and compelling releases from the 1980s. It captured a pivotal time in the game coming out of the ’86 player strike and featured many future Hall of Famers. For collectors, it remains one of the most fun vintage sets to try and build. And for those lucky enough to have held onto their prized rookie cards in pristine condition, it has paid off immensely as an investment over the decades as well. The allure and nostalgia of 1987 Topps baseball cards lives on strongly with collectors today.
