The 1987 Topps baseball card set is considered by many collectors to be one of the classic and iconic issues from the 1980s. What makes this set particularly unique and coveted by investigators are the uncut card sheets that were produced. Unlike individual packs of cards that consumers typically purchased, uncut sheets offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at the card manufacturing process.
Topps produced their baseball cards in sheet form before being cut into individual cards for packaging. An uncut sheet contained multiple card images arranged in rows. The 1987 Topps base set had 132 total cards, so an uncut sheet would have included 11 rows with 12 cards each for a total of 132 card images. Additional specialty inserts and team/league leader subset cards were also included on uncut sheets.
These mammoth uncut relics measured about 21 inches wide by 15 inches tall and showcased the card images exactly as they came off the printing press before undergoing the cutting and sorting process. Topps would print several hundred or thousand uncut sheets during a production run, but only a minuscule fraction have survived to present day in preserved condition. Most sheets were of course cut during manufacturing, while others were likely damaged or discarded over the decades.
A key feature of 1987 Topps uncut sheets are the visible production notations found in the borders. Information like the card issue (Series 1, 2, etc.), panel number, printing plate identification codes, and Topps copyright are all clearly displayed. The uncut format also grants unique views of card layouts, backgrounds, color separations, and finishing details that can’t be seen on individual cards. Gum distributor indents and card extraction notches are prominently visible as well.
Scans and photos of 1987 Topps uncut sheets provide a portal into the secretive world of 1980s card mass production. Seeing the cards configured together on mammoth sheets gives collectors an appreciation of the tremendous scale and efficiency required to churn out the billions of baseball cards Topps manufactured each year during the sport’s nuclear-powered boom period. The setup also exhibits the craftsmanship and intricate precision involved.
Several factors make pristine 1987 Topps uncut sheets profoundly rare survival items today. First, only a minuscule percentage of total printed sheets avoided being cut during production. Second, the clumsy cutting and collating machines of the era weren’t always flawless and may have damaged some sheets. Third, the bulky uncut format had little practical use for most people beyond the manufacturing plant so wastage was common.
Some of the handful of known 1987 Topps uncut sheets that exist today have entered prestigious auctions and fetched five-figure sums. One near-mint copy in 2009 sold for $11,100 U.S. dollars through an online sports collectibles auctioneer. Another several years later realized $12,300. As the years pass, intact 1987 Topps uncut sheets only become harder to acquire and will likely continue appreciating for discerning aficionados and institutions.
Beyond their statistical rarity, intact 1987 Topps uncut sheets captivate collectors with breathtaking glimpses behind the baseball card production curtain. A sheet allows us to travel back over three decades to a pre-Internet age when cards were printed using photography and lithographic craft much like top-secret documents of the era. Even minor production inconsistencies take on new meaning when seen across whole sheets rather than cropped singles.
The ability to view 1987 Topps baseball cards precisely as they came off the printing plates gives these uncut relics immense nostalgic appeal and historical value. They transport collectors to a defining pop culture period and offer intimate access into Topps card manufacturing secrets from that golden era of sports memorabilia. With their sheer scale and concentrated production details, 1987 Topps uncut sheets continue fueling the collectibles industry’s passion and research into our hobby’s treasured past.
