The 1987 Topps Baseball Picture Cards Traded Series was a special subset of cards released by Topps as part of their flagship baseball card release for that year. The Traded Series featured cards of players who had been traded to new teams during the 1986-1987 offseason. These player transactions resulted in cards showing the ballplayers in the uniforms of their new clubs for the first time.
The 1986-1987 offseason saw a number of impactful trades take place throughout Major League Baseball. Future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens was one of the biggest names dealt, going from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Mets. Other well-known players switching uniforms included Tim Raines (Montreal Expos to Chicago White Sox), Darryl Strawberry (New York Mets to Los Angeles Dodgers), Tony Armas (Boston Red Sox to Oakland Athletics), and Donnie Moore (California Angels to Detroit Tigers).
To commemorate these roster changes, Topps created a special subset of cards within the 1987 set numbering system specifically for the traded players. There were a total of 22 cards in the 1987 Traded Series, with each one showing the player in the standard baseball card front-on pose shot but wearing the hat, jersey, and colors of their new ballclub for the first time. This was a unique way for collectors to not only track offseason transactions but also see how the players looked with their updated uniforms before the 1987 season began.
Some noteworthy aspects of the 1987 Topps Traded Series cards:
The cards were numbered sequentially from other base cards in the main 1987 Topps set, ranging from card numbers 451 to 472. This kept them separate from the standard rookies, stars, and team cards which occupied the lower numbers.
Nearly all of the 22 players featured had been part of notable trades. The lone exception was Donnie Moore, who had actually been released by the Angels and then signed as a free agent by the Tigers in the offseason.
Future Hall of Famer Wade Boggs was included, having been dealt from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees in a blockbuster trade. His card showed him in the famed Yankee pinstripes for the first time.
Star slugger Darryl Strawberry’s card depicted him as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, foreshadowing high expectations for his production in the team’s power alleys of Dodger Stadium.
Like with Strawberry, Tony Armas Jr.’s Traded Series card was one collectors hung onto, given his potential after being acquired from the Red Sox by the Athletics and switching from Fenway Park to the Oakland Coliseum.
Tim Raines’ White Sox card signified hopes for stolen base records being set on the fast artificial turf at old Comiskey Park in Chicago. Raines would disappoint due to injury but still put up solid numbers.
Traded veterans like Don Aase (Cubs to Phillies) mixed with younger dealt players like Darnell Coles (Red Sox to Angels) and Spike Owen (Red Sox to Astros).
When it was released in 1987, the Topps Traded Series provided a fun way for baseball fans to not only follow the news of player movement but to see how the newest additions to each franchise looked in their fresh uniforms. For collectors, it remains a standout subset within the larger collection of the main 1987 Topps issue due to its significance in memorializing historical trades still discussed today. While limited to only 22 cards, its roster of talent and memorable portrayals of players like Boggs, Strawberry, and Raines in new threads gave the 1987 Traded Series an impact beyond its size. It stands as one of the most noteworthy traded subsets ever produced by Topps.
Through its emphasis on documenting the major league trades of the 1986-1987 offseason and presenting the affected players in the fresh uniforms of their new teams, the 1987 Topps Traded SeriesSubset achieved historical status within the larger 1987 Topps issue and remains a highlight for collectors due to its lineup of legendary names and importance in marking transactions that altered the baseball landscape. It is remembered as one of Topps’ most celebrated traded subsets of the 1980s and beyond.
