The 1987 baseball card season was a monumental year in the hobby. For the first time, the vast majority of sets featured the switch to green-colored borders as the standard design element. Gone were the familiar gray-borders collectors had come to know and expect over the previous decade. Looking back, 1987 is really seen as the beginning of the Modern Baseball Card Era thanks to this watershed change in border color.
While many now-valued vintage sets from the 1950s and 1960s featured green borders, it was an uncommon sight in the 1970s and early 80s. Gray had become synonymous with the look of the average baseball card during that period. However, Topps sensed it was time for something fresh in 1987 that would help attract new collectors and spark interest in the hobby again during a time when things had become somewhat stale.
Going green ended up being a masterstroke for the industry leader. Almost immediately, it helped 1987 Topps stand out visually on store shelves compared to its predecessors. The bolder color choice gave the cards a modern snap that connected with kids. While collectors at the time lamented the change, it is hard to deny that going green was the jolt the hobby needed. Within a few short years, almost every mainstream baseball card manufacturer adopted the green-border standard that Topps established.
Oddly enough, one of the most valuable modern-era rookie cards is from the very first Topps product to make the switch – the iconic 1987 Topps Traded Ken Griffey Jr. card. Even with the millions of them printed due to Griffey’s immediate superstardom, his rookie remains one of the most iconic and investable baseball cards ever created thanks to it being the first to feature the green-border design. Griffey’s meteoric rise to fame also helped green-borders become instantly recognizable and popular with collectors.
Fleer was also quick to jump on the green bandwagon in 1987 after seeing how well the new look worked for Topps. The smaller company’s budget meant they could not sign Griffey or the other big star rookies for their flagship set that year. Instead, collectors seeking the new green-border look had to settle for Fleer’s lower-tiered prospects and veterans. The resulting 1987 Fleer boxes and packs were often overlooked by many collectors at retail in favor of the Griffey chases taking place in Topps products.
Donruss also adopted green borders for their 1987 set, which included rookie cards of future Hall of Famers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. While not as iconic or as abundant as Griffey’s first Topps card, Maddux and Glavine rookies from the underrated Donruss set are very affordable for collectors looking to add a piece of history from the first year of the industry-wide switch to green. Inexplicably, Donruss left their borders black for 1988 before permanently moving to green like everyone else in 1989.
Score also had rookie cards of Barry Larkin and Mark McGwire among many other future stars in their 1987 set. However, Score lagged behind the other major manufacturers in terms of distribution and popularity during the late 80s boom. Lower print runs mean their 1987 green-border issues are scarcer in the current population compared to their Topps/Fleer/Donruss counterparts from the same year. Cargo Holdings bought Score out in 1989, transitioned the brand to focus more on collegiate licensing, and green-borders were phased out after the 1991 editions.
While not true vintage, 1987 baseball cards are among the most nostalgic and important issues in the entire modern era due to commemorating that first industry-wide switch to green borders. Having examples from the flagship Topps Traded, Donruss, Fleer, and Score sets truly represent a unique snapshot in the evolution of the baseball card design. Prices remain affordable, especially for stars from outside the Griffey/Maddux/Glavine limelight. For collectors seeking an accessible bridge between the true classics of the 1950s/1960s and the hyper-modern era of the 1990s and beyond, 1987 is an excellent annual set to build around. The start of the green revolution in baseball cards is commemorated every time you look at boxes and packs from that special year.
In conclusion, 1987 was a watershed year that saw virtually all major baseball card manufacturers adopt green-colored borders for the first time as the new industry standard design element. Led by Topps, the bold change helped reinvigorate the hobby amidst competition from other sports cards and video games emerging on the scene in the mid-1980s. Rookies like Ken Griffey Jr. helped make 1987 Topps Traded perhaps the most iconic modern-era set thanks to being the first prominent issue with green borders. Since then, green has been indelibly linked to baseball cards in the minds of millions of collectors and players around the world. As the 30th anniversary of the green revolution arrives, 1987 issues remain as important and collectible as ever for commemorating that seminal innovation.
