The 1987 Donruss baseball card set was released at the height of the junk wax era in the late 1980s. During this time, the baseball card market was saturated with mass-produced cards that had little collector value. The 1987 Donruss set is still a notable issue from this period that provides a snapshot of Major League Baseball during that season.
Donruss had been producing baseball cards since 1981 but found major success in the mid-1980s as the popularity of card collecting boomed. Their 1987 set continued the popular design elements they had established in previous years. The cards featured bold photographic images of players on a white background. Statistics and factoids ran along the bottom of the cards. Team logos were prominently displayed on the fronts and player names appeared in block lettering at the top.
The base set totaled 792 cards and had the typical assortment of current players, managers, and umpires. One of the memorable aspects of the 1987 Donruss set was its inclusion of two special parallel subsets. The first was the “Diamond Kings” subset, which honored 60 of the greatest players in baseball history. Icons of the game like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron were depicted in these stylized portrait cards with glittery crowns above their heads.
The other insert set was dubbed “Turn Back The Clock”. This featured 25 current stars photographed in throwback uniforms of legendary franchises from the past. For example, Ozzie Smith was shown wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers jersey while Wade Boggs sported a St. Louis Browns uniform. These novel concept cards were among the most sought after and valuable in the base set due to their unique nostalgic designs.
Rookies featured in the 1987 Donruss set included future Hall of Famers like Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and Frank Thomas in their earliest professional cards. Other notable first-year player issues included Mark McGwire, Jeff Bagwell, and Kenny Lofton. The true stars of this rookie class wouldn’t emerge for another few years, which allowed many of their Donruss cards to be obtainable for collectors at reasonable prices in the late 1980s.
Some of the bigger name veterans showcased in the 1987 Donruss set included Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Rickey Henderson, and Mike Schmidt. This generation of players represented the elite talents who were leading their teams to championships in the latter half of the 1980s. For fans and collectors at the time, the cards provided a connection to the biggest names dominating Major League Baseball during that season.
In addition to the base cards, Donruss produced an assortment of parallel and insert sets to further enhance the 1987 release. There was the “Glossy Sendbacks” promotional issue that could be redeemed by mailing in proofs of purchase. “Traded” subsets highligted players who had been dealt to new teams since the previous season. Extended rookies, managers, and umpire subsets also padded out the overall checklist.
While production numbers were enormous due to the exploding card industry, the 1987 Donruss set still maintained strong nostalgic appeal for its attractive retro design and memorable rookie issues. Despite being a quintessential “junk wax” era product, certain key cards have increased in value over the decades. The top rookie cards for legends like Thomas, Glavine, and Maddux consistently attract collector interest. Parallel subsets like the regal Diamond Kings also hold an enduring charm.
For those who collected cards during childhood in the late 1980s, the 1987 Donruss baseball release sparks fond memories of first experiencing the hobby. Its classic visuals and encapsulation of an exciting period in baseball history are part of what has kept the set revered among vintage and nostalgia collectors. While not as rare or valuable as some older issues, the 1987 Donruss cards still hold an important place in the timeline of the company’s highly successful brand during the sport’s golden era on the trading card market. Their portrayals of the past and present will ensure the set maintains a special resonance with baseball fans and card collectors alike for generations to come.
