The 1987 Topps baseball card set is one of the most iconic releases from the venerable card company. With 792 total cards issued, the 1987 set featured every Major League player and manager from the 1986 season. It remains one of the most complete representations of that baseball year ever assembled in card form.
Some key details about the 1987 Topps baseball card set:
The design featured a transition from the previous years’ sets to a slicker, modernized style. Gone were the painted portraits, replaced by cleaner photography with colored borders and team logos. Still, it maintained Topps’ traditional look and feel that collectors had come to expect.
Rated a 5.5 out of 10 for overall condition, the cards were of reasonably high quality with glossy colorful fronts and basic gray cardboard backs with player stats and career highlights. They survived fairly well compared to some brittle earlier Topps issues.
The complete standard 792 card release was joined by special subsets highlighting rookie cards, league leaders, and All-Star players. Key rookies included Barry Larkin, Mark McGwire, and Tom Glavine.
High numbers (cards numbered over 500) featured less prominent players, making them tougher pulls from packs. Notable high numbers included #729 Ozzie Virgil and #788 Bob Tewksbury.
Popular stars graced the front of many packs, including Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, and Rickey Henderson. Ongoing player promotions helped fuel excitement around the releases.
The checklist included all Major League teams from 1986 like the World Series champion New York Mets and playoff clubs Boston, California, Houston and New York Yankees.
Minor changes to the uniform designs and photos keep the cards a vibrant time capsule of how each franchise and player looked during the 1986 season.
Let’s take a deeper look at some key areas and players within the 1987 Topps baseball card database:
Rookies: As with every year, the rookie cards drew lots of attention. Arguably the most coveted were #593 Barry Larkin of the Reds and #592 Mark McGwire of the A’s. Both players would go on to Hall of Fame careers. Other notable first-year issue cards included #221 Tom Glavine (Braves), #358 Terry Pendleton (Braves), and #679 David Wells (Tigers). Scouts saw big potential in these players that was ultimately realized.
Stars: Established superstars of the day continued to drive interest, like #1 Roger Clemens of the Red Sox, #88 Wade Boggs also with Boston, and #150 Rickey Henderson of the A’s, arguably the most exciting player of the era. #79 Ozzie Smith (Cardinals) and #331 Darryl Strawberry (Mets) also featured greatly due to their electrifying styles of play. Fantastic photography helped immortalize these greats.
Team Sets: For team collectors, putting together the full lineup of a favorite franchise provided enjoyment. Examples included the world champion 1986 Mets with #1-31 cards, star-studded Detroit Tigers 1-30, and perennial contender Boston Red Sox 1-29. Building these sets was intrinsically satisfying for fans.
Inserts: Topps issued special materials like foilboards, black diamonds, and airbrushed ’77 minis inserted randomly in packs. The airbrushed ’87 Traded subsets highlighting midseason player movements added intrigue. die-cut Leaders cards for batting, pitching, and fielding champions also unlocked.
The immense popularity of the 1987 Topps baseball cards can be primarily attributed to it capturing the players and teams of a memorable MLB season at the highest quality level possible for a mass-produced trading card product of the era. The clean visual design combined with a complete checklist made it accessible for all kinds of collectors, whether focusing on individual players, full team builds, or harvesting coveted rookies of the future stars. Three decades later it remains one of the most iconic and complete historical record sets in the hobby.
