The 1987 Fleer baseball card set is considered one of the most iconic and valuable releases in the modern era. While it lacked some of the star power of flagship Topps sets from that time due to an ongoing licensing dispute, ’87 Fleer instead took on a more artistic and creative approach that still resonates with collectors today. Containing 234 total cards, there are several rare short prints and one-of-ones that have become hugely significant in the hobby.
One of the most famous errors from the ’87 Fleer set comes in the form of the Griffey Jr. rookie card. While Ken Griffey Jr. had just been called up to the majors in 1987 with high expectations, Fleer mistakenly left him off the base checklist. Only 109 copies of his true rookie card were ever produced before Fleer caught and corrected their error. In pristine mint condition, just a single Griffey Jr. ’87 Fleer rookie can fetch over $100,000 at auction today. Across all grades, it remains one of the most coveted and valuable modern basketball cards on the market.
While not quite on the level of the Griffey Jr. mistake, two other significant errors are the Donruss style backs and reversed front/back cards. A small random subset of the 1987 Fleer baseball cards were printed with the design and wording of rival brand Donruss on the back instead of Fleer’s. Equally rare are those cards that were somehow accidentally inserted into packs backwards, with the front image on the back and statistics/info on the front. Both abnormalities command big premiums over the standard issue cards as one-of-a-kind mistakes from the set.
In the realm of true short prints, two of the rarest and most iconic are the Nolan Ryan and Ozzie Smith cards. Both are known to be much harder to find than the base rookie cards of players like Mark McGwire, Mike Harkey, and Ben McDonald. While print runs have never been fully confirmed, estimates put the Ryan and Smith short prints at somewhere around 100 copies or less each. Graded mint examples in the PSA 9-10 range have sold for upwards of $20,000 in the past.
Another small subset of variations come from the “Star Cards” inserts found randomly in 1987 Fleer packs. Highlighting some of baseball’s top talent at the time, the Star Cards for Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, and Ryne Sandberg are all rarities in their own right. The true hit of the Star Cards, however, is arguably the Andy Van Slyke issue with an error in the statistics listing an incorrect home run total. Only a few dozen are believed to exist with this Astros home run stat typo across Van Slyke’s entire career.
While most of the short prints and errors from the 1987 Fleer set revolve around specific individual cards, there is also the legendary “Filler Back” variation that impacts the entire checklist. Unbeknownst to the manufacturers at the time, a small number of cases were improperly constructed to include the generic grey filler card backs rather than the standard player statistics on every retro. This quirk is extremely difficult to complete in top condition and can fetch amazing sums as one of the rarest full set anomalies out there.
While normally overshadowed by the likes of Topps and Donruss for its time, the 1987 Fleer baseball card release has undoubtedly cemented its place in card collecting history and folklore thanks to some unbelievable short prints, mistakes, and variations. Headlined by the iconic rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Ken Griffey Jr., but also containing substantial one-of-a-kind gems throughout, it’s a set that continues to captivate veteran collectors and new investors alike decades after its original printing. For raw card condition and investment potential, ’87 Fleer simply can’t be beat in the modern era.
