The 1987 Donruss baseball card set was released at the height of the baseball card boom of the 1980s. Like most sets from that era, it featured a large checklist of over 700 cards and included many popular rookie cards and stars of the day. The 1987 Donruss set showcased the talent from both the American and National Leagues during the peak of the steroid era.
Some of the biggest names in baseball at the time who had prominent rookie or star cards in the 1987 Donruss set included Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Jose Canseco, Ozzie Smith, and Nolan Ryan. McGwire’s rookie card in particular is one of the most iconic and valuable from the late 1980s. His powerful swing and prodigious home run talent made him a fan favorite from the start of his career.
Bonds was also in the early stages of his Hall of Fame career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1987. His smooth left-handed swing and five-tool talent were already evident on his Donruss rookie card. Clemens and Ryan were established aces at the top of their games as well. Clemens was in his prime with the Boston Red Sox and already establishing himself as one of the greatest pitchers ever. Ryan was still overpowering hitters as a 40-year-old with the Houston Astros, defying age with his blazing fastball.
Boggs and Ozzie Smith were perennial Gold Glove winners and among the best defensive players of their generation. Boggs was a hitting machine for the Red Sox, regularly batting over .300 while Smith was a wizard at shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals. Canseco had just broken onto the scene in spectacular fashion with the Oakland A’s, slugging 33 home runs and driving in 117 runs as a rookie in 1986. His powerful physique and home run prowess made him a rising star.
The 1987 Donruss set also included stars of the day like Kirby Puckett, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Tim Raines, Jack Morris, and Dave Stewart. Puckett was already establishing himself as a fan favorite in Minnesota while Gooden, Strawberry, and Raines formed a potent young core for the New York Mets. Morris and Stewart were aces who led their respective teams, the Detroit Tigers and Oakland A’s, to many victories.
Rookies featured beyond McGwire and Canseco included future stars like Tom Glavine, David Justice, and Greg Maddux. Glavine and Maddux would go on to have Hall of Fame careers mostly with the Atlanta Braves while Justice emerged as a power-hitting corner outfielder. Other notable young players included Will Clark, Terry Pendleton, and Lenny Dykstra, who all went on to have productive MLB careers after debuting in the late 1980s.
In addition to the player photography on the cards, Donruss sets from this era were known for their creative color schemes, logos, and borders on each card. The 1987 Donruss set featured a primarily red, white, and blue color scheme with stars and stripes patterns. Their logo of a capital D with a baseball stitched on top remained their trademark design. The borders on each card were ornate and colorful.
The 1987 Donruss set had a print run estimated around 1.2 billion series one packs produced. While a large print run, sets from the late 1980s are still popular with collectors today given they captured the stars and future Hall of Famers from that exciting “Steroid Era” of baseball. Key rookie cards like McGwire, Bonds, Glavine, and Justice remain some of the most iconic and valuable from the entire decade. The visual designs and photography also create a nostalgic connection with fans who collected cards in the 1980s.
For dedicated baseball card collectors, finding a complete 1987 Donruss set in high graded condition can be a prized possession. Individual high-grade rookie cards also command top dollar prices. For example, a PSA 10 graded Mark McGwire rookie card recently sold at auction for over $100,000. Even common cards from stars like Clemens, Boggs, and Puckett retain value due to the popularity of players from that era. The 1987 Donruss set endures as one of the most memorable and collected issues from the height of the baseball card boom period. It captured a who’s who of talent from the late 1980s and early steroid era of Major League Baseball.
