The 1987 Topps baseball card set is one of the most iconic and collectible issues from the 1980s. The design featured vivid team logos across the front with photos of the players on a simple white background. On the back, stats from the 1986 season were highlighted along with a career recap. There were 792 total cards in the base set along with 108 additional cards covering league leaders, potential Hall of Famers and future stars subsets.
While not the most coveted vintage set, 1987 Topps cards remain a popular and affordable vintage card collection for many fans and investors. Here is an in-depth breakdown and price guide for the key cards from the 1987 Topps baseball card set:
Base Cards (711-792): Most common base cards from the set can be found in near mint to mint condition for under $1. Players like Eddie Murray, Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken Jr. and others from the base rookie portion of the set run $1-5. Star rookies like Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr. and Darren Daulton could fetch $5-10.
Rookie Cup (625-640): This 16-card subset highlighted some of the top rookie cards from the 1986 season. Dale Murphy’s card is the most valuable at $10-15. Others like Tim Raines, Mark McGwire and Will Clark run $5-10.
League Leaders (1-16): This subset featured the batting average, home run and RBI leaders from the 1986 season. The Barry Bonds rookie card as the 1986 NL Rookie of the Year is the most coveted at $25-35. Wade Boggs’ batting title card and Mike Schmidt’s RBI leader card are also popular at $15-20.
Hall of Fame (17-32): This subset featured retired players already enshrined or likely future inductees into the Hall of Fame. Nolan Ryan’s card is the most desirable in the $15-20 range. Others like Carl Yastrzemski, Rod Carew and Bob Gibson run $5-10.
Future Stars (33-48): Cards in this subset highlighted top prospects for 1987 like Barry Larkin, Will Clark and Mark McGwire. Larkin and McGwire are the standouts valued at $10-15 while Clark is $5-10.
Record Breakers (49-64): This subset paid tribute to notable single season records. Don Mattingly’s 1987 card as he broke Don Baylor’s American League home run record for a first baseman in 1986 is the most coveted around $25-30. Others like Tony Gwynn’s 1986 hit record fetch $10-15.
Potential Hall of Famers (65-80): This subset looked ahead at players likely destined for Cooperstown. Ryne Sandberg, Dwight Gooden and Roger Clemens lead the way valued between $10-15. Ozzie Smith, Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn are next around $5-10.
League Leaders Update (81-96): An update subset showcasing the statistical leaders midway through the 1987 season. The Willie McGee NL batting title and Andre Dawson NL home run lead cards are two of the stars around $10-15 value.
Pinnacle of Achievement (97-112): Highlighting milestones reached in 1986 like Nolan Ryan’s 5000th strikeout and Don Sutton’s 300th win. The Ryan card is the premium selection at $15-20 value.
Checklists (793-796): The four card checklist set featuring team logos is generally a $10-15 complete set. Individually cards run $2-5 each.
Stars of the Game (797-800): The four card Stars of the Game subset featuring Ozzie Smith, Don Mattingly, Roger Clemens and Mike Schmidt commands $15-20 as a complete set. Individual cards are $5-10 depending on the player.
As the 1980s boom faded, the 1987 Topps set avoided sharp declines that hurt earlier years. Condition is critical to value like all vintage cards. Near mint to mint examples of stars like Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens can still command $10-25. Rare autograph or serially numbered rookie variations can increase values significantly. The 1987 Topps set offers affordable collecting and investing options for vintage cards with future upside due to the star power the set features. Condition conscious collectors can build an entire set for $500-1000 still finding plenty of individual cards available in the $1-5 range or less.
