The 1987 Sportflics baseball card set holds a special place in the history of the hobby. Issued by Sportflics at the height of the junk wax era, the design was innovative for its time in combining photography on one side with cartoon-style illustrations on the reverse. While the massive printing quantities devalued individual cards compared to earlier years, the nostalgia and novel presentation give the set enduring appeal for collectors today.
Sportflics was a lesser known brand compared to industry giants like Topps, Donruss and Fleer. They gained approval from the MLBPA to produce an official on-card baseball license for 1987. The result was a 752 card base set featuring every player on a major league roster at the time of production. Each card contained a color photo on the front with minimal black and white graphics. Perhaps most memorably, the back of each card switched to a hand-drawn cartoon illustration of the player in action.
This creative approach set the 1987 Sportflics cards apart from competitors. They tapped into the collectable card game boom of the 1980s by making baseball feel more like a comic book or trading card adventure. For younger collectors just getting into the hobby, it was a fun and unique presentation that remained historically accurate. For nostalgic older collectors today, the cartoonbacks conjure fond memories of childhood baseball card experiences.
While individual 1987 Sportflics cards are not particularly scarce or valuable compared to vintage issues, there remain several subsets that hold added value. First, the set included 20 traded players inset into the base checklist whose positions changed midseason. These “traded” cards often feature two uniforms on the front. A complete traded player subset in high grade can fetch $50-100 today.
Another valuable subset is the 40 minor league prospect cards found randomly inserted one per wax pack. Featuring future stars like Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, a full pristine rated prospects subset could sell for $300-500. Rarer still are the 17 pink foil parallels of these prospects, which individually can sell for $15-50 depending on player and condition.
Highlighting some key individual 1987 Sportflics cards that command premiums – any Mint grade Ken Griffey Jr. rookie would sell for $75-150. A BGS/PSA 10 would push $500. Another hot rookie is Mark McGwire, with high grade examples of his starring role for $50-100. All-Star performers like Wade Boggs, Ozzie Smith, and Kirby Puckett are relatively abundant but still hold $5-15 value in top shape.
Turning to team subset valuations, full 52-card team sets often sell complete for $100-200 depending on the club and condition. A few popular franchises with strong fanbases like the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees could push $250 in top- graded order. The much rarer Glossy Team Photos subset featuring full-bleed photo fronts is particularly sought after. Complete team sets from this scant 24-card insert series can go for $400-600.
As with most 1980s/90s era sets, the true value of 1987 Sportflics cards lies not in individual low-numbered pieces, but rather in appreciation for complete archived team, player, and insert subsets. While huge print runs limited single cards to below $20 outside the best rookies, keeping a full 752 card base set pristine garners respect among collectors. Add in tougher subsets and the nostalgia factor, and owners can expect to get $400-600 for an excellently preserved 1987 Sportflics collection today. Graded sets in top BGS/PSA condition could double that figure.
For those focused only on star rookie cards or singular high dollar keys, the 1987 Sportflics set may not appear that valuable at first glance. But taking a broader view of the innovative design, fun presentation blending art and stats, and place in baseball card history, its enduring appeal is clear. Few other 1980s issues so perfectly merged the kid-friendly introduction to MLB with accessible, lifelong collecting. That unique identity continues to attract new generations of fans to this overlooked classic from the junk wax era.
