The 1987 Topps baseball card set featured rookie cards of future Hall of Famers Barry Bonds and Greg Maddux. This set contains 660 total cards and showcases the players, managers, and teams from the 1986 MLB season. One of the most sought after rookie cards from this set is that of Barry Bonds.
Barry Bonds made his MLB debut in 1986 with the Pittsburgh Pirates at just 22 years old. Though he only hit .223 with 7 home runs in his rookie season, scouts knew Bonds possessed incredible talent and physical abilities that foreshadowed future stardom. His rookie card from the 1987 Topps set was the first trading card issued featuring the young outfielder.
At the time, Topps was the undisputed king of baseball cards and their 1987 set was one of the most popular releases of the late 1980s. The front of Bonds’ rookie card shows him in a Pirates road gray uniform, bat on his shoulder with a serious expression. He is listed as an outfielder and his stats from 1986 are prominently displayed on the back. The card design was the classic thick, white border Topps style that baseball card collectors had come to know and expect each year.
As Barry Bonds’ career progressed, it became clear he was on a Hall of Fame trajectory. His blend of power, speed, elite defense, and consistency ranked him among the game’s all-time greats. Bonds went on to smash the single season and career home run records that were previously held by Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth. He won a record seven NL MVP awards and helped lead the Giants to 3 pennants and a World Series championship in his 22-year career.
Naturally, as Bonds established himself as perhaps the greatest player of his generation, perhaps of all-time, the value of his rookie card skyrocketed. The 1987 Topps Barry Bonds rookie is one of the most valuable baseball cards in existence today, routinely fetching tens of thousands of dollars in near-mint or mint condition grades. Even well-centered, sharp examples in lower grades still demand premium prices well into the thousands due to his legendary career and the card’s iconic rookie status.
More than 30 years after its original printing, Bonds’ 1987 Topps card remains endlessly collectible and desirable. It serves as a permanent reminder of the phenom that captivated the baseball world from his debut through setting homerun records that may never be broken. Limited production numbers from the 1980s, along with the sustained impact and notoriety of Barry Bonds himself, ensure this will remain one of the crown jewels in any serious baseball card collection for generations to come.
Outside of Bonds, the 1987 Topps set itself contains several other intriguing rookie cards and stars from that era. Future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux had his first card issued, showing off his deceptive overhand delivery as a 21-year old pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. Other rookie cards included Mark Grace, Gregg Jefferies, and Bobby Thigpen. Superstar veterans like Wade Boggs, Ozzie Smith, Tony Gwynn, and Rickey Henderson also graced the ’87 Topps checklist in their baseball card primes.
Beyond the iconic rookie cards, the 1987 Topps set acts as a veritable time capsule of 1980s MLB. Team logos, uniforms, and stadium backdrops showcase the look of the era. Digital photography and innovations in card production were still years away, lending the ’87s an intrinsically vintage aesthetic. For collectors and fans today, flipping through the 660 cards immerses you in the players, teams and historic moments from baseball’s late 20th century golden age.
In summarizing, the 1987 Topps baseball card set lives on as one of the most collectible issues of the entire 1980s due to standout rookie cards of Bonds and Maddux. Barry Bonds’ rookie especially holds legendary status, as his career achievements propelled it to seven-figure value levels for pristine copies. Both the individual cards and complete set transports baseball enthusiasts back to 1986 and provides irreplaceable artifacts from one of the game’s most memorable eras.
