1987 marked Fleer’s 10th year producing Major League Baseball cards. The 1987 Fleer baseball card set featured players and photos from the 1986 MLB season. The base set included 408 cards with player photos, manager cards, checklists, and record breaker highlight cards.
The 1987 Fleer set focused on highlighting all-time records that were broken or threatened during the 1986 season. For example, the George Brett card from the set commemorated him breaking Lou Gehrig’s record for most consecutive games with a hit. Other record breaker cards included Darryl Strawberry for RBIs by a rookie and Rickey Henderson for stolen bases in a season.
While not the flashiest design compared to rival sets like Topps, 1987 Fleer cards featured vibrant team colors and clean photography that still hold up visually over 30 years later. The card stock was thin and flexible like most Fleer issues of the time period. Generally considered the “middle child” between iconic early 80s Fleer designs and the neon foil experimentation of later years.
In terms of rarity and value, the 1987 Fleer set does not have any true scarce short prints outside of the record breaker and manager cards. There are certainly stars and Hall of Famers that command a premium to this day. Here is a brief price guide for some of the top 1987 Fleer baseball cards based on PSA 10 Gem Mint condition:
Roger Clemens (#1): $80-100
Always one of the best-selling rookie cards from the set. Clemens went on to win 7 Cy Young awards and strike out over 4,000 batters.
Kirby Puckett (#20): $50-70
Puckett was in his prime in the late 80s winning 6 Gold Gloves and batting titles. His rookie card remains quite affordable.
Dwight Gooden (#57): $60-80
“Dr. K” was coming off his dominant 1985 CY Young season as one of the greatest pitching prospects ever.
Ozzie Smith (#69): $75-100
Perhaps the best defensive shortstop ever who started capturing Gold Gloves at this stage of his career.
Rickey Henderson (#82): $75-100
Already establishing himself as the base-stealing king and one of the most electrifying players in the game.
George Brett (#101): $50-75
Hall of Famer was still in his prime and fresh off breaking Lou Gehrig’s hits record as noted on this card.
Wade Boggs (#123): $60-80
Already a batting champion at this point and on his way to a Hall of Fame career hitting over .300 15 times.
Don Mattingly (#134): $75-100
“Donnie Baseball” was the poster boy for the Yankees in the late 80s in his offensive prime before injuries hampered his career.
Mike Schmidt (#149): $75-100
The Phillies legend and 3x MVP was in the twilight of his incredible career still raking 30+ home runs regularly.
Cal Ripken Jr. (#160): $80-100
Entering his magical Iron Man streak, Ripken was already regarded as the future of Baltimore baseball.
The managers subset includes legends like Sparky Anderson, Earl Weaver, and Billy Martin. The manager cards in PSA 10 grade also tend to attract $50-75 each due to their niche status as “hitters” in the set.
While not the most valuable vintage release, 1987 Fleer cards represent an iconic time in late 80s baseball and remain affordable for most collectors to build full sets. Key rookies like Clemens, Puckett, and Gooden ensure there is always solid interest from both investors and fans of the players. Condition and eye appeal are particularly important for the thinner 1987 Fleer cardboard. But they make for a fun and relatively budget-friendly Group 1 vintage set to chase in the hobby.
