The 1987 Topps baseball card set is highly coveted by collectors due to a perfect storm of circumstances that have made sealed packs and boxes extremely scarce and valuable over three decades since initial release. With 792 total cards issued in the 1987 set, it featured all major leaguers as well as prospects and included a slew of rookie cards that have stood the test of time.
Fresh off a labor strike that shortened the 1986 season, Topps released the 1987 set in late spring hoping to capitalize on renewed fan interest with the return of America’s pastime. The unexpected players’ strike before the 1990 season caused uncertainty in the sports card industry and retailers drastically reduced orders for future sets. This created a supply and demand imbalance for the 1987 Topps cards that remains to this day.
Unlike in recent decades where sports cards became big business with print runs numbered in the billions, Topps released the 1987 set with a much more limited production run due to unknowns around the future of baseball after back-to-back work stoppages. The economic uncertainty caused by strikes along with waning interest in the hobby during the early 1990s as the speculative bubble of the late 1980s cards market collapsed also led to many sealed packs and boxes being lost to time.
A combination of factors such as a relatively low initial print run, two player strikes around its release years, and the early 1990s recession that dampened the sports card craze all contributed to the 1987 Topps set maintaining its sterling reputation among collectors to this day. Sealed wax packs have certainly not increased in supply all these years later. The rarity has only grown thanks to natural attrition from items lost, damaged or opened over three decades.
Some of the most coveted rookie cards in the 1987 Topps set include Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Ben McDonald. But the true crown jewel rookies are Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. and eventual all-time home run leader Barry Bonds. Bonds’ rookie card in particular is one of the most iconic and valuable in the entire hobby given his mammoth career stats and cultural impact on the game.
The rarity and demand factors have driven prices for sealed 1987 Topps wax boxes and unopened packs to astronomical levels when they surface at auction. In March 2022, a sealed wax box sold for a record $480,000 through Goldin Auctions. Just a few months prior another sealed case sold for $408,000 through the same auction house. Even single unopened packs from this set regularly fetch several thousands of dollars depending on overall condition.
For collectors looking to experience that rush of opening a fresh 1987 Topps pack without shelling out thousands, there are a few more affordable alternatives. Some will purchase “unsearched” wax boxes where the packs have been very carefully removed and replaced in hopes of finding a premiere hit card still sealed within. Wax packs can also sometimes be found in lesser condition graded by authentication companies like PSA where packaging is worn or damaged but contents remain intact.
While the 1987 Topps set never contained any truly rare statistical oddities like error cards, the roster of future Hall of Famers, perennial All-Stars, and generations of enduring rookie classics have made it a pillar in the world of vintage baseball cards. The strikes, recession and other outside factors may have cruelly limited printed quantities to collectors’ long-term benefit. Over three decades later, sealed 1987 Topps wax remains the holy grail for investors and those who can afford a glimpse back in time to relive the magic of finding a coveted pack fresh pull.
