The 1987 Donruss baseball card set was one of the most popular and iconic releases from the brand during the 1980s. Issued at the height of the baseball card boom, the 1987 Donruss set showcased the biggest stars and top rookies of that MLB season. Some of the key details and highlights about the 1987 Donruss baseball cards include:
The 1987 Donruss set consisted of 792 total cards issued in wax packs, boxes, and factory sets. The design featured a team logo in the upper left with the player’s photo below and stats/career highlights on the back. Some of the biggest star players featured included Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Ozzie Smith, Rickey Henderson, and Dwight Gooden. The design was clean and classic with a blue and white color scheme.
Rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz were included in the 1987 Donruss set. Other notable rookie cards included Mark McGwire, Wally Joyner, and David Wells. The McGwire rookie in particular is one of the most sought after from the 1980s due to his record-setting home run prowess in the late 90s.
The 1987 Donruss set also featured “Traded” cards that showed players with their new teams if they had been traded in the 1986-1987 offseason. This included cards of Dave Stieb (Red Sox to Twins), Bob Horner (Braves to Angels), and Gary Ward (Rangers to Cubs). The Traded cards added another layer of interest and collectibility.
In addition to the base set, Donruss also issued special “Photo Stat” parallel cards in 1987. These featured different photos of the players and included short career stats on the front. They were inserted about 1 per pack and added a fun chase element for collectors.
The design and production quality of the 1987 Donruss set was top-notch compared to some of the other brands during the boom years. The thick, high-gloss cardboard stock resulted in cards that held up extremely well over decades of handling compared to thinner, lower quality issues from competitors.
The 1987 Donruss set also coincided with the brand’s popular “Diamond Kings” insert set, which featured artistic depictions of baseball’s biggest stars in elegant royal-themed designs. Rated cards of Wade Boggs, Ozzie Smith, and others remain highly coveted by collectors today.
In terms of overall rarity, some of the key scarce and valuable cards from the 1987 Donruss set include the Mark McGwire rookie, the Greg Maddux rookie, and the Tom Glavine rookie. High-grade specimens of these cards in mint condition have sold at auction for thousands of dollars. Other shorter printed and more valuable cards include Darren Daulton, Lenny Dykstra, and Jeff Reardon.
The 1987 Donruss set also came during a time when the baseball card market was booming due to the influx of collectors during the early 1980s. This created huge initial print runs and a large collector base. The market would soon crash in the early 1990s, resulting in many of these cards being discarded or stored away in attics for decades. This has made high-grade specimens from the 1987 Donruss set all the more rare and desirable for today’s collectors.
The 1987 Donruss baseball card release is considered one of the most iconic and historically significant sets from the 1980s boom period. Featuring superstar players and future Hall of Famers, the clean and classic design holds up extremely well even decades later. Keys cards like the McGwire, Maddux, and Glavine rookies remain some of the most coveted and valuable in the hobby. The 1987 Donruss set serves as a snapshot of the sport during one of its most exciting eras.
