The 1987 Topps baseball card set is one of the most iconic and desirable sets from the late 1980s. To have a true complete set, a collector would need to obtain all 792 total cards that were issued by Topps that year. The set featured photos and stats for all 26 Major League Baseball teams from the 1986 season. This includes all players, managers, coaches, and even trivia cards with baseball facts and stats.
The base card set runs from card number 1 to card number 660. These feature individual player cards with photos from the 1986 season in the standard rectangular Topps design of that era. Some of the biggest star players like Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Kirby Puckett, and Ozzie Smith headline the base set. Also included are rookie cards for future Hall of Famers like Tom Glavine, Gregg Maddux, and John Smoltz. Having all 660 cards in mint condition would be a challenge on its own.
In addition to the base set, Topps issuedsubsets with variation card designs. The most notable is the 7-card rainbow foil subset, which featured a different color foil design on each card from #661-#667. These parallel cards of the biggest stars like Mike Schmidt and Rickey Henderson are key chase cards. Another 13-card Traded set from #668-#680 covers players who switched teams in 1986 like Gary Carter and Bob Horner.
There were also 11 Team Leaders subset cards from #681-#691 highlighting the top statistical players at each position for every MLB team in 1986. The Future Stars subset consisted of 15 cards from #692-#706 showcasing rising young talents. And a 24-card Manager/Coaches subset from #707-#730 rounded out the main insert sets.
To truly have a 100% complete 1987 Topps set, there are also several prestigious checklist/factory set variants that are required. This includes the 6-card 12-Cent Factory Set checklist, the 4-card Factory Team Set checklist, a Wax Box Topper card, and a Factory Team Poster card. All of these are exceedingly rare and command high prices on the vintage baseball card market.
The set is wrapped up with 62 pennant-style Regional highlights cards from #731-#792 showing top moments and players for each MLB franchise regionally. The sheer breadth of content and depth of stars featured make 1987 Topps one of the most historically significant and aesthetically pleasing designs ever. Tracking down all 792 individually and in high grade across 3 decades later is the challenge that many collectors still aspire to complete. Having a true 100% 1987 Topps baseball card set in pristine condition would certainly be a massive accomplishment and display piece prized by card aficionados worldwide.
