The 1987 Topps Traded baseball card set was released as a specialty subset by Topps in 1987. Unlike the primary Topps baseball card release which included all players, the Traded set focused only on players who had been traded to new teams during the previous or current season. The set celebrated these player transactions and captured images of stars in their new uniforms for the first time. It provided an update to their baseball cards and a way for collectors to document this period of baseball history.
The 1987 season saw several big name players switch teams via trade, creating excitement and new storylines around the league. This moved the traded player subset from a niche product into one with wider collector interest. The high-profile nature of the trades that year made the 1987 Topps Traded set one collectors sought out. It contained 74 total cards and focused on some of the biggest trades of that time period.
Two of the most notable players featured in the set were Andre Dawson and Gary Carter. Dawson had been traded from the Chicago Cubs to the Boston Red Sox. This was viewed as a renewal of his career as he went on to have one of his best seasons and win the National League MVP award as a member of the Red Sox. Carter was dealt from the Montreal Expos to the New York Mets prior to the start of the 1987 season. He provided strong veteran leadership on a young Mets squad and helped lead them to a World Series title that year. Both Dawson and Carter’s Traded cards captured them in the unfamiliar uniforms of their new clubs for the first time.
Another blockbuster trade featured in the set was the July 1987 swap that sent Nolan Ryan from the Houston Astros to the Chicago Cubs. Ryan was still pitching strongly at age 40 but the Astros sought to remake their roster. Cubs fans greeted Ryan as the possible missing piece for a playoff run. His Traded card depicted him in Chicago’s colors, signaling this new chapter in his legendary career. The Texas Rangers also acquired slugger Pete Incaviglia from the Montreal Expos via trade that season. Incaviglia’s powerful style of play made him a fan favorite in Texas and his Traded issue commemorated his arrival.
The designs on the 1987 Topps Traded cards paid tribute to the set’s theme of documenting player movement between teams. An orange border was utilized around each photo to denote its traded status. The front of each card featured a logo with the words “TOPPS TRADED” plus opposing arrows to represent change and transition. Statistics on the back were provided for both the current and previous season to acknowledge the player’s performance with both franchises involved in the swap. Gum was included with each pack but had lost much of its flavorability after twenty years.
Upon its initial release, the 1987 Topps Traded set was fairly easy to obtain but demand has steadily increased over the decades. Like many niche sports card products, it gained more appreciation from collectors seeking to complete their player collections or document this period of baseball history in greater detail. The high-impact trades that season added to the interest level in commemorating these transactions through the specialized Traded issue. Within the larger world of baseball cards from the late 1980s, the 1987 Topps Traded set stands out for its iconography and role in chronicling these noteworthy player moves.
condition of the cards from this time period, a graded 1987 Topps Traded Nolan Ryan PSA 8 would now be worth over $200 due to his player status and importance within the set. Other highly sought after rookie cards from that year include hall of famers Tom Glavine, Benito Santiago, and Mark McGwire despite not featuring them in their true rookie seasons. The 1987 Topps Traded set endures as one of the most historically significant subsets issued due to the caliber of players traded and quality of cardboard used at that time. For both casual collectors and those seeking to comprehensively document the 1987 season, this specialized release remains a notable part of the annual Topps baseball card portfolio.
The 1987 Topps Traded baseball card set commemorated several high-profile player trades that injected new intrigue into the league. By photographing stars like Dawson, Carter, and Ryan in the fresh uniforms of their new teams, it provided a visual bookmark of this transition period. Attention to tracer details like colors, logos, and dual-year statistics helped establish the set’s identity. While initially just another niche product, appreciation for its documentation of baseball history has elevated the 1987 Topps Traded cards to key status within the larger collection community. It serves as an influential example of how sporting card manufacturers can celebrate change and honor distinct seasons through specialized subsets.
