The 1987 Donruss baseball card set was the 5th installment in what would become one of the most iconic and memorable baseball card brands of the 1980s and 90s. Coming off successful sets in 1986 and 1985 that featured innovative designs and introduced rookies like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, the 1987 Donruss set had big shoes to fill in terms of continuing Donruss’ status as the cutting edge brand in the hobby. With 250 total cards issued in the 1987 set, including stars, rookies, and future hall of famers, collectors and players alike were highly anticipating what surprises and new tactics Donruss would unveil for the ‘87 season. They would not be disappointed.
One of the immediately notable aspects of the 1987 Donruss design was the return to team logo jerseys on the fronts of the cards after experimenting with away jerseys and headshots in ‘86. Fans loved seeing their favorite players repping their teams prominently on the cardboard once again. The photos and imagery were also noticeably sharper and more vibrant than in previous years. Many collectors credit the 1987 set with really upping the production quality and setting a new standard for how baseball cards should look that other brands would strive to emulate.
Another popular innovation was the addition of career statistics and accomplishments directly on the back of each card. Previous Donruss issues had placed stats on the inside borders or elsewhere, but now key career numbers were clearly presented for handy reference right below the player description. Rookie cards also stood out with a special logo denoting their debut. The simplified but bold color block设计 blocked added modern flair compared to some of the busier ‘80s designs from other companies at the time. Between the enhanced photos, salient stats, and bold branding choices, the 1987 Donruss cards truly popped on the racks at stores.
The rookie class featured in the 1987 Donruss set is one regarded as one of the strongest and most impactful of all time. Future hall of famers like Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and Frank Thomas burst onto the scene. Glavine’s and Maddux’s dominant pitching careers that would produce over 500 wins and 7 Cy Young Awards between them began in Atlanta that year. Thomas established himself as the premier power hitter of his generation from day one. Along with them, other notables like Ben McDonald, Mark McGwire, and Chuck Knoblauch all had their rookie cards debut. Collectors frenzied over finding and obtaining these potentially lucrative long-term investments in the early days of their careers.
In terms of star power beyond just the rookies, the ’87 Donruss set had no shortage of notable veterans to appeal to established collectors too. Pinnacle players like Ryne Sandberg, Nolan Ryan, Wade Boggs, and Ozzie Smith anchored the collection with their respective franchise franchises. Powerhouses lineup cards like Mike Schmidt and Roger Clemens also headlined. The mix of proven superstars and next generation rising talents made for a well-balanced checklist that had something for every baseball fan. Excluding short prints, the base card design was used uniformly through the whole set too, helping maintain a cohesive aesthetic.
In addition to the robust 250 base card standard set, Donruss also included several exciting incentives to spice things up. Insert sets within the overall collection highlighted timely anniversary clubs, seasons, and events from across MLB history. Traded and Update cards helped account for late-season transactions. Statistical standouts were recognized with “Topps Stats” parallels. And most notably, the highly sought after “Diamond Kings” parallel introduced rare 1-of-1 artist proof cards cut entirely out of white diamond-cut plastic instead of the usual cardboard. These unique DK parallels created a secondary modern relic market within the set several decades before more widespread autograph and memorabilia cards became commonplace.
When all was said and done, the 1987 Donruss baseball card set brilliantly showcased the previous season with sharp photography, fun parallels and innovations, and perhaps most of all – an unmatched rookie class that would go down in history. As many of those rookies like Glavine, Maddux, and Thomas ascended to the peak of their Hall of Fame careers, the luster and significance of their debut cards in the ’87 Donruss set grew considerably. Today the complete 250-card 1987 collection along with coveted singles like the Diamond Kings remain an extremely desirable vintage release. It undeniably set a new watermark for what a modern baseball card set could and should encompass that influenced the industry for many years after.
