The 1987 Topps baseball card factory set was the 76th series of annual issues released by Topps and featured 660 total cards. It was the final set of the 1980s decade and carried on Topps’ tradition of providing collectors with team-grouped issues along with special subset and parallel inserts. Each year brought new designs, photography techniques, and player debuts that maintained fan interest. The ’87 set showcased another great season of Major League Baseball amidst rising stars and established legends of the game.
A few notable firsts and finales were part of the ’87 set. It marked the Topps rookie card debut for future Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Craig Biggio, and Dennis Eckersley. On the other end, it included the final Topps cards for long-time veterans Jim Kaat, Mike Flanagan, and Bill Madlock. The larger factory set included all 660 cards sequentially arranged by team in aluminum wax packaging. Collectors could find completed team sets, stars, and rookie cards all together in the factory version.
Topps’ design for the ’87 set featured a blue border with red and white team color panels on either side. Player photos were positioned above their team logo and wrapped around the left side of the card. Statistics like career batting average or earned run average were listed on the right side along with the standard Topps copyright on the bottom. The iconic “Action All The Way” slogan appeared in block letters at the top. Topps art directors like SCORE Magazine editor Sal Bando oversaw creative direction and photo selection each year.
Within the factory set, collectors found Team Leaders, Diamond Kings, Record Breakers, and All-Star special inserts highlighting achievement. The Rainbow Foil parallels added visual excitement to select cards as well. Popular teams from big markets like the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers had larger checklists than smaller franchises. The scarce ‘86 World Series Champion New York Mets team issue was included with members of that championship squad. All teams featured players, managers, and coaches for comprehensive rosters each season.
Top young stars on the rise like Griffey Jr. and Biggio began to draw more attention in the ’87 set as future Hall of Famers. Rookie cards remained highly sought after for star potential. Veteran players like Mike Schmidt, George Brett, and Nolan Ryan anchored established stars in the set. Playoff races heated up throughout that season with tight divisional battles in both the American and National Leagues. The Minnesota Twins would go on to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1987 World Series, sealing another chapter in baseball history.
Outside of the core card checklist, Topps peppered in memorable subsets to highlight various aspects of the game. The Record Breakers subset featured players who set or were approaching career or single-season records. Doc Gooden and Wade Boggs saw their chase for milestones memorialized here. Diamond Kings paid tribute to iconic players still lighting up the diamond in the twilight of their careers like Ryne Sandberg and Gary Carter. All-Star cards acknowledged the great performances of those selected to the midsummer classic from both leagues that year.
Completing the set involved collecting all 660 sequentially arranged cards as they were released in wax packs from local retail outlets or card shows. The factory version offered the set preassembled for convenience. While subsets added flair, the core team issues starring current players drove completion demand. Topps quality control ensured cards were cut evenly and printed with vivid colors that housed between a layer of wax for protection. Stickers on the factory packaging authenticated a completed collection for the ’87 season.
By 1987, the baseball card hobby had reached new popularity levels fueled by speculation and investment. Both mint and used copies of stars like Roberto Alomar and Barry Bonds rose in value as their careers progressed. The factory set offered an efficient and cost-effective route for collectors seeking a preserved and finished ’87 collection without the risk of chasing imperfect singles. Topps would continue innovating new insert types and higher-end parallels to galvanize collectors for another 30+ years in the annual tradition they established. The 1987 Topps set served as a snapshot of MLB at that moment frozen in pink gum between wax and paper for generations of fans to relive or discover.
