Baseball cards from 1987 can potentially be worth something, but there are a few factors that determine the value of any given card from that year. The 1987 baseball card market saw the introduction of several sets from the major card manufacturers that are still popular with collectors today. Some of the major sets released in 1987 include Topps, Donruss, Fleer, and Score. Within each set, certain cards of star players could fetch a premium price if in good condition.
One of the most important things that impacts the value of any vintage baseball card is its condition or state of preservation. Baseball cards from 1987 that are in mint condition or graded as gem mint by professional grading services like PSA or BGS have the greatest chance of holding significant value. Even lightly played or moderately worn cards from 1987 can appeal to collectors if they feature key players. The condition of the card will be the biggest determinant of its monetary worth.
Another factor is which player is featured on the front of the card. Superstar players from the 1987 season like Ozzie Smith, Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, or Ken Griffey Jr. have cards that may command higher prices than role players or career minor leaguers – even in the same set and condition. The bigger the name, the better the odds that card has retained interest from collectors. That said, even lesser known players can gain value if they had outstanding individual seasons or accomplishments in 1987.
Beyond condition and player, the specific card set also affects value. The flagship Topps set from 1987 is usually the most desirable among collectors, as Topps has been the longest-running and most popular brand. Within the Topps set, the lower card numbers (#1-100) tend to attract premiums. The higher the card number, the lower its value likelihood. Other popular 1987 sets like Donruss, Fleer, and Score can also hold value for star players depending on grade. Regional oddball sets from that time period may have value as well to niche collectors.
Rarity is another aspect that raises a card’s importance and price point. Common base cards of notable players might have values of $10-20 in mint condition from 1987, but special parallel or short-printed variations could jump over $100 or more depending on the player featured. Short-prints, jersey/memorabilia cards, and special photo variation subsets are examples of rarer card types from vintage sets that warrant higher prices. Similarly, special league leader, award winner, or rookie cards containing stats or accomplishments also carry collector value due to their scarcity within sets.
An often underestimated but important factor is the overall condition and demand cycles within the vintage sports card market. During periods where collectors are more actively pursuing certain eras, card prices can spike sharply. The late 1980s experienced renewed collector interest, causing the prices of high-grade mid-1980s cardboard to climb in recent years. If interest cools or the economy sours, prices could decline again across the board for that era – even for the most coveted stars and scarcest cards. Market forces continually impact demand and pricing.
So to summarize – whether a baseball card from 1987 is worth something depends greatly on factors like its condition and preservation, which player is featured, which set it’s from, its specific printing details, and overall market/collector cycles. A mint rookie card of Barry Bonds could certainly be worth hundreds today, while a common bottom-of-the-roster journeyman’s played card may have little more than a buck or two of value. For the key stars, condition is king. But occasional diamond in the rough lesser names can surface too. Vintage card collecting continues evolving – so value is never fixed in the ever-changing secondary market of decades-old sports memorabilia.
While 1987 baseball cards as a whole won’t make anyone rich, the best conditioned and most historically significant examples featuring perennial Hall of Fame players have appreciated nicely and could hold stronger long-term value. For collectors, it’s understanding the dynamics of vintage card markets and properly assessing all the value factors that will help determine if a given 1987 card in a collection today is worth hanging onto or has topped out in terms of future earnings potential. Condition, players, sets, and current market conditions are the major issues to weigh, but surprises can always emerge that give otherwise average cards newfound worth years later.
