The 1987 Fleer baseball card set is considered one of the most iconic issues in the modern era of the hobby. While it lacked the star power and rookie cards of some other releases, there were still plenty of interesting and valuable cards to be found within the 660-card checklist. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the most notable cards and stories from the 1987 Fleer set.
One of the biggest highlights from the set is the Fleer Update card of Roger Clemens. Clemens had a breakout season for the Boston Red Sox in 1986, winning the American League Cy Young Award after posting a 24-4 record with a 2.48 ERA. However, Fleer finalized their 1987 design early and Clemens’ breakout campaign came too late for him to be included in the base set. To capitalize on Clemens’ new-found stardom, Fleer released around 100 special “update” cards featuring his photo midway through the 1987 season. This made the Clemens one of the rarest cards in the set, with estimates putting the population around 100-200 copies. High grade examples regularly sell for well over $1,000 today.
Another huge star who was omitted from the base set was Rickey Henderson. Like Clemens, Henderson’s breakout 1986 season with the Oakland A’s came too late. However, Fleer rectified this by including Henderson in the set’s “Traded” subset, showing him in an A’s uniform despite being dealt to the New York Yankees after the 1986 season. While not quite as scarce as the Clemens update, the Henderson traded card still carries a premium due to his absence from the base checklist.
Rookie cards were also scarce in 1987 Fleer, but two would emerge as valuable over the years. The biggest is the Kirby Puckett rookie, which features a photo of the young outfielder from his 1985 minor league days. Puckett would go on to have a Hall of Fame career primarily with the Minnesota Twins, making his rookie one of the key cards from the set. In high grade it can sell for over $1,000. The other rookie of note is that of Lenny Dykstra, who is shown in a New York Mets uniform after being acquired late in the 1986 season. While not quite the star Puckett became, “Nails” Dykstra had several productive seasons and his rookie remains on the radar of completionists.
Veteran stars were more prevalent in the base set than rookies. Some particularly valuable veteran cards include Ryne Sandberg’s impressive action shot card, which can fetch $100-200 in top condition. The Mark McGwire card, showing the slugger in his early Oakland A’s days, also holds collector interest at $50-100 graded high. And the Nolan Ryan Express card, with a classic photo of the fireballer in mid-windup, remains a standout at $75-150 for mint copies.
The 1987 Fleer set also featured a popular “traded” subset showcasing players who were dealt to new teams between the 1986-87 seasons. In addition to Henderson, other notable traded cards include Gary Carter (from the Mets to the Expos), Bob Horner (from the Braves to the Cardinals), and Rick Sutcliffe (from the Indians to the Cubs). These traded cards carry premiums due to their status outside the base checklist.
Condition is especially crucial for the value of 1987 Fleer cards due to the flimsiness of the cardboard stock used. The set is prone to damage from minor dings, creases or edge wear. As a result, finding high grade gems of stars like Clemens, Puckett, Sandberg and Ryan in pristine condition is no easy task. This scarcity helps fuel strong prices when top-rated specimens surface on the market.
While it may lack the rookie star power of some other 1980s issues, the 1987 Fleer set endures as a classic of the modern era thanks to cards like Clemens, Puckett, and its iconic image selection. For dedicated collectors, hunting down the scarce update and traded insert cards in top condition provides an exciting ongoing challenge some 35 years later. With the hobby still booming, values are likely to stay strong for this underrated but memorable set from the golden age of baseball cards.
