The year 1987 produced some of the most valuable baseball cards in the entire hobby. Fueled by the peak of the sports card boom in the late 1980s, several rookies and star players from ’87 have gone on to become the most sought after and valuable cards on the market. Let’s take a look at some of the most prominent ’87 cards and why they continue to command enormous prices among collectors.
Perhaps the most famous and valuable baseball card ever printed comes from the 1987 Topps set – the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. Widely considered one of the best all-around players of his generation, Griffey broke into the majors with the Seattle Mariners in ’87 as a supremely talented 18-year old rookie. With his smooth left-handed swing and impressive playmaking skills in center field, Griffey was an immediate star and fans snatched up his rookie card like crazy. Today, a Griffey Jr. rookie card in pristine Near Mint-Mint condition can fetch well over $100,000. In august 2016, one Griffey Jr. PSA 10 gem mint rookie actually sold for an unbelievable $220,000, setting the current high water mark price for any baseball card.
Joining Griffey as one of the crown jewels from ’87 Topps is another future Hall of Famer rookie, Tom Glavine of the Atlanta Braves. A pitching sensation out of Boston College, Glavine emerged as one of the greatest left-handed hurlers of all time during his illustrious career. His rookie card shows Glavine delivering a pitch for the Braves and today high graded examples can sell for $5,000-$10,000 depending on condition. Another huge star pitcher whose fortunes skyrocketed after 1987 was Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets. Known as “Doc” for his overpowering fastball, Gooden captured the Rookie of the Year award in ’84 and followed that up with one of the single greatest pitching seasons ever in 1985 when he won 24 games while leading the league in strikeouts. Gooden’s stellar play made his ’87 cards extremely popular and to this day, his common Topps issue stays a hot commodity among collectors, selling for $1,000-$3,000 for mint copies.
Two other superstar position players who made their debuts in ’87 and have legendary cards are Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire. As a rookie with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1987, Bonds showed the athleticism and power potential that would make him the all-time home run king. His silky smooth left-handed swing is captured on his ’87 Topps rookie which is a must-have for any vintage collection. Pristine Bonds rookies can sell for $5,000-$8,000 based on condition. Meanwhile, Mark McGwire arrived in Oakland as a hulking first baseman with mammoth power. His rookie card became a fan favorite due to his intimidating physique and the memorable image of him stretching for a throw. Near mint McGwire rookies move for $3,000-$5,000 regularly.
Another massive slugger whose star rose mightily after 1987 was Ruben Sierra of the Texas Rangers. Dubbed “El Caballo Loco” for his wild style of play, Sierra smacked 22 home runs in ’86 and followed that up with 22 more dingers in ’87 while playing superb defense in right field as well. The exciting nature of Sierra’s game made collectors hunt avidly for his ’87 Topps and other rookie issues. Today, pristine Sierra rookies sell between $800-1500. A surprising key ’87 rookie is Eric Davis of the Cincinnati Reds. A premier five-tool talent, Davis broke out in 1987 by batting .293 with 19 homers, 77 RBI and 40 stolen bases while also flashing Gold Glove defense in center. This breakout campaign caused collectors to recognize Davis’ star potential and his Topps and Fleer rookies from that year remain sought after, valued around $500-1000 for high grades.
Perhaps the single rarest and most valuable card from 1987 is the Fleer 1/1 Mark McGwire Error card. Produced during an era when Fleer didn’t have an exclusive MLB license, the company somehow ended up with a unique McGwire Negro League style design. The text on the back refers to McGwire playing for the A’s, clearly making it an error. Only one of these incredible mistakes survived and after a lengthy legal battle, it was certified as authentic. In 2001, it sold for an astounding $75,000, believed to still be the highest price ever paid for a modern baseball card. Other stars whose rookie cards are prized from the ’87 set include fellow Red Danny Jackson, Blue Jay stalwart Fred McGriff, speedster Vince Coleman, and Expo charge Tim Raines. In fact, nearly the entire 1987 Topps and Fleer sets hold immense nostalgia and demand from collectors, cementing it as one of the single most valuable vintage issues in the hobby due to all the future Hall of Famers and memorable players it features.
The 1987 baseball season and subsequent card releases were a pivotal turning point that introduced scores of future legends to the hobby. Stars like Griffey, Bonds, Glavine, McGwire and others established themselves as rookies that year. This led fans and collectors alike to keenly recognize their talents and support their cardboard early on. As a result, mint quality ’87 rookies of these superstars have appreciating exponentially in value and remain seven-figure cards today. Even obscure players like Sierra, Davis and McGriff hold tremendous nostalgia and secondary market prices in the thousands due to how impactful and fun 1987 was for the sport. With its abundance of future stars and elite inserts like the infamous McGwire error, 1987 goes down as arguably the most historic and valuable single year in all of sports card history. Collectors continue to pursue these vintage gems decades later as sound blue-chip investments en route to baseball immortality.
