1987 was a historic year for Topps baseball cards as the company produced their 75th anniversary set featuring special designs and photo variations to commemorate the occasion. Prices for cards from the 1987 Topps baseball card set vary quite a bit depending on the player, condition of the card, and specific variations. Certain star rookies and Hall of Fame players command top dollar while common players can still be found for under $1 in worn condition. Knowing which cards are rare and command the highest values is important when using price guides to value your 1987 Topps collection.
Some of the top price guide values for key 1987 Topps rookie cards in near mint to mint condition include Ken Griffey Jr. ($150-$250), Mark McGwire ($75-$125), Greg Maddux ($50-$100), and Trevor Hoffman ($30-$60). Griffey’s rookie is one of the most iconic and desirable of the 1980s which has helped drive up its price significantly over the years. Other stars whose Topps rookie cards carry four figure values include Tom Glavine ($1,000-$2,000), David Justice ($500-$1,000), and Michael Tucker ($300-$600).
Hall of Fame players who were already established stars in 1987 also have some of the higher valued cards, such as Wade Boggs ($100), Rickey Henderson ($75), and Ozzie Smith ($50) in mint condition. Rare short print variations that are tougher to find can push the Boggs, Henderson, and Smith values even higher. Special parallel photo variations of stars like Wade Boggs in a batting pose variation have recently sold for over $500 in graded mint condition.
Beyond the star rookies and veterans, there are several other categories of key cards that maintain strong demand and higher values in the 1987 Topps set. Error cards containing wrong photos, misspellings, or statistical errors are highly sought after. One such error is the Mike Witt card featuring fellow Angels pitcher Kirk McCaskill’s photo which has sold for over $800. Also popular are the career milestone or achievement cards relating to big career moments like Mike Schmidt’s 500th home run or Nolan Ryan’s 5000th strikeout. These anniversary parallel variations often sell in the $75-$150 range.
Subset cards like Golden Greats saluting all-time greats like Willie Mays, the Topps All-Star Rookies subset, and the League Leader subset also routinely fetch $20 or more for star players in pristine condition. One of the toughest cards to find from the league leaders subset is the Tim Raines stolen base leader parallel which could be worth $400 or more in a PSA 10 gem mint grade. Other key insert subsets include the Diamond Kings parallels commemorating diamond anniversaries like the 35th season additions.
Of course, predicting the prices for any vintage sports card set involves considering multiple factors like the individual players, specific variations,popularity trends over time, and overall condition and grading of the card. But price guides provide a general sense of the highest dollar values collectors are currently paying to obtain some of the most critically acclaimed and condition sensitive cards from the 1987 Topps football set in today’s market. With the hobby’s continued growth, prices for many of these key cards may climb even higher in the future as more collectors pursue complete vintage Topps sets from the 1980s.
When using price guides to value your 1987 Topps cards, it’s important to also check recent sales data on websites like eBay to account for natural ebbs and flows in the market. And always factor in the card’s true condition grade when comparing to the guide’s Near Mint or Mint price point listings. But guides are a solid starting resource for getting a general idea of which 1987 cards command the top dollar amounts from seasoned collectors and could prove to be wise long term investments.
