The 1987 Topps baseball card set was the 66th annual complete set produced by the Topps Trading Card Company. It marked the first year that Topps did not have competition from rival card company Donruss, who had started producing MLB player sets in 1981 but stopped after 1986. With no other company vying for the baseball card market that year, Topps was able to solely focus on producing their flagship set.
The 1987 set was comprised of 792 total cards and featured multi-color graphics on each player card front. The set included photos and stats for all 26 MLB teams from the 1986 season. Some notable rookies included in the 1987 Topps set were Mark McGwire, Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds, and Tom Glavine. Veteran stars prominently featured included Mike Schmidt, Nolan Ryan, Wade Boggs, and Ozzie Smith.
Unique to the 1987 Topps design was the team logo depicted above the player’s headshot on the front of each card. The card backs contained the standard player stats box, brief career highlights, and fun facts about each player. Topps also included popular insert cards like Traded cards (featuring players who changed teams in 1987) and Record Breakers cards. Fan favorites like the annual Yankees team cards and manager cards rounded out the checklist.
The 1987 Topps set integrated a special ‘700 Home Run Club’ subset focusing on the five players who had reached the 700 home run milestone at that point – Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg, and Ted Williams. These stars received regal treatment with ornate gold borders and large centered photos across both the front and back of the cards in the subset.
Production quality was high for Topps in 1987 thanks to the sole licensor status. Card stock was thick and glossy. Photo reproduction was crisp and colorful. The innovative design made the set instantly identifiable and collectible. Overall condition of the base cards has held up very well over the past 35+ years due to the durable construction.
Graded gem mint 10 examples of key rookie cards like McGwire, Bonds, and Glavine have exploded in value in recent years. Near-mint to mint conditional copies still command premium prices due to strong collector demand for complete 1987 Topps sets. And with Hall of Fame inductees like Bonds and McGwire, interest will likely remain high.
The huge number of cards produced also means finding raw, complete 1987 Topps baseball sets in bargain bins is still possible for collectors looking to build their vintage collection. Though pricier than its competition-era issues, the 1987’s attractive design, milestone rookie class, and stock durability have cemented it as a highly collectible vintage Topps baseball release even decades after production. For diehard ’80s card fans, owning a pristine ’87 Topps checklist remains the ultimate prize.
The 1987 Topps baseball card set holds an important place in the vintage Topps timeline as the first true “true flagship” set without outside competition influencing the production process. With a memorable multi-colored design highlighting each team, memorable rookie cards, gold parallel “700 HR Club” cards, and an enormous printing that ensured availability for decades, it’s easy to understand why the ’87 Topps set still thrills collectors with its nostalgic appeal and collectability over 35 years later.
