The 1987 Topps baseball card set is considered one of the most valuable issues from the late 1980s.Released in May 1987, the set features 660 total cards including 652 base cards, 4 Team Cards, and 4 Manager Cards. Several factors have contributed to the enduring popularity and strong secondary market for 1987 Topps cards over the past 35 years.
One of the biggest drivers of value for the 1987 set is the presence of future Hall of Famers who were still early in their careers at the time. This includes players like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Mike Mussina. While most of their rookie cards were featured in earlier sets, their 1987 Topps cards captured them in what would become their prime years.
Bonds’ card in particular (#234) is one of the most coveted in the set. Still with the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time, it shows him in the early stages of his ascent toward arguably being the greatest hitter of all time. PSA 10 Gem Mint examples frequently trade hands for over $1000. McGwire’s (#255) and Maddux’s (#251) are also extremely valuable commons in top grades due to their status.
Rookie cards in the 1987 set that can comand high prices include Tom Glavine (#484), Mike Mussina (#567), and Ellis Burks (#443). While not rookies, Fernando Valenzuela’s (#137) and Don Mattingly’s (#245) are also highly regarded veterans cards that regularly attract serious bidder interest. Some key short prints like Ozzie Smith (#151) can reach the $100-200 range as well in top condition.
One of the true blue chip cards in the 1987 Topps set is Ken Griffey Jr’s rookie (#116). Widely considered one of the most iconic baseball cards ever issued, PSA 10 copies have broken records by selling for over $100,000 at auction. Even high-grade non-gem examples still trade in the low thousands. With his electrifying play and trademark backward hat, Griffey became the face of the sport during the late 80s-90s – immortality firmly cemented on his Topps rookie.
But beyond star players, perhaps the biggest beneficiary of time appreciation for 1987 Topps has been Nolan Ryan. His expressive action pose on his Astros card (#432) perfectly captured the fireballer in his prime. High grade versions routinely trade for thousands, but a PSA 10 could theoretically achieve over six figures one day given Ryan’s awe-inspiring legend status. His expressiveness and dynamism are rarely matched in a single sports card image.
Another key factor driving collectors to 1987 Topps is the overall nostalgia for the late 80s design aesthetic. Characterized by bold fluorescent colors and futuristic gradients blended with classic baseball photography, the set tapped into that fun, flashy tone of the Reagan era. Today this lends itself well to the present vintage and retro collecting trends.
Much like the designs from the early 1970s, there’s also just something about the large, symmetrical nameplates and photography cropping style of late 80s Topps issues that give them universal collecting appeal. They strike a perfect balance between classic baseball card artsiness and a fun, funky postmodern pop art sensibility. This has contributed to the sets maintaining strong crossover appeal beyond just the standard baseball collecting demographic.
One final attribute that makes 1987 Topps so investment-worthy is simply the sheer rarity of high quality samples still around today, especially in the ever-coveted Pristine PSA 10 condition. Like all card issues pre-1991 Upper Deck, they were not printed on the durable, archival stock we see in modern cards. Coupled with the sheer numbers opened and played with in the late 80s boom years pre-slab era, pristine survivors have just continued to disappear at a steady rate from circulation. Every ungraded copy taken out of play makes the finite population that much harder to find.
The 1987 Topps set enjoys strong collector demand drawing from its many Hall of Fame talents captured in their primes, iconic rookie cards of Griffey and others, nostalgic yet stylish design aesthetic, and the simple scarcity imposed by survival over 35 years. While individual cards may fluxuate, the set as a whole seems almost certain to maintain its secure place as a blue-chip mainstream investment for both baseball fans and vintage pop art connoisseurs in the years to come. Strong grades of star players and key rookies show no sign of losing their capacity to generate impressive prices upon crossing the auction block.
