The Best 1987 Topps Baseball Cards
Throughout 1987, it seemed every newspaper – big and small – ran a story about collecting sports cards, helping drive demand and incredible growth in sales of 1987 Topps Baseball cards.
From coast to coast and from young to old, everyone had baseball card fever.
From July 1986 to June 1987, Topps nearly doubled its sports card sales from $30.2 million to $59.2 million. Over the next 12 months, the same figure nearly doubled again, jumping to $120 million.1
Behind that boost, Topps, then a publicly traded company, gave shareholders a special $10 dividend on January 5, 1988, even though shares of the stock were valued just below $16 at the market’s close that day.
And most of that growth and financial windfall came because of the wood-grained bordered baseball set that is still easily recognized and cherished by many collectors today – the 1987 Topps Baseball set.
What Are The Best 1987 Topps Baseball Cards?
From iconic rookie cards to big-time superstars, the 792-card 1987 Topps Baseball set has it all, and the following are the best cards from the checklist.
1987 Topps #170 Bo Jackson RC
Going into the 1987 season, Jackson only had 78 professional games to his credit, so he wasn’t assured an Opening Day roster spot. But with potential piled high on his shoulders, Topps took a chance and made him one of six Future Stars, a subset returning to the checklist for the first time since 1981.
Jackson delivered, smashing 22 home runs in 116 games before further boosting his general popularity with the NFL’s Los Angeles Raiders in the winter. His Topps baseball rookie card has remained a steady pick among collectors, with high-grade examples often commanding over $100 in today’s secondary market.
Shop for Bo Jackson’s 1987 Topps rookie card:
- On eBay
- On Beckett Marketplace
1987 Topps #500 Don Mattingly
Mattingly’s card doesn’t carry much demand now, but when it came out in 1987, nearly every collector wanted to add the newest look at the 1985 American League MVP to their collection.
The lucky ones could pair it with his 1984 Topps rookie card, which had been steadily rising in value leading up to the ’87 season. “Mattingly is the guy right now,” Dr. James Beckett, the namesake of this website, told the United Press in March 1987. “He’s got everything. He plays in New York, he hits for power, he hits for average, he’s a classy fielder.”2 Mattingly also has an All-Star card (#606) in the set.
Shop for Don Mattingly’s 1987 Topps card:
- On eBay
- On Beckett Marketplace
1987 Topps #366 Mark McGwire
“McGwire has a chance to really take off,” said J.B. Spragins, who owned a collectibles store in Huntsville, Alabama, in June 1987. “He’s a power hitter and has a good shot at being Rookie of the Year.”3 McGwire did just that, winning unanimous Rookie of the Year honors with a then-rookie record 49 home runs.
His card experienced a revival 11 years later as he pursued the single-season home run record throughout the summer of 1998. In the December 1998 issue of Beckett Baseball Card Monthly, McGwire’s Topps rookie-year card was valued four times higher than any other card from the set, and it remains one the key cards to find in high grade today.
Shop for Mark McGwire’s 1987 Topps card:
- On eBay
- On Beckett Marketplace
1987 Topps #620 Jose Canseco
From 1960 through 1978, players selected for the Topps All-Star Rookie Team had a special golden Rookie Cup emblem on their flagship Topps card the next year. Topps continued selecting All-Star Rookies each year but did not include the emblem on cards from 1979 to 1986. Topps returned the Rookie Cup to its cards in 1987, and leading the way on the 1986 All-Star Rookie Team was American League Rookie of the Year Jose Canseco, whose 1987 Topps card is a classic.
The green and gold colors of Canseco’s uniform and the card’s design accents blend perfectly with the Rookie Cup emblem to create one of the most aesthetically pleasing offerings from the set.
Shop for Jose Canseco’s 1987 Topps card:
- On eBay
- On Beckett Marketplace
1987 Topps #320 Barry Bonds RC
Bonds became a polarizing figure as accusations of performance-enhancing drug use clouded his reputation as a legend, but whether you love him or you hate him, it’s hard to deny that his 1987 Topps rookie card is not one of the most important cards in the set.
Like McGwire, Bonds’ rookie card also had a delayed renaissance, as his 73-home run season in 2001 made history and he later broke Henry Aaron’s all-time home run record with his 756th longball in 2007. High-grade examples still get plenty of attention from collectors, with auctions for gem mint offerings often clearing $100.
Shop for Barry Bonds’ 1987 Topps rookie card:
- On eBay
- On Beckett Marketplace
1987 Topps #648 Barry Larkin RC
Collectors in 1987 would have a hard time believing that only one Hall of Fame player has a rookie card in the set.
Upon release, the rookie card chase contributed to the set’s success, as collectors looked for the players mentioned above, as well as rookies like Wally Joyner, John Kruk, Bobby Bonilla, B.J. Surhoff, Ruben Sierra, and Mike Greenwell. All of those players became All Stars but none of them quite lived up to the hype that surrounded their 1987 Topps rookie cards. Meanwhile, Larkin was overlooked at the time but emerged as one of the best rookies from the set after building a 19-year career with Cincinnati Reds that included 12 All-Star appearances and the 1995 MVP award.
Shop for Barry Larkin’s 1987 Topps rookie card:
- On eBay
- On Beckett Marketplace
Bonus Pick: 1987 Topps #93 Jim Leyland RC
Few collectors have probably ever jumped for joy after pulling a manager’s base card, even if it features a popular manager like Leyland. But every so often, a manager card is more than a manager card – and that’s the case here.
Leyland never rose above Double A as a player, so he never had a playing-era rookie card. He began managing in the minors at age 26 and jumped to the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 1986 season, earning an XRC in the 1986 Topps Traded set in the process. The next year, he made the flagship set, and the 42-year-old skipper finally had his rookie card. After a career that spanned five decades, voters inducted Leyland into Cooperstown in 2024, giving the set a second Hall of Fame rookie card.
Shop for Jim Leyland’s 1987 Topps rookie card:
- On eBay
- On Beckett Marketplace
Bonus Pick: 1987 Topps #420 Will Clark RC
After placing fifth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1986, Clark produced a massive sophomore season and finished fifth in MVP voting in 1987.
He landed in the top five of voting in three of the next four seasons as he built the foundation of a solid 15-year career. Often overlooked, Clark hit .303 for his career, and he has a dedicated collector base that considers his Topps rookie a must-own.
Shop for Will Clark’s 1987 Topps rookie card:
- On eBay
- On Beckett Marketplace
What Are The Most Valuable 1987 Topps Baseball Cards?
Here are the five most valuable 1987 Topps Baseball cards, based upon raw mint values from the Beckett Online Price Guide at the time of publication.
- Bo Jackson #170 RC – $12
- Barry Bonds #320 RC – $12
- Mark McGwire #366 – $10
- Barry Larkin #648 RC – $2.50
- Jim Leyland #93 RC – $2
The high-gloss Topps Tiffany versions of the same cards carry a premium. Click on a player’s name to shop for their Tiffany card on eBay.
- Bo Jackson #170 RC – $50
- Barry Bonds #320 RC – $50
- Mark McGwire #366 – $25
- Barry Larkin #648 RC – $20
- Jim Leyland #93 RC – $10
1987 Topps Baseball cards at a glance:
Cards per pack: Wax – 17
Packs per box: Wax – 36
Boxes per case: Wax – 20
Set size: 792 cards
First card show ever I had gone to was January 1987.
Father got me several packs of the newest Topps baseball release.
All the while, imagine if instead was 1986-87 Fleer basketball and held on to any MJ pull………
I thought McGwire’s 87 card wasn’t a rookie card because he was in the 85 set. Did that change at some point?
Some collectors consider McGwire’s 1987 cards as rookies, but you are correct that the book definition, according to Beckett, is that his 1985 Topps card is the rookie card.
Hey Andrew harner I have some old 1883 n 1887 baseball cards I’m trying to get rid of would you be interested