25 Most Valuable 1987 Fleer Baseball Cards
Whether you love them or hate them, there is one thing I think we can all agree on when it comes to 1987 Fleer baseball cards:
Those two-tone blue borders are instantly recognizable…
You could hide the player images, names, team affiliations, etc. and leave nothing showing but the borders and still be able to identify this set.
And, I think that counts for something.
While most of these cards’ values have suffered over time due to massive printing and market saturation, some are still worth a respectable amount.
And, in this guide, I’ll go through the 25 most valuable.
Let’s jump right in!
1987 Fleer Baseball: Market Analysis and Value Guide
1987 Fleer Baseball Set Snapshot
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1987 Fleer Grading Analysis
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1987 Fleer #604 Barry Bonds Rookie Card
PSA 10 Value: $365
Total PSA Population: 30,335
PSA 10 Population: 1,293
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 4.3% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
Long before the PED allegations began making headlines, Barry Bonds was racking up MVP awards, Gold Gloves, and Silver Sluggers.
Rarely had Major League Baseball seen such incredible five-tool talent wrapped into one player, seemingly on an unstoppable path towards Cooperstown.
But, the PED allegations did come, and Hall of Fame voters haven’t forgotten, keeping the door shut for the time being.
Despite the controversy surrounding him, most of his rookie cards can still be quite valuable in high grade, including this one.
While he spent the bulk of his career with the Giants, I loved watching Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, and Andy Van Slyke with those solid Pittsburgh teams of the early 90s.
And, how about those old Pirates uniforms?
From the striped hats to the cartoonish pirate logo, those uniforms are retro classics.
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1987 Fleer #67 Nolan Ryan
PSA 10 Value: $350
Total PSA Population: 811
PSA 10 Population: 124
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 15.3% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
If there was ever a chance for Nolan Ryan to grab an elusive Cy Young Award, it came during the 1987 season.
Officially in his forties and heading into his penultimate season with the Houston Astros, Ryan recaptured the form and fireballs of his 1970s peak.
The Ryan Express steamrolled to a league ERA title for the second time in his two-decade-long career thus far, pitching to a 2.76 ERA in 211.2 innings (34 starts).
He struck out an MLB-leading 270 batters, the first of four straight campaigns that he’d at least pace the league.
Age meant little to Ryan.
How else can you explain his league bests in ERA+ (142), hits per 9 (6.5), strikeouts per 9 (11.5), and K/BB ratio (3.10)?
The Texas native outpitched nearly every other starter in the Majors despite a woeful lack of run support.
It could have been enough to win a Cy, but the Astros’ 76-win year relegated Ryan to fifth.
This marked the first time a pitcher failed to win the award despite leading the league in ERA and strikeouts.
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1987 Fleer #369 Bo Jackson Rookie Card
PSA 10 Value: $300
Total PSA Population: 4,927
PSA 10 Population: 676
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 13.7% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
Some may say there is too much blue occurring on this card because of how those old Royals uniforms mesh with the blue borders.
But, who cares?
It’s a Bo Jackson rookie card…
Jackson was one of the biggest names in sports during the late 80s and early 90s because of his ability to play baseball and football at the highest levels.
As a testament to his talents, Jackson was named both an MLB All-Star and NFL Pro Bowler at different points in his career.
Sadly, his greatness was derailed when he suffered a hip injury during a game against the Bengals in 1991.
However, his popularity among hobbyists certainly has not been derailed at all, as both his baseball and football cards remain desirable to those who grew up watching him.
Count me in as one of those Bo Jackson fans.
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1987 Fleer #204 Barry Larkin Rookie Card
PSA 10 Value: $160
Total PSA Population: 2,773
PSA 10 Population: 452
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 16.3% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
Born and raised in Cincinnati, it seems only fitting that Larkin would spend his entire 19-year career in a Cincinnati Reds uniform.
One of the best of his era on both sides of the ball, Larkin would collect nine Silver Slugger and three Gold Glove awards during his Hall of Fame career.
He was particularly fantastic during the 1995 season when he batted .319 with 51 stolen bases, picking up an All-Star selection, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and an MVP award for his efforts.
It was the first time in over three decades that a shortstop earned MVP honors since Maury Wills did so in 1962.
One of my most vivid memories of Larkin was watching the Reds and him unexpectedly sweep the Oakland Athletics during the 1990 World Series.
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1987 Fleer #605 Bobby Bonilla Rookie Card
PSA 10 Value: $150
Total PSA Population: 158
PSA 10 Population: 31
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 19.6% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
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1987 Fleer #269 Will Clark Rookie Card
PSA 10 Value: $125
Total PSA Population: 1,552
PSA 10 Population: 245
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 15.8% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
Will Clark’s attitude often landed him in hot water with teammates.
He didn’t seem to mind.
In 1987, Clark led the San Francisco Giants to and through baseball’s glass ceiling en route to the team’s first division title since 1971.
The 23-year-old first baseman was named Player-of-the-Week on multiple occasions and even put together a stretch of eight home runs in 11 games.
After the Giants secured slugger Kevin Mitchell at the trade deadline, San Francisco soared, grabbing the NL West lead on August 21st and never looking back.
Clark ended the year as a top-five MVP finisher, slashing .308/.371/.580 with 35 home runs, 29 doubles, 89 runs, and 91 RBIs in 150 games.
The trade-off with Clark was that he was constantly griping, fuming, and slamming equipment around.
He wasn’t everyone’s favorite, but his theatrics were part of what made him great.
“Some people don’t like Will because he talks a lot,” Mitchell said.
“If you don’t hear Will, something’s wrong.
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1987 Fleer #104 Don Mattingly
PSA 10 Value: $115
Total PSA Population: 363
PSA 10 Population: 104
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 28.7% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
Not many players were hotter in the hobby during the late 80s than Don Mattingly.
Heading into his fourth full season in 1987, Mattingly already had a batting title, MVP, three All-Star selections, two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers to his name.
The guy was on fire.
However, the 1987 season would be the last time he hit 30 or more home runs or had a slugging percentage over .500.
Although he still produced at a level worthy enough of two more All-Star selections in 1988 and 1989, his power just wasn’t the same.
Mattingly was still a Gold Glover for multiple years after that but, unfortunately, the injury bug caught up to him and threw off his offensive production enough to dampen his Hall of Fame hopes.
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1987 Fleer #389 Jose Canseco
PSA 10 Value: $80
Total PSA Population: 340
PSA 10 Population: 54
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 15.9% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
Before they became the unwitting poster boys of baseball’s Steroid Generation, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire were simply the “Bash Brothers”, two young kids who traded bombs and brought back the glory days of Oakland baseball.
In 1987, Canseco passed the AL Rookie-of-the-Year award on to McGwire, who shattered Frank Robinson and Wally Berger’s first-year home run record (38) with 49.
Canseco’s season, as you might expect, took a back seat to McGwire’s breakout in the headlines.
Perhaps it was for the better.
The 22-year-old brought the boom with 31 home runs and 113 RBIs to go along with 15 stolen bases.
However, that production was counterbalanced by the sixth-most strikeouts in the Majors (157) and sub-average play in left field.
Regardless, the Bash Brothers still combined for 80 of Oakland’s 199 homers, over 40% of the team’s output.
As the pieces around Canseco and McGwire fell into place, those round-trippers would soon be converted into pennants.
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1987 Fleer #572 Ryne Sandberg
PSA 10 Value: $75
Total PSA Population: 147
PSA 10 Population: 58
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 39.5% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
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1987 Fleer #101 Rickey Henderson
PSA 10 Value: $55
Total PSA Population: 325
PSA 10 Population: 115
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 35.4% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
Before he became a “Nasty Boy,” Randy Myers was a critical piece of the New York Mets’ post-championship bullpen.
Baseball was a lot different in the Eighties, for many reasons.
One of those is how injuries were treated and stigmatized.
The adage “rub some dirt on it” was gospel for many managers, and players were often overworked when simple rest and rehab would have prevented further complications.
Take Rickey Henderson’s 1987 season.
The New York Yankees center fielder suffered a severe hamstring injury that nagged him all year long.
A sustained absence would have done him good, but new Yankees manager Lou Pinella wasn’t buying it.
Pinella antagonized his star in the clubhouse and the press, questioning his desire to help the team.
Henderson tried to suck it up multiple times, and it only led to more issues.
“I would probably have said ‘no’ in a couple of instances and prevented the injury from becoming worse,” Henderson said later.
The future stolen base champion missed a total of 67 games in ’87, yet still placed fifth in the AL with 41 swipes.
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1987 Fleer #416 Tony Gwynn
PSA 10 Value: $55
Total PSA Population: 261
PSA 10 Population: 62
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 23.8% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
There are many trivia tidbits about San Diego Padres icon Tony Gwynn that highlight just how special he was as a hitter.
One of those is that he joins the original GOAT, Ty Cobb, as the only players with multiple consecutive streaks of three batting titles or more.
He started the first of those in 1987.
Already with one batting crown to his name, the 27-year-old right fielder treaded water for a couple of months before going full supernova in June.
Gwynn went 44-for-93 during the month, good for a mind-melting .473 average.
He reached base over 52% of the time during that 25-game stretch.
That was enough to put Gwynn ahead for the long haul, even with a subpar July (.292) and a talent-bare supporting cast factored in.
The Hall-of-Fame finished with a baseball-best .370 average to go along with MLB highs in hits (.218) and WAR (8.6).
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1987 Fleer #213 Pete Rose
PSA 10 Value: $50
Total PSA Population: 454
PSA 10 Population: 145
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 31.9% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
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1987 Fleer #549 Kirby Puckett
PSA 10 Value: $45
Total PSA Population: 240
PSA 10 Population: 83
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 34.6% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
From 1986 until his retirement in 1995, Kirby Puckett was on an absolute tear during those ten seasons.
Not only was he a solid hitter, but he was also tough on defense, proving to be one of the best all-around players of his era.
Named an All-Star each year, Puckett picked up six Gold Gloves, six Silver Sluggers, a batting title, two World Series rings, and finished in the top-seven for MVP voting seven times.
He was brilliant.
Puckett’s 1984 Fleer Update rookie card remains a hobby icon, but this one in top condition is still popular among collectors as well.
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1987 Fleer #23 Darryl Strawberry
PSA 10 Value: $40
Total PSA Population: 92
PSA 10 Population: 46
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 50.0% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
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1987 Fleer #45 Tom Seaver
PSA 10 Value: $35
Total PSA Population: 120
PSA 10 Population: 73
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 60.8% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
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1987 Fleer #187 Mike Schmidt
PSA 10 Value: $35
Total PSA Population: 246
PSA 10 Population: 130
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 52.8% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
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1987 Fleer #308 Ozzie Smith
PSA 10 Value: $35
Total PSA Population: 119
PSA 10 Population: 71
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 59.7% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
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1987 Fleer #478 Cal Ripken Jr.
PSA 10 Value: $35
Total PSA Population: 479
PSA 10 Population: 162
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 33.8% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
Well before he became a legitimate threat to Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played, Cal Ripken Jr. set another Ironman mark that is much less discussed.
On June 4th, 1982, the Baltimore Orioles’ rookie shortstop was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the ninth frame of a 6-0 loss to Minnesota.
The next day, he began an all-time record streak of 8,264 consecutive innings played.
Let’s put that into proper perspective.
On August 31st, 1985, Ripken passed pre-Deadball Era star George Pinkney with his 5,153rd inning in a row.
Pinkney’s record was set in 1890, and no one had even come close until Ripken came along.
That’s amazing enough on its own.
Yet, Ripken was far from done.
In fact, he didn’t rest until September 14th, 1987, over two years after breaking the record.
The 26-year-old shortstop played the first seven innings against Toronto before his manager (and dad), Cal Ripken Sr., pulled him for a replacement, ending his streak at 8,264.
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1987 Fleer #32 Roger Clemens
PSA 10 Value: $30
Total PSA Population: 538
PSA 10 Population: 132
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 24.5% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
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1987 Fleer #366 George Brett
PSA 10 Value: $30
Total PSA Population: 301
PSA 10 Population: 133
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 44.2% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
As one injury healed for George Brett in 1987, another one came sneaking around the corner to put him back on the injured liSt. On April 19th, the star Kansas City Royals third baseman took a powerful cut and separated cartilage on the right side of his rib cage.
The injury made it hard to breathe, let alone swing a bat.
Brett was held out for 20 games, returning in mid-May as the Royals tried to assert themselves in a wide-open AL WeSt. However, he was sidelined once again three days later after suffering a partial MCL tear in his right knee on a relay throw home.
The 34-year-old ended up missing over a quarter of the season with both injuries, a critical absence that likely doomed the 83-win Royals to second place in an extremely winnable division.
Brett still made his 12th All-Star Game despite the interruptions, slashing .290/.388/.496 with 22 home runs and 78 RBIs in 115 games.
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1987 Fleer #361 Robin Yount
PSA 10 Value: $30
Total PSA Population: 88
PSA 10 Population: 47
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 53.4% (Set Avg.: 12.7%)
1987 Fleer Baseball Cards In Review
Looking back through the 1987 Fleer set, it’s fun to reminisce about that era of the hobby as it brings back so many memories of the great players who were a part of it.
The set, featuring 660 cards in total, is every bit as instantly recognizable as its Donruss and Topps counterparts.
Each of them had unique designs, but those blue borders arguably made the Fleer set the warmest and brightest of the three.
The checklist also included a few subsets:
- SuperStar Specials (#625 – 643)
- Major League Prospects (#644 – 653)
- Checklists (#654 – 660)
Inserts included:
- All-Stars (#1 – 12)
- Headliners (#1 – 6)
- World Series (#1 – 12)
- Team Stickers
While many had written off this set as junk, collectors of that era searching for a bit of nostalgia are starting to show interest again.
