There was a time when the 1987 Topps Mark McGwire was one of the hottest must-have cards in the hobby.
The sports card industry in the late 80s was already ablaze.
And then a young McGwire showed up and produced one of the most historic rookie seasons in MLB history on his way to a unanimous '87 AL-Rookie-of-the-Year honors.
His '87 Topps card was instantly one of the hottest commodities in a hot market.
But how has it held up over time?
Is it still as coveted as it once was?
In this guide, we'll look at what makes it unique, how much it's worth, and the best ways to buy and sell one in today's market.
Let's jump right in!
1987 Topps Mark McGwire Value
The value of a 1987 Topps #366 Mark McGwire card will depend on its condition and whether or not a third-party company like PSA has professionally graded it.
If you go on a site like eBay, you'll notice that prices are all over the place.
Typically, this card will sell between $1 - $1.50 if it is ungraded or "raw," as the term hobbyists usually like to use for a card that remains as it was when pulled from a pack.
However, if you see the card selling for much higher, it's most likely because the card has been graded.
Prices for graded 1987 Topps Mark McGwire cards can vary wildly depending on the grade they receive for one simple reason: collectors are willing to pay higher prices for higher quality cards.
Most grading companies use a 1 - 10 scale to judge a card's condition, with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest--the higher the grade the higher the value.
Centering, corners, surfaces and edges are the four key areas of focus.
Here's a look at estimated values in various conditions:
Estimated Ungraded Value: $1 - $1.50
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $100
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $15
Estimated PSA 1 - 8 Values: $1 - $6
Errors and Variations
To my knowledge, there aren't any errors or variations of this card.
The 1987 Topps baseball set itself was fairly well-printed.
Outside of the Dwight Gooden and Don Mattingly All-Star cards that sometimes appear without the trademark on the NL/AL logos, the 792-card checklist is pretty much free of any errors or variations.
1987 Topps Tiffany
Estimated Ungraded Value: $20 - $30
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $375
Known officially as "Collector's Editions", Topps began issuing higher-end "Tiffany" sets in 1984.
These premium cards featured higher-quality cardstock and a much glossier finish.
Due to their relative scarcity compared to their base set counterparts, the Tiffany versions of a given card often fetch much higher prices on today's market.
Depending on the year, there can be multiple ways to distinguish a regular Topps card from its counterpart.
When it comes to '87 Topps, the easiest way is to flip the card over, and you'll instantly see that a Tiffany card's reverse is much brighter and whiter.
Below is a comparison of the reverse side of McGwire's base card and his Tiffany version.
1987 O-Pee-Chee
McGwire didn't make the shortened '87 O-Pee-Chee checklist.
At just 396 cards (half the amount of the '87 Topps checklist), Topps' Canadian counterpart reduced every team's representation except for the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays.
For obvious reasons...
However, the Oakland Athletics were one of the least represented teams in the checklist at just eleven cards.
Jose Canseco made the cut, and his O-Pee-Chee card can be worth over $1,000 in PSA 10 condition.
If McGwire had been included, his card would have been worth even more.
If you can believe it, the 1987 O-Pee-Chee Barry Bonds rookie has sold for as high as $20,000 or more in PSA 10 condition.
McGwire's probably wouldn't be worth that much, but he'd outpace Canseco.
Instead, collectors can only dream.
And, rather than McGwire at #366 in the checklist, Montreal's Randy St. Claire took the spot.
1987 Topps Mark McGwire Card In Review
Mark McGwire's MLB career will forever be tarnished because of his connection with PEDs.
But the hobby will always remember him for his place as one of the biggest names of the "Junk Era."
For years, his rookie cards were some of the most sought-after in the industry.
And as the years went by and he kept sending more and more balls over the outfield walls, that demand only grew.
Unfortunately, the hobby bubble burst during the early 1990s.
And his connection to PED usage that came to light in the early 2000s dealt another blow to his hobby legacy.
Still, there's no question that his '87 Topps rookie was and still is one of the most iconic of its era.
