In the spring of 1987, collectors hoping to complete all that year’s baseball card sets were confronted with a stark reality — you couldn’t find 1987 Donruss or Fleer cards anywhere.
The perception of scarcity plagued these cards for years, but by the mid 1990s, we knew the truth — there were plenty to go around, and then some.
But, while 1987 Donruss never climbed through the stratosphere from a value standpoint, that doesn’t mean they’re worthless.
In fact, just about every ’87 Donruss has something going for it, and we’ve had fun with several of them over the years.
And, even with the overproduction of a set heading into the Junk Wax Era, a handful of these black-bordered classics still trade for decent prices on a regular basis.
What follows, then, is a list of the most valuable 1987 Donruss baseball cards in PSA 9 condition, as culled from actual recent sales as listed in PSA’s Auction Prices Realized tool.
Let’s dig in!
(Note: The sections below contain affiliate links to eBay and Amazon listings for the cards being discussed. Check out our full series of posts on the history of Donruss baseball cards.)
25) 1987 Donruss Barry Larkin Rookie Card (#492)
Barry Larkin came to the Cincinnati Reds among a flurry of young players who were going to lead Cincy to a string of World Series titles …
Tom Browning …
Kurt Stillwell/Jeff Treadway …
Paul O’Neill …
And on and on.
They would bring glory back to the Riverfront and ride into Cooperstown together.
That never really panned out, but Lark sure did, collecting more than 2300 hits in a 19-year career spent entirely with the Reds.
Oh, and the 1995 NL MVP award.
Oh, and the Reds won the 1990 Fall Classic with Larkin at shortstop.
Oh, and Larkin made the Hall of Fame cut in 2012.
So, what does a 1987 Donruss rookie card with that kind of pedigree behind it bring these days?
Well…
Value: $8-12
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24) 1987 Donruss David Cone Rookie Card (#502)
Aside from being a rookie card in a pretty snazzy set just as rookie card mania *really* started to heat up, this Cone card didn’t really inspire a ton of collector interest when it was issued.
That began to change a couple years down the road, after a trade to the Mets and a 20-3 record in 1988 revealed the young strikeout artist to be a Cy Young candidate.
And, though, Cone’s greatness came at us in fits and starts over the years, the fact remains that he was one of the top starters of his generation with an outside shot to still make the Hall of Fame cut.
If he ever does, his RCs will see a resurgence.
Value: $8-12
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23) 1987 Donruss Reggie Jackson (#210)
In December of 1986, Reggie Jackson signed a free agent contract with the Oakland A’s.
Proud owner of 548 career home runs and the well-deserved title of Mr. October, Reggie had nothing left to prove.
Still, winding down his career with Oakland provided Jackson a fitting homecoming for his farewell tour, and gave collectors another round of cards to pull from our wax packs.
Value: $8-12
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22) 1987 Donruss Kirby Puckett (#149)
If Puckett got collectors excited with his 31 HR/96 RBI/.328 breakout in 1986 – and he did – then he had us absolutely giddy by the end of 1987.
In that storied season, Puck was the sparkplug firing the Twins’ incredible run to a World Series title and forever reserved his parking spot in dealer cases across the land.
Value: $10-12
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21) 1987 Donruss Will Clark Rookie Card (#66)
One of the more vocal critics of the dudes who rollicked through the so-called “Steroid Era” was Will Clark.
You might call it sour grapes, but the truth is that Will the Thrill put up some pretty hefty numbers of his own early in his career with the San Francisco Giants.
How hefty?
Try 35 home runs in 1987, plus 29 in 1988 and 23 in 1989, with bells and whistles that included lots of walks, climbing RBI totals, and one of the most beautiful lefty swings of his era.
Those were big tallies in Candlestick Park in the 1980s, and then Clark’s power started to decline.
He stuck around until 2000, long enough to see oldsters like McGwire and Barry Bonds start to actually pick up their homer pace as they aged.