1987 Topps - Classic Set

El Caballo

87 Topps holds a special place in my heart.  When I first pulled my cards out of the attic a month ago, it was 87 Topps that I went to first.  I don't know exactly when I first started collecting, but 87 Topps are the first cards I remember having as a child.  My favorite card was from this set... card #6, Ruben Sierra, Record Breaker.  Ruben was coming into his 2nd year in 87 after a very promising rookie campaign.  His rookie card is in all 3 of the major 87 sets (Topps, Fleer, Donruss), although this Record Breaker card is NOT his rookie.  I loved Ruben Sierra.  I was a huge Rangers fan and he was a hot-ticket item at the time.  This was also one of the first cards I remember having.  All of that added up to making it my favorite card, plus this one other factor that pertained specifically to me alone - take a look at the back of the card to find out what it is:

Thanks for breaking the record when I turned 6.

His record-breaking game occurred on September 13th, 1986 - which just happens to be my birthday.  Awesome card rife with memories for me.

Bo Knows the Future

There are other reasons to like 87 Topps as well.  The design is wacky, but very charming to me.  I think a lot of snobby collectors these days look back at 87 Topps with angst, because it was one of the first massively-produced sets that started the whole Junk Wax Era debacle, but I don't blame that on the set.  It was just merely meeting the demand of the age, which was at an all-time high.  Collectors are not as common as they were back then, so to the current-day collector, they were over-produced.  The funky design also rubs some the wrong way - just not me.  I love it.  The wood-grain borders are instantly recognizable.  I love the little circle team logos in the top left and the comic-sans-y type font used for the nameplate.  The Future Stars variants were also a nice touch - Bo Jackson's in particular.

While it's not likely this set will ever see a huge price increase due to the availability and large supply of sets out there, it will always remain one of my favorites for the reasons mentioned above.  It's a fun set to flip through.  There are also a few nice rookie cards in the set, including the aforementioned Bo Jackson ($3), Barry Bonds (kind of - he was also available in 86 Topps Traded as an XRC) ($8), Will Clark ($1), Barry Larkin ($2.50), Rafael Palmeiro ($1.50), Ruben Sierra ($0.50), & Jamie Moyer ($0.50).  The Mark McGwire ($4) card is also kind of a rookie, but most don't consider it to be his true rookie since he had a 1985 Topps Olympics baseball card.  The 87 Topps Traded set also includes a nice Greg Maddux rookie card that books for $10.00 in Beckett.  87 Topps is exactly the type of set that makes me a certified Junk Wax Junkie!  Today's sets are definitely fancier, but can't compete with the kitschy yet endearing design that 87 Topps so perfectly captures.