5 Must-Have 1987 Donruss Baseball Cards For Your Collection

Last Updated on October 7, 2025 by Matt Musico

Overproducing baseball cards by an extraordinary amount made the Junk Wax Era what it was. But hidden among those sets are treasures that some serious collectors still chase today. 

The 1987 Donruss baseball cards release stands out as iconic, packed with Hall of Fame rookies and future legends that defined a generation of the game. What makes this set so special? Those notorious black borders that chip if you breathe on them wrong have created a grading nightmare, but it’s also turned pristine examples into goldmines.

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5 Classic 1987 Donruss Baseball Cards Every Collector Needs

Sports Illustrated’s Brian Hough recently shed a spotlight on five specific cards from this legendary set. Here are the ones he singled out:

Greg Maddux (#36): The Professor’s rookie card features a gloriously wispy mustache that I somehow didn’t know about!

Barry Bonds (#361): The controversial slugger as a young buck, giving us a glimpse of him before he became baseball’s single-season and all-time home run king (but not without plenty of debate). 

Mark McGwire (#46): Big Mac’s explosive arrival. This card was released while he was busy setting the MLB rookie home run record with 49 taters. 

Bo Jackson (#35): The two-sport phenom, showing him getting that cannon he called an arm warmed up.

Nolan Ryan (#97): The Express at 40, flashing the kind of look hitters would make after being forced to step into the batter’s box against him.

The Maddux Rookie: More Than Just That Mustache

Greg Maddux’s 1987 Donruss rookie captures him mid-windup, business clearly on his mind, complete with an incredible wispy mustache that I wish he kept for the duration of his career. But let’s talk about what came after that photo was snapped.

Mad Dog went on an insane run through the 1990s that virtually all pitchers dream of experiencing. The first-ballot Hall of Famer rattled off four consecutive Cy Young Awards with the Atlanta Braves between 1992 and 1995, dominating hitters with movement and precision rather than raw velocity. During that time, Maddux posted a 75-29 record with a 1.98 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 733 strikeouts, and 176 walks in 946.2 innings pitched. 

What he did outside of those four years was special, too. Maddux won at least 13 games in a season…for 20 straight years (1988-2007). He finished his career with 355 wins, a 3.16 ERA, eight All-Star Game selections, and 18 (!!) Gold Glove Awards. 

The beauty in his performance was how cerebral Maddux was about pitching. While others relied on velocity, Mad Dog was painting corners and changing eye levels, making All-Stars look foolish with fastballs that seemed to have a mind of their own. I still think about that two-seamer he’d throw at the hip of left-handed hitters to freeze them… only for everyone to watch it break back over the inside corner. 

That rookie card documents the beginning of one of baseball’s greatest pitching careers, mustache and all.

Beyond the Rookie: Other Maddux Cards Worth Your Attention

Since Maddux’s career overlapped perfectly with the junk wax explosion, collectors have plenty of options beyond his 1987 Donruss rookie. His 1987 Topps Traded rookie (#70T) is another solid pickup, often overshadowed by the Donruss but equally important for set builders.

The real gems come from his dominant Atlanta years. His 1995 Fleer Metal cards feature great designs that captured his Cy Young dominance, while 1990s inserts like Finest Refractors and Bowman’s Best also show him at his peak. These cards from his best years with the Braves carry extra weight since they document those historic performances.

For budget-conscious collectors, Maddux’s later-career base cards from the 2000s are affordable ways to own pieces of his legendary journey. Even his Chicago Cubs return cards hold sentimental value for fans who watched him come back to where his career began. The volume of Maddux cardboard out in the wild means something exists for every collector’s budget and preference.

The Legacy of 1987 Donruss: Black Borders and Hall of Fame Rookies

This release hit the market during peak production madness, but it’s earned respect that escapes the junk wax stigma. The set features 660 cards, documenting future Hall of Famers at the start of their legendary careers.

Those black borders have created scarcity in high grades that collectors probably didn’t anticipate. Finding PSA 10 examples of key rookies is hard because even factory-fresh cards often show wear on the edges from the printing process. This quirk has turned condition-sensitive collectors into border inspectors, driving premiums for pristine copies.

The rookie class alone justifies this set’s place in hobby history. Beyond the big five names, you’ll find other great ones making their cardboard debuts. 

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