Completed Set: 1987 Topps Football

Around this time last year I completed my first set of football cards. Because I'm not a football collector at all, I went with some low-hanging fruit: 1989 Topps. 

 

It was a fun set to complete—so much so that over this past year I thought I'd try to complete another set from the decade. The ambition to try one of those 528-card sets from the early '80s still wasn't there, so I decided on 1987 Topps, which, like the 1989 set, consists of a manageable 396 cards.

 

Overall, there's good bang for the buck here. We've got a few notable rookies, a sharp design that's also kid friendly, and some above-average photography. Let's get into the details.

 

The set starts out with a nice horizontal card that documents the previous year's Super Bowl, won by Bill Parcells and his New York Giants.

 

 

It sure was fun watching that team as a young kid growing up in New York. Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms, Mark Bavaro, Carl Banks, Phil McConkey, Joe Morris. The list goes on and on.

 

After that, we see some definite similarities to the 1989 set. How so?

 

 

Well, just as in the 1989 set, there were some telephone cards in 1987. Always a treat. Even Joe Montana got in on the conversation, look.

 

 

 

There were also some excellent parka cards here. Another star QB of the time, Jim McMahon, makes an appearance.

 

In 1987, players also knew the importance of the pre-game stretch. I think a Topps photographer was feeling a little artsy when he snapped that Saints card of Rueben Mayes.

 

Standard fare aside, the 1987 set does boast some nice action shots.

 

 

 

These types of images do really well with the card's design. Those banners at the top, with their jagged ends and diagonal action, really lend themselves well to all the movement and power of football. The banner colors generally match the team, too. That's a bonus compared with the '89 set. No need for me to do a set redesign here.

 

The '87 set also contains a few nice rookie cards, plus a couple of "sort of rookie" cards.

 

 

 

 

I say "sort of rookie" because Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker had already played in the USFL—both for the New Jersey Generals—and had cards issued through that league. (Speaking of rookie designations, check out the bright Super Rookie banner on the Offerdahl and Sikahema cards. Nice work by Topps there.)

But because this was a set of the 1980s, there are also some stinkers in there. You'll find lots of headshots. Look at card numbers 102, 103, and 105, for example.

Oof.

There are also way too many images of dudes just standing around.

 

 

So many plain, uninspired images made some of the other dudes sad.

 

 

But there's still some good in this set. Many of the stars received nice-looking cardboard, for example.

Jerry Rice looks like he's just evaded a pass rush at Candlestick Park and is looking to throw the ball to a fellow receiver!

 

There are also some entertaining cards in the set.

Eric Dickerson shows us the Rec Specs (plus an almost unnoticeable All-Pro banner), Mark Clayton sports a pair of shades, not a tinted visor, and Garry Zimmerman shows us how tiny a Gatorade cup looks in the hand of a guy who's 6'6" and 280 pounds.

 

Now here are two examples of a card back.

 

Legibility is decent here, and I like the shield design. The color scheme is reminiscent of 1981 Topps Baseball.

 
Next, a couple of horizontal cards.

On the left, we've got one of the League Leader cards. On the right, an example of a team card. Teams were kept together in the set, organized by win-loss record, and each team started out with the horizontal team card. I enjoy the one-line summaries at the top ("Moon plots the play"), and oftentimes there's good action to be found. 

 

And here are a few subset cards.

 

 

On the left, one of the record breaker cards that start off the set. In the middle is an example of a special "1000 Yard Club" card that was issued one per wax pack. And on the right is a wax box bottom card.
 

Finally, here's one of the checklists. Very bright.

 

 

And that's 1987 Topps. Overall, it's a decent set. The design is fun and kid friendly, with two banners across the top that are color-matched to each team. There are some good action shots (could have used more), a few nice rookie cards, and a whole bunch of future Hall-of-Famers who can be had at affordable prices.

 

I'm happy to have completed it, and I think there might be even bigger football fish to fry next.

 

What are your thoughts on 1987 Topps football? Share in the comment section, and thanks for reading!