1987 Donruss ‘The Rookies’ – Values and Checklist

A follow-up to the enormously popular 1986 debut issue, 1987 Donruss “The Rookies” lacked the surprise factor and overall star power of its predecessor.

Still, this 56-card set was popular at the time of issue for including the extended rookie cards (XRC) — basically the first overall Donruss cards — of several exciting young players. Among those were Matt Nokes, Kevin Seitzer, Joe Magrane, Matt Williams, and others.

Issued only through hobby dealers, each full set also included a 15-piece puzzle of Roberto Clemente, a smaller version of the puzzle inserted three pieces at a time in 1987 Donruss wax packs.

Today, three cards from this set lead the way in terms of value ( based on recent selling prices for PSA 10 copies):

• Greg Maddux (#52) – $175
• Bo Jackson (#14) – $150
• Mark McGwire (#1) – $125

Stars like Fred McGriff, Rafael Palmeiro, and Williams sell for $30-50 in perfect slabbed condition, while commons usually check in at $10 or less.

Expect to pay just a few dollars for any of the top cards in nice raw condition, while ungraded commons bring just pennies.

(Note: The sections below may 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.)

Here is the complete 1987 Donruss “The Rookies” checklist:

1 Mark McGwire
2 Eric Bell
3 Mark Williamson
4 Mike Greenwell
5 Ellis Burks (XRC)
6 DeWayne Buice
7 Mark McLemore
8 Devon White
9 Willie Fraser
10 Les Lancaster
11 Ken Williams
12 Matt Nokes (XRC)
13 Jeff Robinson (Jeff M. Robinson)
14 Bo Jackson
15 Kevin Seitzer (XRC)
16 Bill Ripken
17 B.J. Surhoff
18 Chuck Crim
19 Mike Birkbeck
20 Chris Bosio
21 Les Straker
22 Mark Davidson
23 Gene Larkin (XRC)
24 Ken Gerhart
25 Luis Polonia (XRC)
26 Terry Steinbach
27 Mickey Brantley
28 Mike Stanley
29 Jerry Browne
30 Todd Benzinger
31 Fred McGriff
32 Mike Henneman (XRC)
33 Casey Candaele
34 Dave Magadan
35 David Cone
36 Mike Jackson
37 John Mitchell (XRC)
38 Mike Dunne
39 John Smiley (XRC)
40 Joe Magrane (XRC)
41 Jim Lindeman
42 Shane Mack
43 Stan Jefferson
44 Benito Santiago
45 Matt Williams (XRC)
46 Dave Meads
47 Rafael Palmeiro
48 Bill Long
49 Bob Brower
50 James Steels
51 Paul Noce
52 Greg Maddux
53 Jeff Musselman
54 Brian Holton
55 Chuck Jackson
56 Checklist (#1-56)