Optimism filled the Pittsburgh Pirates as the club celebrated its 100th year in the National League on Opening Day in 1987. With young Barry Bonds ready to play his first full season, a pitching staff that looked like it could carry the Pirates to a division title, and several newcomers looking to find their place, Pittsburgh nearly came from behind to win on Opening Day against the defending World Series champion New York Mets. But even with a loss, Donruss immortalized the starters from that game in its inaugural release of Donruss Opening Day, a 272-card set that featured every player who started on Opening Day in 1987. But when collectors flipped to the Pirates portion of the factory set, a small percentage of them found an unusual Bonds rookie card—unusual because it pictured teammate Johnny Ray. Many collectors estimate only 1-2% of the production released before Donruss corrected Card No. 163, making the error version one of the most coveted 1980s baseball cards. PSA has assessed nearly 3,000 examples of Bonds’ corrected rookie card but only 155 examples of the error version that features Ray. Because of the full bleed maroon border, few examples surface in high grade, and only 13 error cards have earned a PSA 10 designation. So, while collectors do not often brag about 1987 baseball cards, the winning bidder will make no mistake by sharing the news of this acquisition far and wide.
