Manufacturer: Donruss
Set: 1987 Donruss Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Kevin Elster
Position/Team: Shortstop for Mets
Card #: 635
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Value Snapshot: Raw/Ungraded: $1 | Grade 10: $25
⬇️ See More Pricing Data Below
Selected in the 2nd round of the 1984 MLB January Draft out of Golden West College by the New York Mets, Kevin Duane Elster was a smooth-fielding shortstop known for his soft hands, elite arm strength, and timely home run power.
Elster played 13 Major League seasons (1986–1998) across stints with the Mets, Dodgers, Yankees, Phillies, Rangers, and Pirates. A 1986 World Series Champion with New York, he holds a memorable place in Texas Rangers history for his explosive comeback performance during the inaugural season at the Ballpark in Arlington.
Elster broke into the big leagues as a defensive whiz behind Rafael Santana before taking over as New York’s everyday shortstop.
1986 World Series Ring: Called up late in the 1986 season at age 22, Elster appeared in 19 regular-season games and logged postseason action for the World Champion New York Mets.
MLB Defensive Record: Set a then-MLB record for shortstops by playing 88 consecutive errorless games between the 1988 and 1989 seasons.
Opening Day Monument (April 11, 1996): Hit 3 home runs and drove in 5 runs against the Boston Red Sox on Opening Day in 1996, becoming the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs in his team’s opening game of the season.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
Tracking the current market value for the 1987 Donruss Kevin Elster Card #635. Below, find updated pricing data for ungraded (raw) copies, as well as verified PSA graded sales trends collected from secondary marketplaces.
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Raw/Ungraded: $1
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Grade 8: $10
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Grade 9: $15
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Grade 10: $25
Data Updated: September 2026
➡️ See All 1987 Donruss Rookie Card Prices
Pricing data includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information. (Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
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Did You Know? After missed seasons due to shoulder injuries, Elster signed with the Texas Rangers in 1996 and delivered a career year. He hit .252 with 24 home runs and 99 RBIs in 126 games, winning AL Comeback Player of the Year and leading Texas to its first-ever division title.
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