The product was only available to hobby dealers and a few select retail outlets, and the result was a smaller print-run than the massively overproduced counterparts of the era. This is about as bland a card as youre likely to find for one of the greatest pitchers of all time, but I guess that was Roger Clemens punishment for having not won a Cy Young award for two years running at the time of issue. Collectors were more eager than ever to own a piece of Bos cardboard, making his 1990 Topps issue an exciting pull. Despite that tarnished reputation, his 1990 Topps rookie still has some value to it in high grade. The second, however, showed its value by nearly doubling the price of the former record holder. It was futuristic for the time, but Jeters SP RC is a clear cut above the others found on this list. Just in case that came to pass, Donruss was ready, anointing the young lefty swinger as a Rated Rookie in their bloody 1990 set . Well, Japan and the Blue Jays. Back in the late 80s and early 90s during their time with the Pirates, he and Bobby Bonilla became known as the Killer Bs as one of the most feared hitting duos in the league. The hype surrounding Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Travis Lee and Chicago Cubs phenom Kerry Wood helped drive interest initially, but it's Adrian Beltre who wound up having the most valuable rookie card in a set that also contains first-year cards of Roy Halladay, Aramis Ramirez, Miguel Tejada, Lance Berkman, Eric Chavez, Vernon Wells and many other notable 2000s standouts. If the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. is the most iconic baseball rookie card of the 1980s, the 1993 SP Derek Jeter holds a similar spot in for the 1990s. Neon Deion Sanders was a hobby phenom right from the start thanks to his electric talent in both football and baseball. Juan Gonzalez kind of got lost in the shuffle of the home run barrage during the late 1990s and the early 2000s, and especially because he sort of flamed out in his early-to-mid 30s. Jones had a great career with the Atlanta Braves and was a key figure in their success during the 90s. It was made in a limited set of 50 and this card that sold at a Goldin auction was #50/50. Bernie Williams was an extremely productive player during the mid to late 1990's. Frank Thomas was a first-round pick in 1989, but the average collector might have been forgiven for thinking that Topps had their sports mixed up when this card started popping out of packs in 1990. We love the '80s (and '90s) baseball cards: The top 15 sets of the era | Sporting News Astros +400 Dodgers +600 Mets +700 Yankees +700 Braves +900 Padres +1000 Phillies +1200 Blue Jays +1300. Ken Griffey Jr. is back again, in one of the most important sets from the 1990s. The back of the card references his hitting ability that he displayed in high school but also makes reference to him being though of as the next Mario Lemieux. Its condition sensitivity has made high-grade versions very scarce and very valuable. He was consistently productive although he did have some seasons here and there shortened by injury. Baseball cards are among the most popular collectibles in the sports memorabilia market. This time, the team couldnt overcome the dip in production and fell quickly to the Reds, 4-0. to look like when his full name appears at the bottom of the card. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, . There was no bigger rookie heading into the 1990 season than Ben McDonald. The most expensive baseball card in history just sold for $12.6 million. We didnt really know that Dont Call Me Joey would be a thing when this card was issued, but wed find out soon enough that Albert Belle had one of the most potent bats in the history of baseball. The value of this card is $5 million. Michael Jordan Cards: The Most Expensive of All Time. Gwynn won a batting title in 1989, giving him four heading into his 30s and a new decade. The Seattle Mariners outfielder was one of the top players in the game during that decade, and his cards are now highly sought after by collectors. This PSA 7.5 NM+ card is currently selling for $5,500 on eBay, so that gives you an idea as to just how expensive these babies can be. We all know of his association with the PED controversy. But, hey, if youre going to spray out an iconic error card (that may actually just be a printing flaw), what better way than to target a Hall of Famer? On the card itself, Jordan is pictured during batting practice with the, The 1993 SP Jeter is one of the best cards from the 1990s, produced on a foil background that can be ruined by the faintest touch. Contact him at [emailprotected]. Juan Gonzalez was already a solid prospect heading into the 1989 season, and his 21 home runs with Double-A Tulsa at just 19 years of age put him on the hobby radar. Manage Settings And while were very bullish on the longterm of baseball card valuations you should never invest more than youre willing to lose on anything. Mike Trout is a generational talent, and his . This card and others like it are what make it seem like the whole blackless or NNOF phenomenon might just be a printing problem and not an actual design/release error . If its the former, its a wrong back and might have a small premium over a regular Ripken for collectors of one or both of the players. Well, the 1993 card was printed with a foil layer making it incredibly delicate. Beware of listings on eBay for hundreds of thousands of dollars on cards like these they probably arent verified or even real foil. It's hard to make the claim that any 1990 Fleer baseball cards are really "most valuable" from a monetary standpoint. Unfortunately, the back issues kicked in at the wrong time as he struggled with back spasms throughout the entire postseason. And part of that goes towards chasing Kevin Maas Rookie Cards back in the day. Surprisingly, there are valuable cards from almost every year to look out for, including before, during, and after the junk wax era. A real parallel foil or border foil card will sell more in the realm of $10,000-$20,000, depending on its condition. Right, but where were his *Detroit* cards? It was the first to offer an auto in every pack, with signatures from some of the biggest stars from the time. 2 prospect in baseball at the start of the 1997 season after hitting .360/.431/.618 with 72 extra-base hits, 19 steals and more walks (54) than strikeouts (52) between High-A and Double-A as a 22-year-old. 1990: The 20 Most Valuable Ken Griffey Jr Baseball Cards! had made good, that we were pretty sure Grissom could live up to his advance billing. In todays market, a mint 1991 Chipper Jones could be worth somewhere around the $5k mark. An autograph can instantly increase the value of any card. $49.00. He had surpassed Bobby Bonds (35) that April. Even today, though, there is still some mystique to those McDonald RCs that once sat near the top of the hobby mountain. Also Check: Cbs Sports Major League Baseball Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr #156 This is a beautiful baseball card. Rookies have a history of booming and busting. In fact, its so sensitive to chipping and wear that a combination of the design and packaging caused many copies to grade less than PSA Mint 9, even when pulled straight from the pack. Clean-looking raw versions regularly sell for over $1,000 on eBay, with buyers hoping to strike gold by getting it graded. Edges are a major issue when it comes to grading, and better versions show off every curve of Mantles ear. In 2015, a PSA 10 copy would sell for roughly $30,000. The most expensive Ken Griffey Jr. card is the Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr. Dual Signed Upper Deck UDA Card. Basketball legend Michael Jordans ill-fated attempt to become a baseball star is generally meme-worthy, but his RC from 1991 is still one of the better cards from the decade. The top card in a major debut release, it has a memorable look for a generational talent. While his 1992 Bowman rookie is one of the iconic cards of the 1990s, it's actually his 1992 Fleer Update card that earns a spot on this most valuable list. His standard rookie (which we'll get to later) is the key rookie card in this set, but the version without his name on the front is an incredibly rare error and collectors are willing to pay up big time for it. . The 1990s were a strange time to be a baseball card collector. His other high . Both of his rookies eclipsed $100 raw following his Hall of Fame announcement, but it's the Ultra version that sells for slightly higher in high-grade condition. Ungraded & graded values for all '90 Topps Baseball Cards. Mostly, though, it was just a steady climb to 2200+ career hits, pulling his rookie card along with him. T210 Old Mill Joe Jackson The T210 Old Mill deck is one of the most varied. All card images courtesy of TCDB, while pricing data is pulled from recent eBay sales as of Thursday morning. It turns out there was. Believe it or not, 1990 Topps baseball cards may be better than you think. A rundown of the Most Expensive eBay Sales 1990DonrussErrorCards sold on eBay from October through December of 2021.Full list with links to e. 1990Donruss Baseball Cards Population Professional Sports Authenticator 1990Donruss Baseball Cards Population Professional Sports Authenticator 1990Donruss. The 90s isnt a bad era for baseball cards, and you can even pick up many complete sets for next to no financial outlay. But, Donruss had a tribute of their own, albeit less flashy. Of course, it was just the beginning of a Hall of Fame run for Mad Dog, and within a few years, when he was stringing together CYAs for the Braves, we were stockpiling ALL his cards including this nifty color-coordinated Cubbies deal. You May Like: Nike Dri Fit Baseball Shirts. Things were about the same (or worse) for Iron Cal in 1990, and his critics put the blame firmly on The Streak. Very few of them exist with both athletes signatures and even fewer in this condition, making this card almost certainly a one-of-a-kind treasure. It includes a lot of minor players that you may not have heard the name of before. Seen as a parallel to the main collection, each card has a print run of 100 only and can be identified by the holographic foil found at the top of the card. The blue and yellow borders on this card matched up perfectly with the Mariners uniforms back then. As well as rarity due to the small release, (estimated to be between 6,000 and 7,500), the majority had to get to an active war zone and back before being encased by the likes of PSA. His other rookie cards are in the 1997 Bowman and 1997 Bowman's Best sets, while his first Topps card was in the 1998 flagship set where he's pictured alongside fellow third base prospect Aaron Boone. What seemed to start out as a sort of cheap attempted knockoff of the classic 1975 Topps set actually has some character of its own. Of course, those homer numbers were off the charts starting in 1998, when he chased Mark McGwire to Roger Maris single-season record. One gem mint listing on eBay has an asking price of $9,500. Most Expensive 1990 Fleer Canadian card list & price guide. And he also gave us the chance to see him on a Giants card, a reality Topps helped facilitate that fall in their Traded set. 1990 Upper Deck Baseball unleashed one of the biggest baseball card innovations ever autographs. Well, for Topps this was the one, and its still special more than 30 years on. SGC vs. BGS vs. PSA Grading: Who Is Best in 2023? 1. Is it a Thomas back on a Ripken front, or some other configuration? The clean design, upscale look, bright photo not to mention the fact we pretty much all had at least one make it one of the most memorable 1990 cards still today, even if it comes with a cautionary tale. Unlike many of the others on this list, its somewhat underpriced considering the above and could make for a good investment piece. Dates back to 80s and 90s. He also topped 30 home runs for the first time and joined his father, Bobby Bonds, in the 30-30 club by adding 52 steals. $59.95. On the football field, Jackson was one of the game's best backs with a devastating combination of speed and power. The card has a large photo of a rookie A-Rod with a bat clasped in both hands, smiling towards the camera. The checklist also contains rookie cards of Jeff Kent and Tim Wakefield. Trending: Best Luka Doncic Rookie Cards | Best Joe Burrow Rookie Cards | Top Tom Brady Rookie Cards | Justin Herbert Rookie Cards are still a sneaky good buy. Still known as David Arias when his rookie cards were printed, it wasn't until he made his MLB debut late in the 1997 season that he informed the Twins that he preferred David Ortiz. There are clues that will help you tell which was an original dual and which was signed by Griffey after the fact, so be sure to check it out. Recently a PSA 10 gem mint condition version of his 1997 card sold at auction for $1,591 making it one of the most valuable cards of the 90s. All baseball fans are familiar with the exploits of Derek Jeter hes a legend of the game, but what makes this card so special? And, even among the overproduced cards from the first year in a decade noted for, well, overproduction, 1990 Fleer baseball cards seem especially plentiful. This card sold for $1,910 in 1966. Topps cards were relatively error-free throughout the 1980s, so its a bit surprising in retrospect that they uncorked such a doozy to lead off the new decade. Entering 1990, Barry Bonds was still mostly potential, flashing consistent tools across the board but never completely wowing in any one area of the game. Coming in at number 7 is a 2018 Panini Gold Prizm Trae Young Rookie Autograph serial numbered out of just 10 graded a PSA 10. The green background makes any flaws or cornering issues easier to detect, which is why finding a mint condition copy of this card is difficult. Puckett remains a collector favorite today, earning this card showing the man in his prime a slot on our list. It perfectly illustrates just what made Bo Jackson so special: That 5000th strikeout that Ryan recorded in 1989 did wonders for his hobby profile, beginning right at the front of the 1990 Topps set. This is one such example of one of the decades rarer cards. This second hunk of the Ryan recap shows him with the California Angels, the team for whom he burned down American League hitters like toothpicks in a cremation furnace for nearly a decade. What follows, then, are the most valuable 1990 Topps baseball cards plus the most valuable 1990 Topps Traded baseball cards PLUS a few surprises, as judged by actual selling prices for copies graded PSA 9. The man needed to take a day off now and then, they said, and forget about chasing Lou Gehrigs record for consecutive games played. The record for the most expensive baseball card has changed twice in the last month. 1 overall in the 1993 draft, Alex Rodriguez debuted the following year and then set the card market ablaze when he hit .358/.414/.631 with 54 doubles, 36 home runs, 123 RBI and 141 runs scored in his age-20 season to finish runner-up in MVP voting and win the AL batting title. Many of the most valuable 1990 Fleer baseball cards on eBay are standard cards with autographs. An additional 420+ MLB taters followed, along with a couple of MVP awards and plenty of other accolades. Your email address will not be published. Griffeys rookie card from 1988 is worth an estimated $2 million, according to Sports Illustrated. This time hes on his own, but its still a great option even without the help of Mickey Mantle. Jeters 1993 SP Foil is arguably the pick of the bunch and the most expensive and has also seen a notable uptick in recent years. At his peak, ungraded versions of his 1994 SP rookie card regularly sold for hundreds of dollars, though his eventual PED suspension and subsequent fall from grace took a significant bite out of their value. The GOAT took some time away from basketball to chase his lifelong dream of playing professional baseball. Serial numbered to just 99, its extremely fragile, while the shiny border is especially susceptible to chips and will highlight any blemishes. Because of his jaw-dropping performance that year, Bonds earned his first trip to the All-Star game, won his first MVP, and picked up his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. With Walter Johnson years in his rearview, Nolan Ryan sailed past 5000 strikeouts in 1989, on his way to baseball immortality. I think it's odd that he was a two-time MVP but only a three-time All-Star. Hyped as a generational talent and future superstar from the moment he was taken No. Of the six Kevin Maas Rookies, its the 1990 Upper Deck that resonates most. This one is scarce enough that pics are tough to come by, though PSA has a few on its Auction Prices Realized tool for this set. Part of that was probably because he started out with the Montreal Expos, who infamously never won a division title, but who looked like a good bet in 1994 before The Strike ended everyones season. But Mickey Mantle? Contact us: contact@baseballloveclub.com, The 30 Most Valuable Baseball Cards From 1990-1994, Top 25 Most Valuable Baseball Cards from the 1990s Rookie Cards Only. Shortcuts: Most Expensive, Cheapest, List by Card # You own: 0 / 687 items 0% Track your collection for free. And, although Murphy struggled in Philly and Colorado before retiring in 1993, hes still a hobby heavyweight all these years later, and this card reflects a solid hunk of 1980s baseball history just as an era was about to end. And, voila! Check prices on: Amazon. While many cards from the 90s are effectively worthless, there are a number of solid options that have increased in value rapidly over the past decade. If we are talking Upper Deck, a card brand that blew up in the 90s, its only right Ken Griffey Jr. be included here multiple times. For example, PSA 10 copies of his 1991 Upper Deck were selling for roughly $40 in 2017, but they now go for almost 10 times that amount. His reputation as a two-sport superstar earned him a place in . Like the Griffey card on this list, this may not be the most exciting card in the world. With a well-rounded offense led by the heavy-hitting Bash Brothers Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, the As had no problem putting runs on the board all season long. As an All-Star card, the back of this one shows his AS stats: But some of the cards printed in early runs purported to show his recent major league performance: Its scarce enough, at least in Junk Wax terms, to land a pretty cherry spot on this list. Prices are updated daily based upon 1990 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. You shouldnt be fooled by the SP label, as it still had a massive print number when you compare it to the modern sets of today. Recommended Reading: Baseball Practice Plans For 10 Year Olds. No one knew it at the time, but this would be the last time Dale Murphy ever appeared in a Braves uniform on a regular-issue Topps base set as an active player. Coming in the number 1 spot for the most Valuable 1990s basketball cards is the Kobe Bryant Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems card. The higher the grade, the more valuable a card will be, so were typically looking at PSA 9s and 10s only. The Uribe error thats caused so much ruckus over the last couple of years is the 1990 Fleer same situation, and there is nothing special about that card. So, while this 1990 Score card is not a . Its an error in the sense that it does not list his correct birthday, but there were several cards that listed that date. In 1994-95, baseball was rocked by a player strike which massively ate into the season resulting in a blow to the games public image. 1997 - 1998 UD Game Jersey Michael Jordan #GJ13 $599,999.99. The next few years saw McDonald settle in as a solid but not spectacular rotation piece who never quite lived up to his next Roger Clemens billing. And, even though Juan Gone will never make the Hall of Fame, hell also never completely lose his collector base. Olerud took awhile to build a resume that would land him on lists like this, putting up solid, semistar-to-star-level performances year after year. Post contains affiliate links. Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at the list: 1990 Upper Deck Heroes Reggie Jackson Autograph Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $750 The 1990 Upper Deck set contained a monstrous 800-card checklist that was distributed in two series: the Low Series (#1-700) and the High Series (#701-800). The following season, though, Thomas broke out in a big way as he finished third in MVP voting and picked up his first of four career Silver Sluggers. Still, The Iron Man played well enough to earn his eighth straight trip to the All-Star game. Joe Jackson is one of the renowned names. It includes a lot of minor players that you may not have heard the name of before. I mean, wow. Would anyone be interested in buying my Sports Card Collection. His rookie care is a must-have in this set and one of the most iconic cards of the 1990s. The only Leaf card to make the list, their 1996 set is one of the best the company ever released. There are a lot of Adrian Beltre cards out there but this one from 97 is for sure the most valuable. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Theyre also prone to counterfeiting, which is why its better to go for a graded option if possible. 1994 ALEX RODRIGUEZ ROOKIE CARD GRADED MINT 10 FLEER WAVE OF THE FUTURE 2. Heres a list of seven of the most valuable baseball cards from the 1990s, with info about each one, including an explanation as to why theyre so expensive. Prices are updated daily based upon 1990 Classic listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Hiding in commons bins with the rest of his 1986 brethren. As such, it was never corrected because there wasnt really anything to correct. This Frank Thomas Topps rookie card is very notable for its mistake: the complete absence of Frank Thomass name! Cal kept plugging, though, even when the Orioles were bad, and even when he himself wasnt great. After the initial production run, someone may detect the error and pull the card from the line. Due to poor sales of the previous Fleer Update sets, the print run was slashed for the 1992 release, making it one of the few hard-to-find sets of the Junk Wax Era. Prices are updated daily based upon 1990 Fleer Canadian listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. This card from 1992, showing Piazza in a crowded catchers stance, is worth a fair amount of money within collectors circles, often going between $200 and $300. It was sold at an auction in 1966. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC, Now, this is what Thomas's rookie card is. The record for this card was set at a Goldin auction for $26,400. Like every other Topps Traded set in the 1980s and early 1990s, this one was a special treat to collectors one last shot of new baseball cards for the year as we headed into winter. To other top rated players. Some of these foil cards are so delicate they may have been damaged when they were first bought and taken out of the packaging. Willie Mays Rookie Card. The only Leaf card to make the list, their 1996 set is one of the best the company ever released.