Clean-looking raw versions regularly sell for over $1,000 on eBay, with buyers hoping to strike gold by getting it graded. Within that OBP stat was the remarkable fact that Henderson either walked or hit safely in 125 of the 136 games he played that season. The era was ended by the baseball players strike of 1994, and the hobby has never truly recovered in terms of national attention. He would finish in the top five in Cy Young balloting a total of seven times in his career, and he was undoubtedly one of the elite pitchers of his generation. So, while this 1990 Score card is not a . Don Mattingly's career was almost a tale of two decades. Dimensions: 1-1/2 x 2-5/8. It was sold at an auction in 1966. Some of these foil cards are so delicate they may have been damaged when they were first bought and taken out of the packaging. Griffey was one of the most popular players of the era and his cards were always in high demand. 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. I feel for the investment, the Lebron card is a less risky buy. The . The card features Kobe in a yellow Lakers jersey passing the ball with one hand. 1990 Topps Baseball Cards 25 Most Valuable Plus Bonus Listings! Not surprisingly, Thomas 1991 breakout (.318, 32 home runs, 109 RBI, 104 runs) sent us all scrambling to find his 1990 rookie cards, and theyve been hobby royalty ever since. Its no surprise that it easily makes it onto the list, as one of the most important modern baseball cards ever produced. Aside from the emblem and the potential for a few battle scars, its a fairly simple card that features Jones with a bat slung over his shoulders, with a couple of trees in the background. Mostly, though, it was just a steady climb to 2200+ career hits, pulling his rookie card along with him. Still, that doesn't mean 1990 Fleer cards have no value. Added to that, there are presidential artifact collectors who also drive up the price for it. Joe Jackson is one of the renowned names. Read our methodology . Due to the availability of baseball cards from 1990 and the crash of the sports cards market in the 1990s, most of the standard cards are worth just a few dollars. Another rare card with two of the best players to grace the field, this 1994. While currently ranked as the 5th most valuable baseball card, when Trouts 2009 Bowman Chrome Superfractors autographed card serial-numbered 1/1 sold in August 2020, it became the most valuable baseball card in the hobby. Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at the top ten: You did not read that first price incorrectly. The only Leaf card to make the list, their 1996 set is one of the best the company ever released. The card has a large photo of a rookie A-Rod with a bat clasped in both hands, smiling towards the camera. Prices for 1990 Fleer Baseball Cards 1990 Fleer card list & price guide. 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. And, voila! As with the Jeter SP, the holofoil causes the player to pop, and it really is a great-looking collectible. Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? That zeal spilled over to the hobby, where we made Junior one of the most popular players in cardboard right off the bat, and his 1990 Topps card has become something of a Junk Wax classic that still delights after all these years. Only two have achieved a BGS 9.5 grade, and it thoroughly deserves a place among the most valuable 90s options. 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. After winning American League Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in 1982 and 1983, respectively, Ripken had managed just 21 home runs and a .257 batting average in 1989, even as his Orioles rebounded from laughingstock (54-107) in 1988 to contender (87-75) the next summer under second-year manager Frank Robinson. Edges are a major issue when it comes to grading, and better versions show off every curve of Mantles ear. 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. I have a jose Uribe 87 donruss,I googled his birthday and it was 1959, but my card says 1960,. Despite the disappointing turn of events in his career, collectors of that era still love Jackson and have built quite the following for his cards these days. Top 25 Most Valuable Baseball Cards from the 1990's - Rookie Cards Only . Only three other players hit more home runs than Albert Belles 351 dingers during the 1990s: Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey Jr. We know that two of those guys had a lot of help from PEDs. In his first full season back in Oakland after a four-and-a-half-year stint with the Yankees, Rickey Henderson played lights out in 1990, to put it mildly. However, the 1990 Fleer Soaring Stars #6 card in near-mint condition may sell for closer to $50. The New York Yankees signed 20-year-old Mariano Rivera out of Panama on Feb. 17, 1990, and he allowed just 17 hits and one earned run with 58 strikeouts in 52 innings in his pro debut at the rookie ball level later that year. This time hes on his own, but its still a great option even without the help of Mickey Mantle. All card images courtesy of TCDB, while pricing data is pulled from recent eBay sales as of Thursday morning. The 1990 Leaf set is one of the iconic releases of the Junk Wax Era, produced by Donruss as a premium product to compete with Upper Deck. While most of the team struggled at the plate in the World Series that year, Henderson was one of the lone bright spots as he batted .333 (5-15) with an OBP of .444, an OPS of 1.111, two runs scored, and three stolen bases. . Like wow like comic books have (something I first realized while reading a post from Night Owl Cards). 1992 Bowman #302 Mariano Rivera Buy on eBay #9. But, because of Bonds popularity and legacy, it still holds decent value in top grade. His only rookie cards are in the 1995 Bowman and Bowman's Best sets, as Bowman Chrome would not be introduced until two years later. had made good, that we were pretty sure Grissom could live up to his advance billing. Superstars dont come much more unassuming and steady than Bernie Williams especially Yankees superstars! The company's chairman, Arthur Shorin, even presented some of them in a binder to the former president in 1989. An autograph can instantly increase the value of any card. 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. After going 40-40 and winning an MVP award in 1988, Jose Canseco found himself injured more often than not in 1989, appearing in just 65 games. A dynamic power-speed threat early in his career, he eventually settled in as more of a middle-of-the-order run producer. 1997 Bowman Chrome #182 Adrian Beltre Buy on eBay #10. Things were about the same (or worse) for Iron Cal in 1990, and his critics put the blame firmly on The Streak. It all solidified Cal as an ironclad collector favorite, and we still love him today. Crisp and clean, there cant be many collectors out there that would turn down a 1996 Leaf Jeter. When he burst onto the scene, his rookie cards were among the hottest sellers in the entire hobby. Still, collectors were excited enough by Joses upside to keep his cards on the hot list (and the Cold List, for veteran Beckett readers). Table of Contents. The 1997 Skybox E-X2000 Essential Credentials was ahead of its time in many respects, with a small serial number, an iconic image selection, and a luxurious border design. #8. The dynamic duo had been shut down, something that was unheard of heading into the World Series. Alright, lets play ball, 1990 Topps style! And then there are some pretty interesting subjects, from draft picks to error cards to scads of Nolan Ryans. 1. There are RCs and special editions, so its highly unlikely that youll find one stuffed down the back of the couch. In 2015, a PSA 10 copy would sell for roughly $30,000. However, things changed in the World Series as they couldnt seem to figure out the Cincinnati Reds pitching and shockingly found themselves on the other end of a sweep. Not only did he stay in the lineup, he went on to record maybe his greatest season in 1991, winning his second MVP award in the process and setting a dinner date with history for 1995. 1991 Topps Desert Shield #333 Chipper Jones RC ($200) 1993 Stadium Club Murphy Derek Jeter RC ($60) 1991 Wild Card Brett Favre #119 5 Stripe ($40), 10 Stripe ($80), 20 Stripe ($120), 50 Stripe ($250), 100 Stripe ($350), 1000 Stripe ($1,800) Cards 258. He also won ten straight Silver Slugger awards, cementing his status as one of the greatest offensive catchers in the games history. On the baseball field, Jackson had a cannon for an arm and a compact, powerful swing, which is on full display on this card. The Soaring Stars #6 Ken Griffey, Jr. card is one of the few 1990 baseball cards valued at more than a few hundred dollars. Now, if that last sentence up there and that Donruss rookie card look a bit. But theres still a certain cynicism among many when we hear about a rookie being the next big thing. In the current market, Jordan cards from 91 are worth anything up to $400. By the end of the season, Justice had smashed 28 home runs, driven in 78 runs, scored 76 of his own, and hit a solid .282. . Over the years since this card was issued, NNOF has become a one-name wonder that lets collectors know right away what youre talking about, sort of like Uribe these days, but with the chops to back it up. Continue with Recommended Cookies. The action shot features a young Jeter primed to make a catch, with the player superimposed over the holofoil. You May Like: Baseball Knicker Pants With Piping. The second, however, showed its value by nearly doubling the price of the former record holder. How Much Should You Invest Annually In Sports Card. $39.20. All told, the sparkplug centerfielder pretty much held up his end of the bargain, playing for 17 years and accumulating 2251 hits, 227 home runs, 967 RBI, 429 stolen bases, and 1187 runs scored. Most Valuable Baseball Cards from the 1980s Price Guide & Values Baseball cards / By Matt Johnson #25 1986 Donruss Highlights "Highlights in White." Bo Jackson rookie card #43 PSA 10 sold for $360 Shop the 1986 Donruss Bo Jackson rookie card on eBay 1986 Donruss Highlights cards have two versions printed. Despite that tarnished reputation, his 1990 Topps rookie still has some value to it in high grade. 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. 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. It seemed like Rickey Henderson showed up on a Record Breaker card just about every year during the 1980s and 1990s. Ortiz spent six seasons with the Minnesota Twins before joining the Boston Red Sox in 2003, and he immediately broke out as one of the game's premier run producers. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. But how do you know whether it was pack pulled or signed post pull by Griffey? And then there is the photography, which is pretty sharp in some cases. Needless to say, his 1990 rookie cards sort of got lost in the glare of guys with more hyper surrounding them until he started mashing, that is. Similar to Bo Jackson, even though Mattinglys career declined at the height of his prime, he was one of the hottest names in the hobby of that era, and collectors still love his cards today. Take a day off now and then, critics said, and the Orioles will be all the better for it. 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. But rather than the couple of frames a Sportflics card gives. It took awhile for fans, and especially collectors, to warm up to Larry Walker and his talents. Ryno took his power game to a whole new level in 1990, though, leading the NL with 40 homers and cementing cards like his base Topps issue as pack-winners that summer. 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. On the football field, Jackson was one of the game's best backs with a devastating combination of speed and power. With his production continuing to slide, and the Braves going nowhere fast, Atlanta sent their legendary two-time MVP to the Phillies in a sort of complicated August trade. Top 25 Most Valuable Baseball Cards from the 1990's - Rookie Cards Only . 1997 - 1998 UD Game Jersey Michael Jordan #GJ13 $599,999.99. But, the Toronto Blue Jays did let him tryout and I guess that was good enough for Score to put him in their Traded series. The issue is then corrected before production resumes. 22) 1990 Topps Roger Clemens (#245) This is about as bland a card as you're 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. 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. 1989 Star Jerome Walton Autographed Card #1 Signed Auto 1990 Donruss RC Error! 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. Also Check: National League Standings For Baseball. Like Barry Bonds and others from the steroid era, Clemens reputation has fallen on hard times in recent years, but his amazing numbers are hard to overlook even if his 1990 Topps doesnt stoke your nostalgia fire. 1 1992 Bowman Trevor Hoffman #11 Trevor Hoffman isn't as well-known as the other players on this list, but his #11 Bowman card is still worth a decent bit of money. It has seen better times as far as values go but its still universally beloved for those that collected in the 1990s. That 5000th strikeout that Ryan recorded in 1989 did wonders for his hobby profile, beginning right at the front of the 1990 Topps set. The checklist includes rookies of Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, David Justice and John Olerud, along with a second-year card of Ken Griffey Jr., but the most sought-after card in the set without question is the Frank Thomas rookie card. Ungraded & graded values for all '90 Topps Baseball Cards. It turns out there was. And at the end of his career, he was just a notch or two below Cooperstown levels, but still plenty decorated enough to make his rookie card a solid hobby star all these year later. Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at the top ten: 1990 Score #697 Bo Jackson Estimated PSA 10 Value: $70 Check Prices On: Amazon This card is arguably one of the most iconic cards of the "junk" era. 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. And it goes back to 1990. Of course, those homer numbers were off the charts starting in 1998, when he chased Mark McGwire to Roger Maris single-season record. The action shot shows Griffey Jr. after a successful swing, and the card immediately catches the eye thanks to the shiny border. Well start off with a rare card from 1991. He was playing against the Cleveland Naps after the Philadelphia Athletics made an exchange in 1910. Derek Jeter is one of the most decorated players in the modern era, with 14 All-Star appearances and five World Series wins in a 20-year MLB career spent with the New York Yankees. Although Canseco batted just .182 (2-11) with one RBI in the AL Championship versus the Red Sox, the Athletics collectively played well enough to sweep Boston. You May Like: Red White And Blue Baseball Jersey. He has an exceptionally rare card from 1991 which is the first to make our list. Like the 1990 Donruss,Fleer, Leaf, Score, Bowman and Upper Deck sets, far too many of them were printed and the market is over-saturated with them. As an added disclaimer no copyright infringements were meant to be made in regards to the publishing of the images and cards. Are you ready for a stat thatll probably make you sick to your stomach? Its perhaps one of the most valuable cards of the 90s and definitely, one to be kept as its value is likely to continue to soar. T210 Old Mill Joe Jackson The T210 Old Mill deck is one of the most varied. Baseball cards were mass-produced in high volumes during the 90s so values of cards from this period tend not to peak too high. As many sets had excessive print runs, (think millions, although nobody knows for sure) the majority of 1990s options are worth little more than the cost of the materials that they were printed on. 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. Dates back to 80s and 90s. Its hard to find in good condition, which is why high PSA grades are so expensive. As you can see, it will take them being professionally graded in gem mint condition to be worth much. Sammy Sosa entered 1990 with designs on a starting job for the first time in his big league career, thanks to a midseason trade in 1989 from the Rangers to the White Sox. Check prices on: Amazon. Rookie cards were typically harder to find compared to cards issued later in a players career, which makes them more valuable. After four promising seasons, Barry Bonds career began to skyrocket in 1990. The card features Griffey, Jr. against a green background with a rainbow effect. During the 1990s, Griffey Jr. was one of the hottest stars in the sport and seemed destined to break all kinds of records. In 16 seasons, he hit .318/.379/.553 for a 140 OPS+ with 449 home runs, 1,496 RBI and 59.5 WAR, and he earned Hall of Fame induction in 2018. And, by default, its O-Pee-Chee cousin is also an incredibly desirable baseball card though it is much more difficult to find in top condition. The only Leaf card to make the list, their 1996 set is one of the best the company ever released. This card was produced for US servicemen and women serving in Operation Desert Storm so imaginably, there arent many out there and even less in mint condition. Fast forward a year and a half, though, and Thomas was one of the best hitters in baseball, well on his way to becoming the Big Hurt and, ultimately, a Cooperstown denizen. (Okay, we said that you wont find any of these cards hidden down the back of the couch, but this is the exception!) And, while Sanders never quite excited collectors like fellow crossover artist Bo Jackson did, his cards continue to draw solid interest from fans of both sports. 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. It's said that those that made it to the White House were coated with a glossy finish. Upper Deck released its super-premium SP product line during the same year that Topps (Finest) and Fleer (Flair) unveiled their own high-end set, but SP is the only one that contains a rookie card of New York Yankees superstar Derek Jeter. Of the 19,386 submitted to PSA to date, only 621 have even received a PSA 9 grade, with a mere 21 coming back with the vaunted PSA 10 gem mint grade. 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. By entering your email address you agree to receive email versions of the Baseball Card Market Report. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. Griffey Jr. is casually jogging across a leaf-green background like the legend that he is. It was the first to offer an auto in every pack, with signatures from some of the biggest stars from the time. The 90s isnt a bad era for baseball cards, and you can even pick up many complete sets for next to no financial outlay. Technological advancements were on the rise but the world was yet to be completely changed by increased connectivity. It wasnt often that a base card of an individual player landed card #1 back in those days, but Ryan was entering bonafide legend territory, and the following years would only solidify that standing and boost his card values across the board. And together with a great action shot of Griffey showing off his sweet swing, that color scheme makes this one of the best-looking cards in the set. The man needed to take a day off now and then, they said, and forget about chasing Lou Gehrigs record for consecutive games played. An additional 420+ MLB taters followed, along with a couple of MVP awards and plenty of other accolades. That means the card needs to be basically flawless. If its something else, it would be interesting to see whats up. Within the set were also several different subsets, including: It really is a pretty decent set overall. It perfectly illustrates just what made Bo Jackson so special: It was a blistering campaign that launched the young superstars career into the stratosphere. This has to be one of the most significant baseball cards of the 1990s, if not all time. For all that, Grissom falls short of Cooperstown standards, but his RC is still nothing to sneeze at. That showing came with a massive power outage that would last most of the rest of Pucks career, but he remained a smiling catalyst as the Twins won their second World Series in five years in 1991. Ungraded & graded values for all '90 Topps Baseball Cards. Usually, collectors will have a strong opinion one way or the other about 1990 Topps baseball cards: Either they love them or they hate them And it has everything to do with the multi-colored design. 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. Today, even after the great slugger downfall of the 2010s, Sosas rookie cards maintain enough hobby swagger to appear on lists like this one. Heres our rundown of the most valuable baseball cards from 1990-2000. Their rarity, combined with their quality (PSA 9+) gives them their value. Another rare card with two of the best players to grace the field, this 1994 Upper Deck release features both Ken Griffey Jr. & Mickey Mantle. It would take a few years for Sammy Sosa's career to heat up so I don't recall this card being too hyped at the time. Its difficult to find a more important autographed duo card in the history of baseball, featuring two players who tore up the record books during their respective careers. But, Donruss had a tribute of their own, albeit less flashy. #1: 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle An SGC 9.5 Example Sold in August 2022 for $12,600,000 Dimensions: 2-5/8" x 3-3/4" The most important post-war card in the hobby, price movements of the 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle baseball card are often seen as an indicator of the health of the sports card market overall. The following cards either dont quite measure up to the biggies on our list, or they are oddball cases that you just dont see very often. To other top rated players. Even now, decades after his retirement and years after he fell off the Hall of Fame ballot, Mattingly still carries plenty of weight in the hobby he helped build. The impressive home run and RBI tallies would fade, causing Mattingly to be overlooked for any All-Star selections in the 1990s. It was all sort of ho-hum greatness until Gwynn kicked things up a gear in his mid-30s, winning four straight crowns from 1994 through 1997 and flirting with .400, especially in that first, strike-shortened season. The record for the most expensive baseball card has changed twice in the last month. The 1990 Topps baseball card set went to great lengths to pay tribute to Nolan Ryan's achievement of surpassing the 5,000 career strikeout mark. He made his MLB debut the following year after continuing to rake in the upper levels of the minors and then took the league by storm with one of the best rookie seasons of all time in 1993. But Mickey Mantle? Surprisingly, there are valuable cards from almost every year to look out for, including before, during, and after the junk wax era. His is the last of the key rookie cards in this set. For a time, it was Maas-mania in all facets of baseball, including cards. And, while this one may not inspire thoughts of grandeur, its good to see The Man of Steal back where he began and where hed set a slew of records over the next several seasons. (Updated for 2022), Baseball All Time Greats Babe Ruth Card Value, New Balance Mens 4040v5 Turf Baseball Cleats, Fleer Brilliants 24k Gold Ken Griffey Jr. card, New Balance Mens T4040v5 Turf Baseball Shoes.