most valuable baseball cards 1990s

I think it was a great way to salute Ryan and these cards remain one of my favorite subsets of all-time from any set. 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. Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? The most expensive baseball card in history just sold for $12.6 million. The 1997 Bowman set was one of the most popular of the late 1990s. That performance garnered him his first Cy Young votes and also sent collectors searching for his 1987 rookie cards. Prices are updated daily based upon 1990 Classic listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Ahead, we've taken a closer look at the 10 most valuable rookie cards of the 1990s. The initial production run containing the error becomes scarce, driving up its value. Thanks , Your email address will not be published. In 2015, a PSA 10 copy would sell for roughly $30,000. Both players are shown side by side, wearing caps that help to denote the team they play for. With six straight All-Star appearances and one MVP during the 1980s, Mattingly seemed to be on a clear path towards the Hall of Fame. He also loves to write about the hobby and has written for Beckett, Topps, SABR and of course, this website. Its easy to see why gem mint versions are exceptionally expensive, even if it came out in a year when the hobby supposedly fell apart at the seams. Similar to the Andruw Jones cards in the same set, high-grade versions of the Bowman's Best card command a premium price. I feel for the investment, the Lebron card is a less risky buy. The most expensive baseball cards of the 1990s were released by Ken Griffey Jr. Your email address will not be published. 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. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Like Marquis Grissom, Delino DeShields was one of a new crop of Expos prospects who promised to bring diamond success to Montreal in the 1990s. He was playing against the Cleveland Naps after the Philadelphia Athletics made an exchange in 1910. Ungraded & graded values for all '90 Topps Baseball Cards. 1 prospect in baseball at the start of the 1996 and 1997 seasons, Andruw Jones is one of the most hyped minor leaguers of all time, and homering twice in Game 1 of the 1996 World Series when he was only 19 years old only fueled the fire. 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. There are tons of Nolan Ryan collectors so demand is still decent for this card. His is the last of the key rookie cards in this set. Prices are updated daily based upon 1990 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. For his efforts, Canseco earned a trip to his fourth All-Star game and picked up the second Silver Slugger of his career at that point. A PSA 10 gem mint condition version of his 1997 Fleer Ultra Platinum card sold at auction for $4,238. Read our methodology . However, the 1990 Fleer Soaring Stars #6 card in near-mint condition may sell for closer to $50. Of course, before that could come to pass the Red Sox had to ship him to St. Louis, which they did during that summer of 1990. His 1990 Topps rookie card has held up over the years with decent value. The Yankees won three World Series to further cement their position as a legendary team and globally recognized brand it was difficult to go almost anywhere in the world without seeing a Yankee hat on someones head. 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. Check prices on: Amazon. I think it's odd that he was a two-time MVP but only a three-time All-Star. Leading the league in runs scored and stolen bases was nothing new for Henderson, but it was the first time in his career that he outpaced everyone in OBP and OPS. Sports Card Investing: Maximize Portfolio Returns (Ultimate Guide), 10 Best Football Card Packs to Buy in 2023, In-Depth Sports Card Market Trends and Statistics (2023). And he nearly won the batting title with his .325 average, narrowly losing out to George Brett (.329) on the final day of the season. Some of these foil cards are so delicate they may have been damaged when they were first bought and taken out of the packaging. He would extend that 0-fer to three years in 1990 before getting off the snide and reigniting his cards in 1991. And he was an integral part of the Yankees dominance of that era. 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. Post contains affiliate links. 1990 Topps #414 Frank Thomas Rookie Card Estimated PSA 10 Value: $175 Check prices on: Amazon Now, this is what Thomas's rookie card is supposed to look like when his full name appears at the bottom of the card. 1990: The 20 Most Valuable Ken Griffey Jr Baseball Cards! Kobe tragically passed away in a helicopter crash in January 2020 leading to the value of his memorabilia skyrocketing. 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. Things started to look up the next summer, though, as 24-year-old Sosa connected on 33 long balls, the first of 11 straight full seasons (he cracked 25 in strike-shortened 1994) when he hit 30 or more. $39.20. 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. He had surpassed Bobby Bonds (35) that April. And I don't think I ever pulled one from a pack. 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. 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. Ken Griffey Jr. is back again, in one of the most important sets from the 1990s. Take a day off now and then, critics said, and the Orioles will be all the better for it. Clean-looking raw versions regularly sell for over $1,000 on eBay, with buyers hoping to strike gold by getting it graded. Trae Young is currently in 2021 leading the 2018 class with most career points at 3,549, right above Luka Doncic and Colin Sexton. Despite the bad press, the list proves that the 1990s wasnt the worst time to begin investing in baseball cards, as long as you knew where to look and only went for the best of the best. Of course, even the stoutest of the 90s will likely never rattle any bank accounts, not on the whole, and not to the extent that some of the hobbys big hitters do and will. Now, if that last sentence up there and that Donruss rookie card look a bit. An autograph can instantly increase the value of any card. In 1995, he notched an incredible 52 doubles and 50 home runs, becoming the only player in MLB history to finish the season with 50 or more doubles and home runs in a single season. After a slow start to his minor league career, he put together a breakout season at High-A in 1991, hitting .277/.344/.540 with 27 doubles, 29 home runs and 80 RBI in 117 games. This card sold for $1,910 in 1966. On the baseball field, Jackson had a cannon for an arm and a compact, powerful swing, which is on full display on this card. While batting .318 with 32 home runs, 104 runs scored, and 109 RBI, Thomas also led the league in walks (138), OBP (.453), and OPS (1.006), helping to launch his reputation as a disciplined and well-rounded hitter. It was graded NM 7 by the PSA, which is not as impressive as later cards on this list but still high. So, in order for the cards on this list to be worth much, they'll either have to be the Tiffany version (Topps' premium factory set) and/or be graded by PSA to be in perfect, gem mint condition. One gem mint listing on eBay has an asking price of $9,500. (The same is true for almost every card were about to mention.). One of the most vivid memories I have about Albert Belle is that my brother caught one of his home run balls during a 1997 White Sox game as we were seated in left field. 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. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. 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. How Much Should You Invest Annually In Sports Card. 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. It's hard to make the claim that any 1990 Fleer baseball cards are really "most valuable" from a monetary standpoint. This one features a young Ryan with the New York Mets, where he made a first, brief, and wild stop. 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. 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. The autographs themselves are found on the chest of each player, signed in black ink, and the background has a blue-green hue. His reputation as a two-sport superstar earned him a place in commercials, video games, and even cartoons. Rookie cards were typically harder to find compared to cards issued later in a players career, which makes them more valuable. The most expensive Ken Griffey Jr. card is the Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr. Dual Signed Upper Deck UDA Card. Still, collectors were excited enough by Joses upside to keep his cards on the hot list (and the Cold List, for veteran Beckett readers). This mint-condition autographed card is selling for $3,500, making it one of the most valuable baseball cards from the '90s. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. A vast improvement over previous Bowman releases, the set has held its value better than most of its contemporaries thanks largely to the fact that it was printed to dealer order, meaning a much lower print run than the rest of the market that year. Added to that, there are presidential artifact collectors who also drive up the price for it. Alright, lets play ball, 1990 Topps style! Its condition sensitivity has made high-grade versions very scarce and very valuable. So there you have it, the ten most valuable 1990 Topps cards. He also won ten straight Silver Slugger awards, cementing his status as one of the greatest offensive catchers in the games history. This Upper Deck card shows Frank Thomas in the motion of striking a ball. 1. 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. I really dont know much about Scores motive for putting him on a baseball card but Im assuming it was some sort of promotional gimmick. 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. Despite such controversy, the 90s produced some fantastic highs and quality players which would affect the baseball card market in the long term. Their rarity, combined with their quality (PSA 9+) gives them their value. Read our methodology. 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. Rookie cards for Juan Gonzalez, Larry Walker, and Sammy Sosa may sell for more than other standard cards from the same year. 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. 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. This is the holy grail of 1990s baseball cards. This card was produced in a limited edition of only 24 examples, with this one being #14/24. 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. Unfortunately, the back issues kicked in at the wrong time as he struggled with back spasms throughout the entire postseason. 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. 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. The only Leaf card to make the list, their 1996 set is one of the best the company ever released. 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. That earned Bo his first (and only) All-Star appearance and even some down-ballot MVP votes. You May Like: Best Walk Up Songs Baseball. 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. You could argue he was a better center fielder than others (like Lloyd Waner, for example) who made it to the Hall of Fame, too. Serial numbered to just 99, its extremely fragile, while the shiny border is especially susceptible to chips and will highlight any blemishes. 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. This may very well be the most stylish card on the list. Many of the most valuable 1990 Fleer baseball cards on eBay are standard cards with autographs. 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. 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. 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. 1990 Classic card list & price guide. Theyre also prone to counterfeiting, which is why its better to go for a graded option if possible. Before we get started, I do want to make it clear that most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days. 1992 Bowman #302 Mariano Rivera Buy on eBay #9. He went on to rack up 541 home runs, 1,769 RBI and three World Series rings on his way to first-ballot Hall of Famer status. Today, even after the great slugger downfall of the 2010s, Sosas rookie cards maintain enough hobby swagger to appear on lists like this one. But, because of Bonds popularity and legacy, it still holds decent value in top grade. The card is key for three main reasons: 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. Due to poor sales of the. The young, toolsy prospect made a decent showing in his new climes, cracking double-digit home runs and stealing 32 bases. 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. Rookies have a history of booming and busting. Technological advancements were on the rise but the world was yet to be completely changed by increased connectivity. If theres a Holy Grail of all 1980s baseball cards, the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. is it. 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. Read Also: Nike Youth Baseball Pants With Piping. His other high . The 90s isnt a bad era for baseball cards, and you can even pick up many complete sets for next to no financial outlay. 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. Believe it or not, 1990 Topps baseball cards may be better than you think. Jones had a great career with the Atlanta Braves and was a key figure in their success during the 90s. 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. Read our methodology . But Mickey Mantle? In addition to anointing him with the first card in their new set to celebrate that unheard-of milestone, Topps also ran the Ryan Express through the next four numbers on their checklist, offering a unique career retrospective. Gonzalez was one of the most feared hitters of his era and seemed like a lock for 40+ homers and 100+ RBI every season. Smith was already an All-Star closer as the 1990 season dawned, but his biggest seasonal save totals still lay ahead, with the St. Louis Cardinals. Lower-grade cards can sell for around $1000 whilst a higher-grade edition went for $8,655 in 2018. 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. Don Mattinglys career was almost a tale of two decades. It remains to be seen if Bonds will be inducted into the Hall of Fame but I dont think anyone can argue how talented he was. Those who remember the mass hysteria surrounding the Y2K bug saga at the end of 1999 will know what Im talking about. Members of the millennial generation will remember the 90s with fondness and as a decade of massive cultural importance. 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. But how do you know whether it was pack pulled or signed post pull by Griffey? Despite hitting .322/.390/.511 with 34 doubles, 18 home runs and 93 RBI at Single-A in 1996, only the Fleer company had the foresight to put David Ortiz in its 1997 products, meaning the 1997 Fleer and premium 1997 Ultra sets contain the only two rookie cards of one of the marquee players of his generation. The GOAT took some time away from basketball to chase his lifelong dream of playing professional baseball. Topps continued their Ryan celebration here by showing him with the Houston Astros, who had made the future Hall of Famer the first baseball player to earn $1 million+ when they signed him as a free agent prior to the 1980 season. Though he may not have been MLB's hottest rookie in 1990, he certainly turned into one of the biggest superstars of his era. Besides being the best Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card, it helped usher in a new era in the hobby that included glossy card stock and premium production values. So, just how costly are the most sought-after baseball cards? The only Leaf card to make the list, their 1996 set is one of the best the company ever released. McDonald logged ten more minor league appearances in 1990 before going 8-5 with a stingy 2.43 ERA with the big club to finish third in AL Rookie of the Year balloting. His 1991 Topps Desert Shield was given the designation as it was a gift for US troops who were serving during Operation Desert Storm. The first of those historic sales was for what many believe is the most iconic trading card in all of sports. Top 25 Most Valuable Baseball Cards from the 1990's - Rookie Cards Only . As you can see, it will take them being professionally graded in gem mint condition to be worth much. 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. That said, the condition-sensitive nature of the 1994 SP set's foil design makes high-grade versions difficult to find and therefore valuable. However, injuries would catch up to him, and even though he still had a top-notch glove on defense and could still hit for average, his power wasnt nearly what it used to be. 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. Disclaimer: Please note none this is meant as investment advice purely for entertainment and informational purposes only. 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. This is one such example of one of the decades rarer cards. By the time this card was issued, Cal Ripken was starting to draw heavy flak for his slipping performance at the plate. 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. 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 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. He primarily played for the Dodgers and Mets and was an All-Star 12 times between 1993 and 2005. Big Mac batted just .214 with zero home runs and zero RBI, while fellow Bash Brother Jose Canseco didnt fare much better. Recommended Reading: Air Force 1 Baseball Cleats, 2022 BaseballLoveCLub.com

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