Everyone wanted Don Mattingly cards when I was a kid. As with the Jeter SP, the holofoil causes the player to pop, and it really is a great-looking collectible. The cheapest Jordan rookie by a significant margin, its a chance for collectors to own a bona fide piece of sporting history, even if the cards are slightly overpriced due to the latest influx of MJ fans and hype around his RC options. But, while Ripken enjoyed a hobby resurgence in 1991 on the back of maybe his greatest season ever, this particular card lands on our list because its an error . The only Rodriguez card to make the list, his 1994 SP is one of the flimsiest modern-era rookies in the hobby and is ridiculously hard to find in mint condition, just like the other SP Foil listed above. 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.. I do have Chipper Jones, Ken Griffey, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Barry Bonds. #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. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, . 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. 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. It was futuristic for the time, but Jeters SP RC is a clear cut above the others found on this list. Ripken would regroup during the offseason to turn in the finest season of his career, setting multiple personal bests during the 1991 campaign while taking home his second MVP to go along with a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. That earned Bo his first (and only) All-Star appearance and even some down-ballot MVP votes. Many of the most valuable 1990 Fleer baseball cards on eBay are standard cards with autographs. Common as dirt. launch monetization_on $4.99 08/28/2022. He also loves to write about the hobby and has written for Beckett, Topps, SABR and of course, this website. 10 most valuable basketball card of the 1990s. Coming in the number 1 spot for the most Valuable 1990s basketball cards is the Kobe Bryant Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems card. Still, The Iron Man played well enough to earn his eighth straight trip to the All-Star game. Even today, though, there is still some mystique to those McDonald RCs that once sat near the top of the hobby mountain. 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. Right, but where were his *Detroit* cards? Chipper Jones won a World Series and made eight All-Star appearances for the Atlanta Braves in a storied career. The normal 1991 Topps is worth a fraction of the price, and youll be able to tell the difference by looking for a see-through gold emblem under the 1st Draft Pick logo on the front of the card. 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 No. Well, first of all, you might see the card with a Ken Griffey Jr. auto only, or a Mantle auto only, and then of course, the dual auto that is basically the greatest combo dual auto to ever grace a baseball card. Most Expensive 1990 Topps card list & price guide. 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. 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. If there are any issue please contact me through the contact page located on this site and I can have the images removed if needed. In the 1990 set, that RB card celebrated Rickeys 40th career leadoff home run late in 1989, which extended his own record. Clean-looking raw versions regularly sell for over $1,000 on eBay, with buyers hoping to strike gold by getting it graded. A copy sold for $180,000 in January 2020, while another sold for $166,712.70 in May of the same year. Baseball cards are among the most popular collectibles in the sports memorabilia market. Hes widely regarded as one of the best baseball players to come from the Dominican Republic and was a great all-round athlete who had a long-spanning career. The second, however, showed its value by nearly doubling the price of the former record holder. If theres a Holy Grail of all 1980s baseball cards, the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. is it. After all, the strapping young lad looked more like a linebacker than a first baseman, and we didnt have the sort of 24-7 access to baseball information and images back in those pre-internet days. Add to that the fact that the 20-card "Premiere Prospects" subset that Jeter is included in has a foil design that shows any and all imperfections, and it's virtually impossible to find a gem mint version of the card. Only 373 of the 3,125 submitted to PSA have come back with a PSA 10 grade. 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. Today, his early-career issues, like this one, remain popular, even if they lag behind what youd expect for the guy who broke Hank Aarons all-time home run record. As such, it was never corrected because there wasnt really anything to correct. #8. That decision was one of the worst in baseball history. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. So, just how costly are the most sought-after baseball cards? Also Check: Cbs Sports Major League Baseball Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr #156 This is a beautiful baseball card. A real parallel foil or border foil card will sell more in the realm of $10,000-$20,000, depending on its condition. In the end, Walker had the last guffaw, elected to the Hall of Fame in 2020. Theres something for every budget, and thats only going to be good news for collectors. Griffeys rookie card from 1988 is worth an estimated $2 million, according to Sports Illustrated. 1. Entdecke Cal Ripken 9 Vintage Kartenlot, 1987 -1992, Topps, Punktzahl All Star Diamond King Neuwertig in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! It turns out there was. On the football field, Jackson was one of the game's best backs with a devastating combination of speed and power. The action shot features a young Jeter primed to make a catch, with the player superimposed over the holofoil. 1990 Upper Deck Baseball unleashed one of the biggest baseball card innovations ever autographs. 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 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. Where had this guy been all our lives? However, the 1990 Fleer Soaring Stars #6 card in near-mint condition may sell for closer to $50. That means the card needs to be basically flawless. Beltre is viewedas a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer when he is eligible for the first time in 2024, andthis is a card that still has some room to grow in value. 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. Not surprisingly, Henderson picked up the AL MVP award that year. You should do your own due dilligence before spending your money on anything including baseball cards. 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. Today, even after the great slugger downfall of the 2010s, Sosas rookie cards maintain enough hobby swagger to appear on lists like this one. 1990 Fleer Baseball Cards 25 Most Valuable Plus Bonus Listings! 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 . One gem mint listing on eBay has an asking price of $9,500. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. It includes a lot of minor players that you may not have heard the name of before. He seemed on a sure path to Cooperstown, and it was always a good day as a collector when you pulled a Gwynn card, like this 1990 Topps batting shot. Its hard to find in good condition, which is why high. Don Mattinglys career was almost a tale of two decades. If its something else, it would be interesting to see whats up. 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. 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. Theres a small UD logo in the top right corner, while the reverse has a guarantee for the signatures. But going back to the Mantle-only auto cardwhats stopping anyone from getting Griffey to sign after the fact, thus turning a pack-pulled Mantle auto into one that resembles the daul? Though the gridiron ultimately proved to be his primary passion and gift (hes in the Pro Football Hall of Fame), Sanders spent enough time on the diamond to rack up plenty of steals and runs over his nine-year career. 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. 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. Post contains affiliate links. Similar to Bo Jackson, even though Mattingly's 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. Beltres rookie card from 1997 recently sold at auction for $3,016. The eBay scam sort of stuck, unfortunately, and some folks are still paying a premium for a card thats just a common. I have looked and cannot find the value. Somewhat surprisingly, Griffey Jr.'s card is actually worth more than the Frank Thomas rookie (with his name on the front). But theres still a certain cynicism among many when we hear about a rookie being the next big thing. 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. Choosing between this card or number 3 on the list, the Lebron James refractor, I would choose the Lebron card over the Zion. 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. 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. 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. It's said that those that made it to the White House were coated with a glossy finish. Read the full disclosure here. Read our methodology. He also set a personal best for stolen bases (52) while leading the league in slugging percentage (.565) and OPS (.970). 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. 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. This mint-condition autographed card is selling for $3,500, making it one of the most valuable baseball cards from the '90s. Unlike many of the others on this list, its somewhat underpriced considering the above and could make for a good investment piece. Remarkably, that stat line wasn't good enough to take home the Triple Crown but he did win MVP honors that season. Read our methodology. On the baseball field, Jackson had a cannon for an arm and a compact, powerful swing, which is on full display on this card. This is one such example of one of the decades rarer cards. He was one of my favorite players to watch growing up as the guy could do it all. During this period, its estimated that companies were producing three times as many cards as they had previously, fueled by greed and ever-increasing public demand. The next couple seasons were lean, though, as Sammy struggled for playing time, especially after a 1992 trade to the Cubs. 17 overall pick in the 1995 draft, Roy Halladay debuted in 1998 and pitched well in a swingman role the following year, but he was shelled to the tune of a 10.64 ERA in 67.2 innings in 2000. It seemed like Rickey Henderson showed up on a Record Breaker card just about every year during the 1980s and 1990s. The Most Valuable 1990s Baseball Cards: Summary, 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, (Okay, we said that you wont find any of these cards hidden down the back of the couch, but this is the exception!). 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. Griffey Jr. can be found on hundreds of different cards, but few can match his 97 Skybox price-wise. 1994 ALEX RODRIGUEZ ROOKIE CARD GRADED MINT 10 FLEER WAVE OF THE FUTURE 2. Shortcuts: Most Expensive, Cheapest, List by Card # You own: 0 / 687 items 0% Track your collection for free. Naturally, his rookie cards were hot tamales. 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. Serial numbered to just 99, its extremely fragile, while the shiny border is especially susceptible to chips and will highlight any blemishes. 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. There is also more demand for rookie cards due to the perceived value. . 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. 1996 Sport Illustrated For Kids Tiger Woods II #536 ($250) Anything Topps Tiffany! 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. 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. He was consistently productive although he did have some seasons here and there shortened by injury. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. 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 combination of the two greats and a dual autograph is enough to drive interest, which is why it makes the list. By the time collectors started pulling his rookie card, enough of those guys Tim Raines, Andre Dawson, Tim Wallach, etc. Still, that doesn't mean 1990 Fleer cards have no value. The former president was presented with one hundred copies of his very own baseball card from his days as captain at Yale in 1990 by Topps. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! The 1997 Bowman set was one of the most popular of the late 1990s. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Card #137 in the Skybox Premium Star Rubies Set is this 1999 Ken Griffey Jr. card. The 1990s were a strange time to be a baseball card collector. 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. 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. Superstars dont come much more unassuming and steady than Bernie Williams especially Yankees superstars! Right!? Neon Deion Sanders was a hobby phenom right from the start thanks to his electric talent in both football and baseball. The blue and yellow borders on this card matched up perfectly with the Mariners uniforms back then. The higher the grade, the more valuable a card will be, so were typically looking at PSA 9s and 10s only. Disclaimer: Please note none this is meant as investment advice purely for entertainment and informational purposes only. 1997 Bowman Chrome #182 Adrian Beltre Buy on eBay #10. The impressive home run and RBI tallies would fade, causing Mattingly to be overlooked for any All-Star selections in the 1990s. Trae Young is currently in 2021 leading the 2018 class with most career points at 3,549, right above Luka Doncic and Colin Sexton. Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? 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. 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. 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. 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. Don Mattingly could flat out playhe could hit for average and a bit of power while at the same time maintaining a solid glove at first base . Mattingly was coming off a mild rebound year in 1989 after injuries sapped his power (18 home runs) in 1988, but things got even worse in 1990 as the Yankees superstar was limited to just 102 appearances. Unfortunately for Oakland, Canseco was even worse in the World Series, batting 0.083 (1-12) with one home run and two RBI. Collectors were more eager than ever to own a piece of Bos cardboard, making his 1990 Topps issue an exciting pull. 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. 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. Prices for 1990 Topps Baseball Cards 1990 Topps card list & price guide. Its a unique card due to its style it contains an artistic portrait of two baseball legends with autographs and is printed in landscape orientation. How Much Should You Invest Annually In Sports Card. 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. 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. Baseball cards were mass-produced in high volumes during the 90s so values of cards from this period tend not to peak too high. Then it was on to the Colorado Rockies, for whom Walker broke out, big time forever giving critics the yeah, but he did that in the thin air of Denver excuse to denigrate, or at least downplay, his performance. With Walter Johnson years in his rearview, Nolan Ryan sailed past 5000 strikeouts in 1989, on his way to baseball immortality. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. Even if it's not in pristine shape, it can still be worth thousands of dollars. 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. 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. Despite that tarnished reputation, his 1990 Topps rookie still has some value to it in high grade. And, even among the overproduced cards from the first year in a decade noted for, well, overproduction, 1990 Fleer baseball cards seem especially plentiful. 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 hobby has never been more popular, while sets were expanding into crazy territory. Unfortunately, injuries really bogged him down in the 2000s but he still managed to put up monster career numbers.