That production boosted his legend and popularity making him one of the most highly collected players in the hobby. Steroids and controversy are a common theme among many of the top Junk Wax Era cards. Are there any other cards you would include on the list? While many respect the slugger's accomplishments, he's more often than not a punchline today. Please go to eBay and look the card up. That is a fact not likely to end any time soon. If youre a collector, just stick to what you love and collect only what you love. Centering issues, as well as dark print blotches in the yellow background, are usually the two key issues of this card. 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. You can't go wrong with any Derek Jeter rookie cards. How much are YOUR cards worth? Thats what it will be worth to him. Top 25 Most Valuable Baseball Cards from the 1990's - Rookie Cards Only . The set is one of if not the most condition sensitive of the early E class era. Like many other sluggers, though, his production tailed off in his 30s, and PED whispers tarnished his reputation. All-Stars Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25 1990 Fleer #3 Jose Canseco Estimated PSA 10 Value: $20 1990 Fleer #217 Darryl Strawberry Estimated PSA 10 Value: $20 1990 Fleer #297 Juan Gonzalez Rookie Card Estimated PSA 10 Value: $20 1990 Fleer #485 Albert Belle Rookie Card Estimated PSA 10 Value: $20 1990 Fleer Update #U-87 Frank Thomas Rookie Card 1989 Bowman Tiffany Ken Griffey Jr. Among the most bland cards ever produced. Not many baseball cards possess as much elaborate and ornate decoration as those of the 1909 Ramly Cigarette T204 set. Craig Biggio isn't your typical hobby superstar. Its nearly impossible to describe the importance of Jackie Robinson to baseball and American history after breakingbaseballs color barrier in 1947. 23. 17. Because he played in the thin Colorado air, Todd Helton's accomplishments are somewhat overlooked. 1992 Fleer Update Mike Piazza His career may not have finished as strongly as it started, but Mattingly is still a Yankees icon. YjlmOWM0N2RkMWY2ZGNjZmVjMzMxYzQxYTlhZWNiZDc4YzM2ZjgwODZhZmY3 The centering can be so severe that it will cut into the text along the bottom. Although it features identical imagery as his 1914 Cracker Jack issue, most high-end examples of these two issues are of the 1915. 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. Jason Varitek put together a solid career. The 89 Debut (1990 Topps version!) With approximately 22 or less known to exist, all in low grades, the Ty Cobb back is the rarest of them all. Many collectors are happy to just be able to own one of these legendary cards in the first place, though. Expect to pay $10 or so for a copy in PSA 9 condition. 1990 Hoops #5 Michael Jordan All-Star. 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. This is more realistic then a crappy Beckett magazine. So, here is my list of Junk Wax Era gems based on rarity and price alone not in order, 1. 1990 Donruss Baseball Cards 25 Most Valuable. 1990 Hoops #279 Shawn Kemp Rookie Card. There are only a handful of known copies of this card in the hobby making it a rare and highly demanded issue. It is one of the most difficult cards to find overall, making it one of the most important cards on this list. 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. Maybe the most shocking Musial stat of all was that he hit the same number of hits at home as he did on the road: 1,815 each way for a total of 3,630 hits. 1995 Vladimir Guerrero Bowmans Best Ref. His 1951 Bowman issue is his only recognized rookie card and along with the Mantle rookie is the key to the entire set. eyJtZXNzYWdlIjoiMDAxOGEyYTUxMzBmY2VlZDMwNDViZTc4ZjFmOTA3MTA4 Collectors go wild for it. Expect prices in the $10-15 range for copies in PSA 9. 1985 Donruss Roger Clemens Baseball Card Rookie (RC) #273 Red Sox Mid-Grade $199.99 1987 Topps Barry Bonds Rookie (RC) #320 Pirates Graded FGA 10 Gem Mint O/C $107.58 Sammy Sosa 1990 Bowman ROOKIE Card #312 WHITE SOX - Error Card - Wrong DOB $129.00 (20) 1987 Topps Traded Gref Maddux XRC #70T $219.99 The T206 set is special for many reasons but one of them is no doubt the numerous brand advertisements on the backs16 different backs in total. All card images courtesy of TCDB, while pricing data is pulled from recent eBay sales as of Thursday morning. 19. Pretty amazing to think the Sox had both of these young talents on the same team for a couple of years there, huh?Fr. Mantle is easily one of the most widely collected players in the hobby. Most players on this list only have one recognized rookie card to their name. These are our picks for the top 100 baseball cards of the 1980s. It's not rare, but it brings back a lot of good memories. Baseball cards in my little town and at school was huge. There arent manySatchel Paige baseball cards in the hobby but this is a great looking card of the legendary pitcher. For a guy with such an intimidating nickname and offensive profile, Frank Thomas sure could light up a room or stadium or baseball card with that smile of his. When all is said and done (for now, at least), with Thomas in the Hall of Fame and the Pandemic Boom a reality, PSA 9 copies of this classic rookie card sell for about $20. However, #160 is the more difficult of the two to find in high grade so it generally fetches higher prices. With that strategy, you can never go wrong! Regardless of his Dr. Strangeglove tendencies, though, its fun to see big Frank in the field on a rookie card, and the 1990 Score issue delivers at a price of about $15 in PSA 9 condition. Pitchers with 300 Wins and Their Baseball Cards. The main reason why #311 Mickey Mantle became one of the rarest cards because Sy Berger father of modern baseball cards dumped most of the cards into the ocean to expand the space. 14. Remarkably, he still only finished fifth in the MVP race! There are 30 cards in total and each includes seven different possible color backs. The 1985 Topps Mark McGwire rookie card has seen its share of ups and downs. 1990 Hoops #391 Gary Payton Rookie Card. His first Topps card didn't come until the 1998 flagship set. While both are classics, there is no doubt that #37 is the more popular and difficult of the two. This card shares its front design with several others of the era (Dockman & Sons, Nadja Caramels, etc.). Moreover, the Mathewson Portrait is one of the toughest HOF portraits in the entire set. Estimates place the number of front/back combinations around 5,500 which led to this set being nicknamed The Monster.. A few years ago I bought 10,000 of those cards, a third of which were still sealed in Wax packs, at an auction for $50. His incredible career makesStan Musial baseball cards extremely popular with collectors. 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. Even though this one is not an RC, and even though there were more than plenty produced, it still brings $40 or more in PSA 9 condition. But, there are two major glaring differences overall between Mathewsons cards. 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. Thats simply my subjective take I think its important to know that like nearly all historical periods, it didnt just start and end exactly at one specific moment in time. There are now only a handful of these cards on the market. ZWEzYTBmNDFhYWRmMTkwYzdkODdmNTUzZTY2NDM2NzFiOTBlMTM0YzdmZTNj It turns out it wasn't a conspiracy but rather a mistake that led to infamy. Ahead, we've taken a closer look at the 10 most valuable rookie cards of the 1990s. 1990 Hoops #205 Mark Jackson. How the mighty have fallen. It won't lead to Cooperstown, but he was a key member of one of baseball's best franchises. For some reason, collectors had to send in for the card a year later in 1934 by contacting Goudey if they wanted to complete this set. Check prices on eBay (affiliate link) Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link) 1990 Leaf Ken Griffey Jr. (#245) I remember seeing one of these in abaseball card shop near where I grew up and I would just stare in awe. A few important parameters for our list before we get started: The No. Closers don't usually get much respect in the hobby. And its one of the most famous error cards in the entire hobby, too. See also: Why Most Sports Cards from the Late-'80s/Early-'90s are Worthless. There came a time in the history of the trading card hobby that mainstream manufacturers like Topps, Donruss, Fleer, and Upper Deck were shipping cards as fast as they could print them. ZDc0OWNkMmVjY2EwMTI5ZTU3ZDg5Mzk0MzcyMGUzMDc5ODYzNzRlMjI3NGY1 Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. ODA5NWRhZDRiNWNkMzI2YjVmZmUyNTQxYWI2MDI2MDIxMThlZmNlMzQ3Yjdm All Rights Reserved, 30 Standout Baseball Cards from the Junk Wax Era, 1988 Score Rookie/Traded Craig Biggio RC #103T, 1988 Score Rookie/Traded Roberto Alomar RC #105T, 1989 Fleer Randy Johnson RC - Marlboro background #381, 1990 Topps Frank Thomas "No Name on Front" #414, 1992 Topps Traded Nomar Garciaparra RC #39T, 2022 Topps MVP Buyback Promotion Details, Guide and Checklist with Prices, Top Selling Sports Card and Trading Card Hobby Boxes Hot List, 2023 Topps Series 1 Baseball Variations Checklist Guide, Ultimate LeBron James Rookie Cards Gallery, Checklist and Hot List, 2022 Topps Stadium Club Baseball Variations Checklist and Gallery, 2022 Panini Phoenix Football Cards Checklist, 2022 Topps Allen & Ginter Chrome Baseball Cards Checklist and Odds, 2022-23 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Cards Checklist and Odds. But he spent several seasons as an All-Star first baseman and cut a hulking figure on the bag, even if his glove tended to be more of a liability than an asset. The E106 American Caramel cards are some of the scarcest Honus Wagner cards in the hobby (but obviously not his most expensive if you look at the top of this list). NDFmODE3YjAwMDQwNTI2N2U0OGM2NDZkNWQzZGRiMTFiNWY2NGJhMjJiN2Y3 It's so rare that no complete set has ever been assembled. Today, it sells for about three bucks in PSA 9 condition. Although Mark McGwire's appeal in baseball and the hobby has dropped, it's not nearly as severe as Sammy Sosa. It's never going to rebound to its highs of 1998 when the slugger made a run at the single-season home run record. Because Mantle was exclusively signed with Bowman in 1954 and 1955, you won't find him on any of Topps' cards in either of those two sets. Two years later, he was an All-Star for the first time, and the year after that he won his first of two Cy Young awards. But, the Great Bambino is the number one card to own out of all of them. MTQ3MWY1MTdlZDViMzM0OTVhNDgxNzIwNWU5YjkxNTRlOGE3MDJhZmVmYTA4 Together with the Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb (Ty Cobb back), and Eddie Plank the T206 Sherry Magie error card is one of the rarest of the entire set. most valuable topps project 70 cards . The four Ty Cobb cards in the T206 all differ in popularity, scarcity, and appearance but they are all just as important to the hobby as the 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth quartet. Likewise, this will forever be one of the most iconic baseball cards of the 1980s. Representing Donrusss first foray into the premium card market, the Leaf set burned up the summer of 1990 like few current-year cards had ever done before. If you remember, during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs, Babe Ruth made his famous Called Shot. That's part of it but more important are the cards' legacy. MjM4ODgwMDVkYjZlM2Y0ODFmNjhhY2FkMjNkODk2MzVhNWZmZDFmZWI0YTY4 Cobb turned in an absolute monster of a season in 1911 as he set career highs in batting (.420), hits (248), doubles (47), triples (24), RBI (127), runs (147) and slugging percentage (.621). Just like the Clemens from the box set, the 1984 Fleer Update Kirby Puckett is a giant in part to being the late Hall of Famer's only MLB card from 1984 and its general rarity. 100 Most Valuable Baseball Cards: The All-Time Dream List The most valuable baseball cards in the hobby can easily fetch six and seven figure price levels these days. If you look at the bottom, Sherry Magees last name is mistakenly spelled Magie. I dont buy the expensive ones, just my favorite teams like the Twins and some of my old favorite players from back in the day. They may take them and distribute them. 7. While a PSA 10 Gem Mint copy sold for $432,690 in 2012 a PSA 9 copy sold for an even higher amount, $478k, in 2016. 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. All he did in 60 games down the stretch for the White Sox was smack seven homers, drive in 31 runs, and hit a robust .330, recording a .983 OPS along the way not that anybody cared about that at the time. Many believe the 1887 N172 Old Judge set to be the most important 19th Century set in existence. And their continued popularity and demand prove that baseball cards still do hold great value. Those were the good old days. He played at a time when the biggest names were smashing home runs and making flashy plays. This one checks in around $10 in slabbed MINT condition. This card, the key to the 200-card M101-5 set, is often found off-center and features a variety of advertising backs, although most existing copies exhibit blank backs. 1990 Topps Baseball Cards The Ultimate Guide, 1990 Upper Deck Baseball Cards The Ultimate Guide, 1990 Upper Deck Sammy Sosa Star Rookie (#17), 1990 Topps (NOF) Frank Thomas Name on Front (#414), 1990 Upper Deck Juan Gonzalez Star Rookie (#72), 1990 Topps 89 ML Debut Ken Griffey Jr. (#46), 1990 Topps 89 ML Debut Sammy Sosa (#120). YmVmNWJkYmU0MDk2MmI5M2ZkNjhhNWY4YzY0Y2MxNWUyODAyODk0NzY2MDNh I will have to hit another auction sometime next year as my supply is running low lol. Collectors love the eye appeal of this beautiful pre-war set. Heritage Auctions sold a copy of this card graded in PSA 10 Gem Mint condition for a jaw-dropping $612,359 in August of 2016. Names were smashing home runs and making flashy plays Valuable baseball cards of the 1909 Ramly Cigarette set... 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Bowman issue is his only recognized rookie card and along with the Mantle rookie is key...

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