For example, one easy way to tell if youve got an M101-4 Ruth rookie is if the Sporting News ad is on the back of the card as no M101-5 Ruths featured that ad. But whats not up for debate is whether its one of his most important. People are spending as much on old pieces of cardboard as most people spend on a house. Home Baseball Baseball Cards 30 Standout Baseball Cards from the Junk Wax Era. To that point, only 59 of 16,753 that have been graded by PSA have come back with a PSA 10 grade. 1990 Donruss Baseball Cards 25 Most Valuable. While both are classics, there is no doubt that #37 is the more popular and difficult of the two. Even in poor condition, they routinely sell for over $1 million. Like many other sluggers, though, his production tailed off in his 30s, and PED whispers tarnished his reputation. It pays to be well to do. I will have to hit another auction sometime next year as my supply is running low lol. His enduring popularity for a major market team, legendary career, and the fact that it's his only true rookie card have helped make this one of the most valuable raw cards of the 1990s, with ungraded versions regularly topping $100. Gehrig again appeared on two different cards, #37 and #61, in the 1934 Goudey set. Juan Gone helped the 1990 Bowman set along, too, and plenty of hobby dollars have been dropped on this head-and-shoulders(-and-chest) shot over the years. The young, toolsy prospect made a decent showing in his new climes, cracking double-digit home runs and stealing 32 bases. So this answers the question I posed above when we discussed the 1990 Donruss Sosa card NO, were not done with Sammy rookies on this list. Proving that sometimes a second-year card can be more desirable than a rookie, the 1992 Bowman Chipper Jones is also a throwback to early 1990s fashion. He shouldn't be. It is by far the most important of allHank Aaron baseball cards. 1994 SP Alex Rodgriguez Die Cut 27. But it does give us an early look at that electric smile that tantalized the world when the young man hiself was still mostly just promise and hope. Collectors love the eye appeal of this beautiful pre-war set. This mint-condition autographed card is selling for $3,500, making it one of the most valuable baseball cards from the '90s. And it can be tough to find in high grade, too. After spending 1908 and 1909 with the Philadelphia Athletics, they quickly gave up on him and traded him to the Cleveland Naps for the 1910 season. Drafted in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft as a favor to Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, who was a family friend and the godfather of his younger brother, Mike Piazza went on to become the greatest offensive catcher in MLB history. 1992 Donruss Elite Signatures Cal Ripken Jr. Most of the same stuff we said about the 1990 Leaf Sosa card above applies to his 1990 Upper Deck rookie card, as well, except that 90 UD was never really much of a hobby burner. 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. Mays put up monster numbers over his career and shares the record for most All-Star Game appearances (24) with Hank Aaron and Stan Musial. George Close Candy cards are among the scarcer pre-WWI caramel issues and the Honus Wagner is one of the keys to the set. Poor print quality and focus plague this short print card making high-grade copies nearly unachievable. His career cut short by arthritis in his pitching arm, he went on to become the youngest player ever elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972. With 10,886 PSA 9 and 3,857 PSA 10 in circulation, it's not hard to find a high-grade version, but they still sell for a premium as an iconic card of one of the decade's biggest stars. The packs, from what I have seen, were never labeled any differently from the regular issue packs. It makes me happy to do it. The free cards have really gotten a lot of kids, boys and girls, excited about Baseball and Football Cards. The question is: where do you start on this list? 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. 10 Most Valuable Baseball Cards from the 1990s July 31, 2022 by Gold Card Auctions The 1990s were a strange time to be a baseball card collector. 7. Mays could hit, throw, field and run with the best of them. I also am guilty of the greed created in the 1980s- It was a lot of funSure everything came falling down- Now I have all these cards left over from that area- I was on the selling side of it all. 1989 Topps Tiffany Randy Johnson While not as pricey as the Yellow or Red Ruths of the same set, its still a very expensive card and a key member of the Ruth quartet. ThisTed Williams card features a superb black and white image of Williams following through on his classic swing. 1990 Topps George Bush USA1 Glossy Even if I can find some to sell I will continue to give the older ones away. Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? 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. 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). 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. You would end up with a lot more commons trying to dig up one of those than hitting a autographed 92 score card. 1986 Donruss HL Bo Jackson White Var. And those that are affordable don't usually look that great. Pitchers with 300 Wins and Their Baseball Cards. If you look closely at each of the double prints of this card, youll notice that one version shows better clarity and focus than the other. 19. Compared to virtually every other mainstream set from the year, this one is relatively tough to find. This has always been the Frank Thomas Rookie Card to get. Considered the Holy Grail of all trading cards, the 1909 American Tobacco CompanyT206 Honus Wagner cardremains the symbol of trading card collecting today. He just plain loves baseball and anyone who ever played it. 22. 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. Even though it is not Mickey Mantles official rookie card it is definitely his most important. Lower-grade cards can sell for around $1000 whilst a higher-grade edition went for $8,655 in 2018. With so many greats, how do you choose between them? This isBanks only recognized rookie cardin the hobby and along with the Hank Aaron and Al Kaline rookies, a key to the 1954 Topps set. Ahead, we've taken a closer look at the 10 most valuable rookie cards of the 1990s. One of the most popular players of his era, Vladimir Guerrero was the No. Its an extremely tough card to find in high grade. 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. Oh well, the memories are still all good! Neg. T205 Gold Border Ty Cobb. Sosa will likely never join Thomas in the Hall of Fame, but Sammy still has his fans, and his historic journey saw plenty of these Topps RCs submitted for grading. Its arguably the most visually pleasing and desirable of all the Ted Williams baseball cards in the hobby. Theres just something about this card that makes it visually stunning. We wouldn't have really said this a couple years ago. 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. That being said, I truly think that cards from this era are just as important as the prewar, post WWII, or any other era is to this hobby. There are 11 different backside variations in total each with The George Close Co. printed on them. 25) 1990 Topps Sammy Sosa Rookie Card (#692) 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. Boasting a somewhat premium (for the day) design, it's another affordable first-year Jeter that won't break the bank. It's not rare, but it brings back a lot of good memories. Never understood all the love for the early 80s Fleer designs. I think it should be noted the mcgwire on that list is his olympic card. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. Again, the biggest condition issues with this card will arise from the glossy coating on the obverse that usually ends up cracking or creasing. But, Joe Jackson is instantly recognizable on this card depicting him as a member of the Cleveland Naps minor league team, the New Orleans Pelicans. That means there are also many fakes out there, so considerPSA grading services or other reputable third party graders before buying or selling one of these. The eye appeal is top-notch, as with most 1914 Cracker Jack cards. This card was one of the hottest of the mid-to-late-1990s. Bowman did not include him in their 1953 set so that makes his Topps card of that year even more sought after. For a time, this was one of the hottest cards in the hobby. Although it features identical imagery as his 1914 Cracker Jack issue, most high-end examples of these two issues are of the 1915. Ryans rookie card appears in the 1968 O-Pee-Chee, Topps Milton Bradleyand Venezuela Topps sets as well but its the regular ToppsNolan Ryan rookie cardthat stands apart in value from the rest. Of all theTy Cobb baseball cards, this is by far his most expensive. (Note: The listings below contain affiliate links to the sold eBay lots.) For about $15, you can ponder the backstory from the comfort of your own PSA 9 copy. His incredible career makesStan Musial baseball cards extremely popular with collectors. Each of the 30 unnumbered cards in the set feature an artist rendering of players atop colored backgrounds. Among the most bland cards ever produced. (You might also enjoy our lists of the most expensive football cards and the most expensive basketball cards .) ZTk1MTgyYzY4OTRlMmE4MzNjNWU3OGIyYzZlNWQwNjc3MjMxNDdkNzBjZDVi He didn't appear on his first Topps card until the 1995 Topps Traded set, following his MLB debut. Youll just have to read on to find out! Collectors who take on the challenge of completing this set are no doubt in for an extremely tough challenge. Its amazing how volatile that cards value has been over the years. Although not as popular as his 1948 Bowman rookie card, his 1948 Leaf rookie card is the tougher of the two. ZGQ1MGZkZTQ3YTAwNWQ3Mzc5Y2FlNzg3YzU2ZDc4ZDk0YjI3YmQ2MTJjYmIx Top athletes from baseball, football, hockey, tennis, golf, boxing, swimming, horse racing and even dog sled racing are showcased in the set. 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. The 1992 Bowman Mariano Rivera, his lone MLB card from the year, is part of the reason the set continues to be very popular at a time when many similar sets have dropped significantly. The E106 cards feature identical artwork on their fronts as the E90-1 and E92 caramel issues but differ by the advertising on their backs. And also along the way, Belle put together ten of the most amazing seasons at the plate the game has ever seen. Centering that favors the bottom and slight angular cuts are usually the factors that prevent these cards from reaching higher grades. He's still not a top-tier hobby talent but his appeal has grown post-retirement as collectors look to a Cooperstown induction. The checklist also contains rookie cards of Jeff Kent and Tim Wakefield. The 1988 Score Rookie/Traded Roberto Alomar has a lot of the same appeal as the Biggio except Alomar made a fast entry into the Hall of Fame. Along the way, he built a reputation for being about as cantankerous a player as weve seen in the last 70 years or so. Instead of handing it off to the next, those adults in the 80s decided to keep it for themselves and try to sell it. Hyped as a generational talent and future superstar from the moment he was taken No. 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. Those were the good old days. The 1954 Wilson Franks Ted Williams baseball card is one of if not the most important regional card ever produced. In PSA 9, this card usually sells in the $25-35 range. In 2016, seven copies of this card were miraculously found in an old paper bag. Both are not cheap but it is this version that is the more desirable and expensive of the two. Auto However, I have restarted my personal collecting by buying some older cards on ebay. Centering issues, as well as dark print blotches in the yellow background, are usually the two key issues of this card. -----END REPORT-----. 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. The Green Ruth is the last of the four Babe Ruth cards to appear in the 1933 Goudey set. While there are other cards from the Junk Wax Era that still have some tangible worth, the above list is populated with rookie cards of current and future Hall of Famers, as well as those who, unfortunately, will be forever linked to baseball's ugly Steroid Era. NjAxODA1OWQzZGMyNTk1NmU2YTE5ODUwZTYwNzliYmFlMGY1OTM0OThiZWYx As for the 1992 Score Franchise Autograph card with Mantle/Yaz/Musial, or any of the autographed cards from that issue, I wish you the best of luck pulling one; let alone finding one for sale. Extremely difficult to find and still shrouded in mystery, it still sells for four figures. Identical in imagery as its 1915 Cracker Jack counterpart, the 1914 version is equally as visually pleasing. Jeff Bagwell was one of the most dangerous hitters of his era. Each colored set variation was released at different times during the year with updated player information and updated rookies. Five Hall of Famers made their rookie card debut in the T206 set and Walter Johnson is one of them, a fact that makes this card even more interesting. That PSA 10 copy sold for $717,000 in 2016. So why would one of his cards be so expensive? The 1991 Topps Desert Shield cards were distributed to US Troops in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm by Topps as a special thank you to the troops. Those that have been found in high grade are thought to have never been packaged and instead left the factory by hand. His career may not have finished as strongly as it started, but Mattingly is still a Yankees icon. Damon isn't in his era's top tier, but it's tough to argue against his 1993 SP rookie card. Price: $33,100. As an adult I joined PSA and have had thousands of my cards graded. Collectors will pay big money for either version as long as its in high grade. 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. Theres only one single PSA 10 copy currently in circulation, however, which makes it extremely difficult to find even if you have that kind of money to spend. And their continued popularity and demand prove that baseball cards still do hold great value. Its pretty affordable, too, at around $10 in PSA 9 condition. The Yellow Ruth, #53, is considered to be the toughest, closely followed by the #149 Red Ruth that shows the legendary slugger in an identical pose. It's a fraction of that today, but of all Sosa's early cards, this is still the go-to choice. 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. The overwhelming supply and eventually fleeting demand created a perfect storm for the crash that followed. This instantly recognizable card is easily one of Mathewsons most popular. Predating his other MLB cards by a year, the 1984 Fleer Update Roger Clemens is legitimately rare in top condition. Need proof? This is no doubt one of the most sought after cards of one of the games best pitchers of all time. 1992 Fleer Update Mike Piazza The legendary Cap Anson appears on two different cards with the uniform version being the rarer of the two. Put the two together and you've got one gem that looks good and is extremely affordable. You could argue the imagery isn't the nicest in the hobby but it makes for an unforgettable card design. This card is a prime example of an instance where neither being a star nor an error card can bring in big bucks. Copy sold for $ 717,000 in 2016 on eBay cards have really gotten a of. 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