Sports Cards From The 90s Worth Money

Probably 99% of cards from the 1980s and 1990s are not worth the paper they’re printed on. This era is commonly referred to as the “junk era” of trading cards.

The reality is that the hobby was very popular during this time period , it was vastly more popular than it ever had been previously. Card companies printed cards in ridiculous numbers in order to meet the demand. Every kid in America collected cards. It’s the first time in sports card history that cards were looked at as “investments.” Before that, they were pinned to walls and stuck in bike spokes. At the time, collectors didn’t realize how many of these cards were being produced – there was an assumption that these cards were rare (at least the sought after stars and rookies) and therefore very valuable. But now, 30 and 40 years later, all those kids who collected STILL have thousands of these cards in boxes and albums in attics and closets. Essentially, there is no scarcity to cards from this era, and therefore there is very little high end demand – everyone already has these cards! And collectors who don’t yet have them, they can snag them online for next to nothing because they are EVERYWHERE. It’s basic supply and demand.

But, there certainly are cards from this era that are still highly collectible and very much in demand. Most of the valuable cards from the 1980s and 1990s are relatively scarce compared to most of the cards printed from that era. And it’s the scarcity, along with nostalgia, that drives the demand for these particular cards.

Cards from the 1990s that are worth some money…

1993 Topps Finest Refractors!

The first “refractor” cards that were produced and distributed were from 1993 Topps Finest baseball. While no official print run has every been announced, it is thought that they were produced at about 250 cards each. Compared to the millions of cards printed for each set in the early 1990s, these were VERY rare. They were sought after then, and very much in demand to this day. And they carry a hefty price tag for that demand.

1990 Topps NNOF Frank Thomas rookie

The iconic ERROR card from the 1990s is the Topps Frank Thomas (hall of famer) rookie that is missing his name on the front – the “No Name On Front”, or NNOF, error. The normal version of this card was printed in the bazillions, but a small run of them were produced that were missing the name on front. Some of them went into packs, but the error was caught pretty quick and corrected. Therefore the error version is quite rare, and therefore very valuable. Even raw examples of this card can fetch many hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, however it is believed most of them are likely accounted for.

Ken Griffey Jr 1989 Upper Deck rookie card

THE iconic card from the junk era, the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. #1 card is still highly in demand. It’s the card we all wanted back then, and it’s the card we all still want now. The hype for Griffey was huge in 1989, and he proved to be one of the greatest baseball players to ever live. The nostalgia is strong with this one, and the card still carries a good amount of value. However, it was extremely mass-produced and finding them to this day is not difficult. Raw versions are still quite affordable, however, high-grade examples can carry a steep price.

Anything Michael Jordan and/or Kobe Bryant

We wouldn’t have really said this a couple years ago. But over the last 16 months (covid!), the demand and value of arguably the two greatest basketball players in history has gone up tremendously. Common Jordan and Kobe cards are not rare and tend to be very affordable, but any rare inserts or variations – especially early game used and signature cards – can be worth a boat load.

Mid to late 1990s short print inserts and variations

It’s all about scarcity. Short print variations, rare inserts, etc., regardless of the era, are always in demand. And in the mid-1990s, the hobby was still very popular and card companies produced some of the most gorgeous cards you can imagine. They really left very little on the table during this time period, and printed cards using materials and techniques and still to this day very rarely get used. A lot of collectors maintain that cards from this era rival, or even beat, modern cards in terms of creativity and design.