The 1990 Fleer baseball card set is generally not considered one of the most valuable issues from the junk wax era of the late 1980s and early 1990s. There are still some notable cards and rookies from the set that can hold value for collectors. Let’s take a deeper look at the 1990 Fleer set and discuss which cards may have retained or grown in value over the past 30+ years.
The 1990 Fleer set contains 792 total cards issued in wax packs. It was the first Fleer flagship set since 1983 and marked Fleer’s return to the baseball card market after a several year hiatus. Production numbers on the base cards were high, with collectors estimating well over a billion copies of each common card were produced. This massive overproduction, combined with lack of interest in the sport during that era, led to a decline in the overall card market.
Because of the enormous printing quantities, most of the common base cards from the 1990 Fleer set hold very little intrinsic value, only being worth a quarter to a dollar even in near-mint condition. Even stars of the day like Ryne Sandberg, Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs and Ozzie Smith can easily be acquired for $1-2 per card. The true value in the set lies in the scarce serially numbered and autograph parallel sets, important rookie cards, and specific star cards of hall of fame players.
One of the most notable aspects of the 1990 Fleer issue are the rookie cards it produced, as it featured the first Fleer cards for players who would go on to have Hall of Fame careers. The headlining rookie is obviously Ken Griffey Jr, who had one of the most iconic swings and attitudes in the game. Griffey’s rookie card may only be worth $10-15 in low-grade condition, but gem mint 10s have sold for over $1000. Another star rookie is Sandy Alomar Jr, and his card has appreciated up to $20-30 for top-grades due to his stellar career mostly as a Cleveland Indian.
Other notable rookies include additions like Jeff Bagwell, who slugged over 400 homers in his career. Bags’ rookie sits around $15-20. Tom Glavine, a 300-game winning lefty for the Braves, also has a $10-15 rookie card. Interestingly, the rookie of Jason Kendall, a lifetime .288 hitter mostly with the Pirates, can also reach $10-15 despite not being a true superstar. This shows how even role player rookies from sets like 1990 Fleer can find a stable price point years later once they’ve left an MLB legacy.
Moving beyond the rookies, there are also specific star cards that command a premium. For example, the Nolan Ryan card has increased in popularity since his retirement and 7 no-hitters were later revealed. A pristine Ryan now sells for $30-50 compared to just a few dollars a decade ago. Also, the Ken Griffey Sr. card has gained some collector interest since it’s one of the few cards showing his major league career statistics before he became known as “Junior’s” dad. These outliers aside, almost no common player cards crack more than a $5 price tag.
The true gems in the 1990 Fleer set that can net four-figure returns are the scarce parallel and serially numbered cards. This includes the rare black border variants (1 in 3600 packs), gold foil cards (1 in 9000 packs), and especially the coveted “Flashbacks” history parallel sets featuring stars like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Ted Williams. Only 100 of each of these were produced, making them among the most challenging Fleer cards to obtain. Similarly, special autographed card sets signed by players command thousands. The supply of extras like these has basically been exhausted through the years.
While 1990 Fleer lacks the cachet of some earlier Fleer designs or competitors like Topps, savvy collectors know there are still hidden value plays to be found. The rookie class is one that saw immense MLB success and Griffey/Bagwell tier rookies command respectable premiums as a result decades later. Parallel subsets that truly tested pack odds also persist as dramatic rarities. But for most common Billy Ripken or Vince Coleman cards, they’ll remain in the quarters bin. With some research, astute collectors can still make worthwhile investments by targeting specific stars and coveted serially numbered pieces from the 1990 Fleer baseball release.
