The 1993 Upper Deck SP baseball card set was an insert set released alongside Upper Deck’s standard baseball card release for that year. The SP set featured various short print and serially numbered parallel variations that have made some of the cards incredibly valuable today. Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the most valuable and sought after 1993 Upper Deck SP cards nearly 30 years later.
Perhaps the most iconic and valuable card from the 1993 Upper Deck SP set is the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. Griffey was already well on his way to a Hall of Fame career in 1993 and his rookie card has always been highly sought after by collectors. The standard Griffey Jr. SP card is certainly valuable in its own right, regularly fetching hundreds of dollars in near mint condition. The true holy grail is the serially numbered parallel version of this card. Only 100 of these ultra-rare parallel Griffey rookies were printed and each one contains a serial number from 1-100 on the front of the card. In flawless mint condition, ungraded examples of this parallel Griffey have sold for over $100,000 at auction. Even well-worn graded copies in the PSA 8-9 range can sell for $30,000 or more due to their extreme scarcity. The 1993 Ken Griffey Jr. SP serial #/100 parallel rookie simply does not come on the market very often and is widely considered the most valuable baseball card of the 1990s.
Another all-time great who had an incredibly valuable SP rookie card is Chipper Jones. Like Griffey, Jones went on to have a Hall of Fame career and his 1993 Upper Deck SP rookie remains one of the most coveted and sought after cards from the set. In pristine gem mint condition, the Chipper Jones rookie has sold for upwards of $10,000 individually. One of the true anomalies among SP cards is the parallel serially numbered version of the Chipper Jones rookie, of which only 50 were printed. Much like the Griffey parallel, these contain a serial number from 1-50 on the front. Unsurprisingly, they represent the holy grail for Chipper Jones collectors. A PSA 9.5 graded copy of the #/50 parallel Jones rookie infamously sold for $86,100 at auction in 2021, marking a record price for any Chipper Jones card. With so few in existence and such strong demand from Jones fans, nearly any graded copy of this ultra-rare parallel can fetch a minimum of $30,000 today.
While the Griffey Jr. and Chipper Jones rookies reign supreme in terms of true high-end valuable 1993 SP cards, there are a few other notable mentions that can still command breathtaking prices as well. Frank Thomas had one of the dominant hitting careers of the 1990s and his SP rookie is perpetually in high demand. Higher graded PSA/BGS copies commonly sell in the $3,000-$5,000 range. An ungraded Thomas rookie recently surpassed $20,000 at auction as well. Craig Biggio also earns mentions as an all-time great and his 1993 SP rookie can reach $3,000+ for top grades. The serially numbered Derek Jeter rookie is the true prize though, with a PSA 9 copy setting a new record $96,000 sales price in 2021.
Aside from star rookies, there are a few short print veterans that hold tremendous value due to their scarcity in the 1993 SP set. The Joe DiMaggio SP card is one of the biggest short prints in the set, with estimates placing the print run at fewer than 10 copies. As a result, even low-grade examples sell for north of $10,000. The Stan Musial SP is similarly rare and valuable in the $3,000+ range. Nolan Ryan fans are always seeking his 1973-style Astros SP which can reach $1,500+. Other notable short prints include the Rickey Henderson ($1,000+), Cal Ripken Jr. ($800+), and Ozzie Smith ($700+). While not true short prints, serially numbered parallel versions of these stars can be even more valuable due to their extreme rarity.
Beyond star rookies and short prints, there are a few very specific insert cards that drive huge prices as well. The Mike Piazza “Call To The Hall” career retrospective insert featuring a 1/1 serial number is mythically rare. Reports indicate it may not have ever been pulled by a collector, making its value essentially immeasurable. Another unique 1/1 parallel is the Nolan Ryan insert where he is shown standing on a mound with the number “5,000” for his career strikeouts. Both of these singular 1/1 parallels would undoubtedly shatter records if they ever became available.
In summary, 30 years later the 1993 Upper Deck SP baseball set remains incredibly valuable due to its mix of all-time star rookies, ulta-short print veterans, and truly one-of-a-kind parallel inserts. Cards like the Griffey Jr. and Chipper Jones serial parallels sit at the very pinnacle of the hobby as arguably the most expensive modern sports cards ever. While the true headline cards fetch millions hypothetically, there is also tremendous value to be found in high-grade versions of the Frank Thomas, Craig Biggio, and Derek Jeter rookies as well as rare veterans like DiMaggio, Musial, and Ryan. The 1993 Upper Deck SP set endures as one of the most iconic and valuable releases in the entire history of the collectible card industry.
