The year 1990 was a transitional period for baseball cards. Following a boom in popularity and prices in the late 1980s, the baseball card market was beginning to cool off by 1990. Still, many of the baseball cards produced in 1990 have retained value or increased in value over the decades since. Let’s take a look at some of the top 1990 baseball cards and discuss their typical values today.
One of the most valuable rookie cards from 1990 is the Ken Griffey Jr. Upper Deck rookie card. Widely considered one of the best player cards of the era, Griffey’s rookie exploded in popularity and demand as his Hall of Fame career progressed. In near-mint to mint condition, Griffey’s 1990 Upper Deck rookie routinely sells for $500-$1000 and occasionally more in top-grades. Even in well-worn condition, this card still commands $100+ due to Griffey’s legendary status.
Another Griffey card with high value is his 1990 Score rookie. This nostalgic design features a very young Griffey in a Mariners uniform. Graded examples in the 8-10 range sell for $150-350, while raw copies go for $75-$150 depending on condition. Griffey obsessives also collect and enjoy his rookies from Bowman, Donruss, and Fleer from this year. All have increased steadily in secondary market price over the decades.
Aside from Griffey, many other future Hall of Famers and all-time greats had their rookie cards released in 1990 packs and sets. One is the Frank Thomas rookie from 1990 Score. “The Big Hurt” went on to have one of the best power-hitting careers of all time, and his rookie card reflects that. High-graded PSA/BGS 9s and 10s bring $500-1000, with raw copies between $150-300 based on condition. Another future 500 home run club member, Fred McGriff, had a popular rookie from 1990 Donruss as well.
Two other rookie standouts released in 1990 were Gary Sheffield from Score and Moises Alou from Fleer. Sheffield went on to have a long, productive career and his 1990 Score RC has gained Steam popularity-wise over the years. Mint condition Sheffield rookies are $200-400, while worn copies fetch $50-100. Alou carved out a solid career too, and high-end PSA 9-10 versions of his 1990 Fleer RC sell for $150-300 nowadays.
Beyond rookies of future stars, 1990 also featured the baseball cards of many active Hall of Famers and iconic players at the height of their careers like Nolan Ryan (Donruss Traded), Wade Boggs (Topps), Kirby Puckett (Fleer), Cal Ripken Jr. (Score), and Ozzie Smith (Donruss). Condition-graded gem mint versions of cards for these veterans from the late ’80s-early ’90s boom era often sell in the $50-150 range.
The 1990 Donruss set is also notable for featuring rookie cards for future 3000 hit club members Craig Biggio and Jeff Kent. Both players cards have increased in value steadily over the years. Near-mint Biggio rookies sell between $50-100, while Jeff Kent’s have reached $30-60 based on condition. Other budding young stars like Keith Hernandez, David Justice, and Todd Zeile also had popular rookie cards debut in 1990 Donruss, Score, and Fleer packs.
In terms of rare and chase cards from 1990, one is the Nolan Ryan Donruss Traded “partial cap” variation. Featuring Ryan’s face partially obscured by his Yankees cap, only a small number were printed like this making it a much sought after error card. High-grade versions can sell for $500-1000. Another rare pull is the Cal Ripken Jr. 1990 Bowman Traded card, of which only 50 were produced according to Beckett. One recently sold in PSA 9 condition for over $1500.
While the sky-high prices of the 1980s boom era had subsided a bit by 1990, many cards released that year have proven to be quite valuable long-term holdings. Rookies of soon-to-be superstars Griffey, Thomas, and McGriff lead the way, but Hall of Famers, stars of the era, and even short-print errors also maintain collector demand and secondary market pricing decades later. For investors and collectors alike, 1990 baseball cards can offer longevity as sound long-term holdings.
