The 1990s were a boom period for baseball cards, with many young superstars like Ken Griffey Jr., Vladimir Guerrero, and Chipper Jones entering their primes and rookie cards being issued. This decade also saw the birth of ultra-premium inserts and parallels that drove certain cards to unprecedented price levels. While it’s impossible to definitively list the “most wanted” cards from the 1990s, here are some of the biggest names that fetch top dollar on the hobby market today.

1992 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card: Widely considered the most iconic and valuable baseball card of the 1990s, Griffey’s rookie UD card is still in extremely high demand nearly 30 years later. The combo of Griffey’s otherworldly talent and good looks, along with Upper Deck’s innovative design and superior production quality to Topps, have made this the undisputed #1 card from the decade. High graded PSA/BGS 10 versions routinely sell for $20,000+ at auction. Even well-worn raw copies trade hands for $1000+.

1997 Bowman’s Best Refractors Chipper Jones, Pedro Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Jeter: Bowman’s Best introduced “refractor” parallels in 1997 that featured iridescent, colorful refractors instead of the standard cardboard. These parallel rookie cards of all-time greats like Jones, Martinez and Jeter are some of the most coveted inserts from the decade. High-grade examples change hands for $5000-10000, and raw copies still fetch $1000+.

1998 Bowman Chrome Vladimir Guerrero Rookie Refractor: Riding the coattails of the Griffey and Jones rookie booms, Guerrero’s electric rookie campaign with the Expos made his 1998 Bowman Chrome rookie refractor one of the most iconic cards to emerge post-Griffey. High-grade BGS/PSA 10 copies have sold for over $30,000 in recent years. The card introduced “Chrome” technology to the baseball world and remains highly sought after.

1996 Upper Deck SP Authentics Autograph Young Gun Ripken/Griffey/Marichal/Mantle: Widely considered the holy grail among 1990s insert sets, this incredibly rare autograph parallel featured some of the game’s all-time greats. A PSA 10-graded Ripken recently sold for $125,000, setting a record for any 1990s card. Even lower-graded copies sell for well into the five-figure range.

2000 SP Authentic Eddie Murray Autograph Jersey Relic /23: The ultra-short print run (only 23 copies produced) and dual-relic autograph format made this one of the rarest and most desired inserts of the decade. Copies rarely come up for sale. One PSA 10 copy sold for $50,000 in early 2020.

1992 Upper Deck Griffey Youngest Player Rookie Sub Set: Already an insanely valuable set as-is, the additional scarcity of Griffey’s “Youngest Player” mini insert increased its cachet. Only 121 copies are believed to be in existence. A gem mint PSA 10 copy sold for $106,000 at auction in 2021. Any edition of this card in 8 or above still demands 5 figures.

1994 Collector’s Choice Derek Jeter Rookie Refractor #/300: The low print run and futuristic “refractor” design made Jeter’s Collector’s Choice rookie one of the premier rookies to emerge post-Griffey rookie. High grade copies still fetch $5000-10000, with lesser condition copies bringing $1000-3000 range depending on centering and surfaces.

1998 Pacific Omega Box Toppers Frank Thomas/Alex Rodriguez: Considered the rarest insert sets issued in the late 90s, these 1/1 box topper parallels featured full color portraits of stars like Frank Thomas. The incredible scarcity and iconic players have created a huge demand among vintage investors. No graded examples exist publicly, but raw copies are worth $30,000+.

2000 Topps Chrome Refractor Albert Pujols Rookie Card: Pujols burst onto the scene with a monster rookie campaign to begin what would become a Hall of Fame career. His 2000 Topps Chrome rookie refractor, with its futuristic design, captured lightning in a bottle and remains one of the most coveted modern rookie cards. High grades trade for $5000-10000, with well-loved raw copies still fetching $1000.

1996 Pinnacle Inside Tracy McGrady Rookie Card Auto Patch 1/1: About as rare as it gets, this 1/1 quad-relic autographed T-Mac rookie introduced innovative new concepts ahead of its time. It remains the only publicly-confirmed example of this spectacular insert. Speculatively, an appearance on the market could demand well over $100,000 given the incredible relic/auto trifecta coupled with the superstar subject matter.

So in summary – while personal tastes vary – the incredibly scarce, high-grade examples featuring all-time greats like Griffey, McGrady, Jones, Jeter, Pujols and autographs/relics of the game’s icons from Bowman/Upper Deck/Pinnacle/SP date from the 1990s represent some of the most prized targets for today’s avid collectors and investors. The decade laid the foundation for the modern boom in sports collecting.