The junk wax era of the late 1980s and early 1990s is often criticized for mass producing and oversaturating the baseball card market, which caused a downturn in collectability and value. While the era earned its nickname due to the perceived worthlessness of many of these mass produced cards, there are still some from this time period that have retained or gained significant value since. This article will explore some of the most expensive and collectible cards from the junk wax era.
One of the most iconic and valuable cards from the junk wax era is the 1989 UD Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. Griffey was one of the most exciting young rookie players to enter the league in 1989 and his rookie card stood out for featuring the popular “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” design on the back. Due to Griffey’s star status and the unique design, this rookie has maintained lasting popularity among collectors. In top near-mint to mint condition, graded PSA 10 examples of this Griffey rookie have sold for over $10,000 in recent years, making it one of the most valuable cards produced during the junk wax era boom.
Another expensive Griffey rookie card is his upper deck 1990 rookie card. While it does not have the unique back design or cachet of being his true rookie card year, the 1990 UD Griffey is still highly sought after and iconic in its own right. Pristine PSA 10 copies have sold for over $4,000. The 1989 Fleer Griffey rookie also retains substantial value, with PSA 10examples reaching about $2,000. Collectors are clearly still drawn to Griffey’s early rookie cards despite them being produced during the junk wax era glut.
Far rarer than Griffey rookies, but commanding premium prices and holding the record as the most valuable junk wax card, is the 1992 Pinnacle Brand Francisco Rodriguez. Considered the true rookie card for the Hall of Famer, only six copies of the Rodriguez Pinnacle card are known to exist. A PSA 9 copy sold for $126,000 in a 2021 auction, setting the record. This extreme rarity has elevated it far above typical junk wax valuations.
Other very rare and high value cards from this era include the 1992 Bowman’s Best Mark McGwire rookie, which was short printed and has a PSA 10 example selling for over $21,000. The 1992 Upper Deck Frank Thomas rookie card has sold for over $14,000 in top condition, due to Thomas’s sustained MLB success and Hall of Fame career. Another short printed rookie that pulls a premium is the 1992 Score Jeff Bagwell, which has PSA 10 copies selling in the $11,000 range. All of these cards stand out from the typical junk wax overflow due to either singular superstar status or considerably low print runs.
Even some of the more common Hall of Fame player rookies from the early 1990s junk wax era have retained or gained thousands in value. For example, the 1991 Topps Chipper Jones rookie in top condition has sold for over $7,000 in recent auctions, likely due to Jones’ consistent play throughout his career with Atlanta and 2007 induction into Cooperstown. Similarly, the 1993 Upper Deck Derek Jeter rookie has cracked the $5,000 threshold in top PSA 10 grade. Even 1991 Stadium Club Wade Boggs and Roberto Alomar rookie cards, who were established veterans but newly featured in the Stadium Club set, have topped $1,000 each in high grades.
Beyond rookies of elite MLB players, there are also rare variations, parallels, and error cards from junk wax sets that have gained substantial inflated valuations compared to run-of-the-mill base cards from the era. For example, one of the rarest mistakes is the 1993 Fleer Ultra Refractor Error Ken Griffey Jr., with only 11 cards known to exist due to an issue with the refractor technology Fleer was experimenting with that year. A PSA 9 example sold for $24,999 in 2021.
In terms of rare parallels and inserts from junk wax flagships, one outlier is an ultra-short printed 1992 Upper Deck Cliff Floyd rookie Superfractor parallel, numbered to only 3 copies known. This unique Floyd rookie is considered the crown jewel of all 1990s parallels and has sold for over $60,000 in recent years. Another coveted 1990s insert is the 1998 SP Authentic Hall of Fame autograph parallel of Nolan Ryan, signed by “The Express” himself during his post-playing career. Only 10 are known to exist and one brought over $37,000 at auction.
While the junk wax era glutted the market and caused values of most common cards from the time to crater, there are still some standouts with immense rarity, star power or historical significance that remain extremely valuable and sought after collector items today. Cards featuring rookie seasons of all-time MLB greats like Griffey, McGwire and Thomas will likely always carry weight. Short prints, errors and highly limited parallel versions also give certain junk wax era pieces modern valuations far removed from the typical notions of their disposable contemporary cardboard brethren. With Hall of Famers like Jeter and Chipper also holding prestige, they too buck the common throwaway judgment of this period. Though production numbers were massive, some high-end pieces from within the junk wax era boom years still count among the most prized and expensive baseball cards in the hobby.
