Baseball cards have been collected by fans for over a century and there are certain sets and specific cards from those sets that are extremely valuable, especially older vintage cards from the early 20th century. One of the most coveted subsets of baseball cards are known as “triple play” cards because they feature three players on a single card instead of the usual solitary player photo. These triple play cards were produced in the late 1980s and early 1990s and some examples could be worth thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars in mint condition today if they feature particularly key players.
One of the most valuable triple play sets ever produced was the 1991 Topps Premier League Baseball set which had only 108 cards as opposed to the typical 700-1000 card baseball sets of that era. Since it was an elite limited run set the cards are rarer and command high prices today. Within that 1991 Topps Premier League set there is a card numbered #72 that features superstar players Ken Griffey Jr., Cal Ripken Jr., and Kirby Puckett which is considered the holy grail of triple play cards. In pristine gem mint condition a copy of that three future Hall of Famers card could sell for $50,000 or more at auction given the legendary status of those players and the rarity of the card. It’s a true trophy piece for any baseball card collection.
Another extremely valuable triple play comes from the 1992 Upper Deck set, which was known for its slick design and photorealistic image quality that was ahead of its time. Card #168 from that ’92 Upper Deck release pictures the young rising superstars Frank Thomas, Barry Bonds, and Ken Griffey Jr. all in their early All-Star prime. With the proven track records of Thomas and Bonds, plus Griffey’s aura of potential greatness, that card gained tremendous cachet posthumously as their careers developed. Today an example in mint condition would sell for $15,000-20,000. Upper Deck only produced cards for a couple years in the early 90s before losing their MLB license but their short run sets from that period contain some of the most aesthetically pleasing and valuable cards ever.
The 1989 Topps set is renowned not just for the debut rookie cards of Ken Griffey Jr. and Gregg Maddux but also for its memorable triple play selections. One example is card #480 which pictures Nolan Ryan, Whitey Ford, and Sandy Koufax, three of the best pitching legends of all-time. Despite being a “common” career accomplishments card with over 2.7 million printed, the nostalgia and history embodied in having those hurlers together makes it a true collectors item worth around $800-1000 graded mint. Another highly sought ’89 Topps triple play is #29 featuring Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken Jr., and George Brett, three surefire Hall of Famers from the 1980s who were synonymous with excellence at their positions.
While rookie cards and vintage early 20th century players hold immense cachet, the pinnacle of recent player value lies with rookies and stars from the 1990s “Junk Wax Era”. The glut of mass produced cards from this period initially made them seem worthless but now the stars of that generation like Ken Griffey Jr, Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas, and Mark McGwire have become the new nostalgia icons for collectors. A perfect example is the 1992 Fleer Ultra Gold Medallion parallel card #47 which features the Baby Bulls lineup of Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas, and Robin Ventura. This scarce parallel variant sells for over $3,000 in top condition because it captures three dominant left-handed sluggers from that era in their breakout seasons.
The late 80s and early 90s truly represent the golden age of triple play cards before corporate licensing wised up and started limiting multi-player inclusions that were fan favorites. Iconic pairings like Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver (#604 from 1988 Donruss), Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux (#164 from 1991 Topps), or Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn (#496 from 1989 Topps) have extra nostalgia resonance for collectors who remember following those superstars as kids. Even fairly common triple play cards from that period in top grades could fetch $100-300 at auction depending on the subjects and conditions. With values always rising as more collectors emerge with disposable income and desire to own tangible pieces featuring their sporting heroes, triple plays remain a smart long term investment genre beyond just the true elite keys.
While all-time great rookie cards will likely forever be the holy grail for collectors, the rarity and nostalgia of vintage 1980s and 1990s triple play cards make them prized trophies with high values of their own, especially if they picture true legend players or star pairings. From the Griffey Jr-Ripken-Puckett Premier League card to iconic duos like Maddux/Glavine and Ryan/Seaver, the opportunity to own many Hall of Famers at once will keep these multi-player issues as some of the most compelling and investible items in the entire sports card market for years to come. With care and research, finding and acquiring the blue chip triple play keys from the junk wax era remains a sound strategy for any collector budget.
