Turn Back the Clock baseball cards were a unique insert set released by Topps between 1997-1999 that allowed fans to see what their favorite players looked like in a historical MLB uniform from the past. While a fun concept at the time, these special chase cards have taken on greater significance with collectors in recent years. As nostalgia for the design elements of older MLB eras has increased, so too has demand and pricing for the quality examples of Turn Back the Clock parallels that portray stars in historic flannels and wool caps from the early days of the game.
Whether it was Ken Griffey Jr. rocking a 1919 Cleveland Indians uniform or Cal Ripken posing in a 1922 Baltimore Orioles jersey, these insert cards sparked the imagination by blending modern players with the romanticized style of baseball’s earlier chapters. With their alternate historical uniforms and photos specially captured to match the retro aesthetic, Turn Back the Clock cards became a novel collector’s item beyond the base issues. Though they didn’t carry the true rarity of serial numbered parallels at the time of release, marketplace values have accelerated for high-grade versions as fewer remained in pristine condition.
Topps released Turn Back the Clock cards at a rate of one per pack across their 1997, 1998 and 1999 baseball card releases. With no restrictions placed on which players could receive the treatment or what past uniforms might be recreated, the concept lent itself to wide player and team coverage. Star players like Ken Griffey Jr., Cal Ripken Jr., Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire appeared regularly, while even lesser known role players occasionally received the nod. Uniform designs stretched back as far as the 19th century beginnings of professional baseball leagues.
While common in the late 90s as packs were ripped, time and the elements have steadily eroded the surviving population of centered, sharply-cornered examples available to today’s discerning collectors. PSA and BGS have graded hundreds of these cards since the early 2000s, but mint 9 or 10 specimens account for only a small fraction. With the inherent nostalgia and alternate-universe idea behind Turn Back the Clock cards, prices have climbed much faster than standard late 90s Topps base rookies or commons from the same era.
For the very best preserved samples showcasing superstar players, auction prices have entered the multiple thousands of dollars range. In January 2020, a PSA Gem Mint 10 graded 1998 Turn Back the Clock Ken Griffey Jr. as a 1920 Cleveland Indians sold for an astounding $11,850. Other Griffey examples in PSA 9/BGS 9 condition have brought $4,000-$6,000. More recently in September 2021, a 1999 Turn Back the Clock Barry Bonds as an 1887 Pittsburgh Alleghenys rocketed to $7,100 as a PSA 9. Even role players can gain significant value in top grades, like a 1998 PSA 10 Mike Piazza as a 1922 New York Giants fetching $1,800 in May 2021.
More common PSA 8 or BGS 8.5 versions still pull four-figure sums for elite talents or particularly rare uniform pairings. But true Mint Condition is now required to reach the high-end prices befitting icons of the late 90s like Griffey and Bonds. A little play wear seems to diminish values proportionally. For example, a PSA-graded 7.5 copy of the coveted 1998 Griffey slipped to just $950 this March. Clearly preservation is critical to maximizing returns on these nostalgic cardboard slices of baseball’s past brought vividly into the late 20th century.
Since production numbers for Turn Back the Clock cards weren’t published, there is no hard data on exact rarity. Population statistics from the mainstream grading services offer some guidelines. As of November 2021, PSA lists just 24 PSA 10s among over 1,900 total 1998 Griffey submissions. For the 1998 Bonds, only 6 earned a perfect PSA 10 grade from about 1,000 attempts. Those numbers suggest true Gem quality examples survive at rates under 1%. BGS data reveals similarly low superlative percentage rates. Availability is only going to dry up further with each passing year of the collectibles staying in slabs.
While Turn Back the Clock cards might have been mere novelties in the late 90s, nostalgia and condition sensitivity have transformed the subset into a coveted segment for baseball memorabilia investors. Securing flashy Hall of Famers in pristine grades provides an unique historic baseball display piece that also holds significant long-term value appreciation potential. With rarity growing scarcer over time and demand likely to remain steady or increase, top condition examples should continue appreciating at accelerated rates compared to bulk 90s issues. For collectors seeking a fun linkage from baseball’s past to present stars, Turn Back the Clock cards have become true keepsakes rather than casual inserts two decades later.
