The 1990 Donruss baseball set is considered one of the classic and highly collectible issues from the late 1980s/early 1990s junk wax era. While it doesn’t contain any true rookie cards of future Hall of Famers, there are still several star players featured that drive interest in the set from collectors. The design is also very nostalgic for those who collected cards during that time period.
In terms of individual card values, there are a few key stars from the 1990 season that command the highest prices. Ken Griffey Jr’s base card in the set tends to sell for $8-12 in near mint condition. His impressive 1990 season where he hit .301 with 22 homers and 67 RBI helped raise the profile of his rookie cards. The Griffey rookie is from 1989 Upper Deck so his sophomore Donruss card doesn’t have quite the same cachet.
Another star outfielder with a strong 1990 campaign was Roberto Alomar. His base card typically sells in the $6-10 range. Alomar hit .310 with 14 homers, 81 RBI and 46 stolen bases that year to help lead the Blue Jays to the AL East title.
Other position players with 1990 Donruss cards valued around the $5-8 mark include Will Clark, Frank Thomas, Barry Bonds, and Ryne Sandberg. Each had All-Star caliber seasons and were considered among the game’s best hitters of that era.
Among pitchers, Nolan Ryan’s 1990 Donruss card is one of the most sought after in the set given his legendary status. In mint condition it can fetch $10-15. Other hurlers like Roger Clemens and Doug Jones tend to sell for $4-7 depending on grade.
In terms of team sets and subsets, the high-series Boston Red Sox cards carry premiums since they were battling the Reds for the World Series title that year. The complete Red Sox team set may sell for around $30-40. The Traded set also has additional interest since it highlights players who switched teams in 1990 like Sid Bream and Bip Roberts.
For lower-valued stars and common players, most 1990 Donruss base cards in good condition will range between 50 cents to $2 each. Rookies and prospects from that year have very little value outside of someone like Gary Sheffield, whose base rookie could sell for $3-5.
In terms of grading, a 1990 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. PSA 10 Gem Mint could be worth $100-150. But most other individual cards would need to grade PSA 8.5 or higher to reach double-digit prices. In terms of sealed wax boxes, you’d be very lucky to find one unopened from 1990 still around. But if you did, depending on quantity and sealed quality, a wax box could potentially sell anywhere from $150-500 or more among serious vintage collectors.
While not as expensive as some elite rookie card sets, the 1990 Donruss issue still contains plenty of all-time player offerings that maintain interest from collectors decades later. Key stars from that season in high grades can earn solid returns. And for set builders, team and insert subsets provide additional appeal despite being produced during the early stages of the junk wax era boom. Overall it remains one of the most iconic mainstream issues of the late 1980s/early 1990s period.
