Just like many other collectibles, baseball cards go through peaks and valleys in their popularity and value over time. As cards from certain eras become less desirable and hold little resale value, they essentially become the “junk cars” of the baseball card collecting world. While still prized possessions to some collectors based on nostalgia or team loyalty, these cards are more likely to end up in dusty old long boxes, shoeboxes under beds, or in the bargain bins of card shops and collectibles stores. Unfortunately for sellers, there just isn’t much of a viable secondary market for moving these “junkyard” cards anymore unless they are practically given away.

Some of the eras and sets that are most likely to end up in the junkyard of baseball cards include pre-1960 cards in generally worn condition, the junk wax era of the late 1980s through the early 1990s, and update/insert/parallel card sets from the late 1990s to the 2000s. Pre-1960 cards that are not in near-mint to gem mint condition have little inherent financial value nowadays beyond their nostalgic appeal to some collectors. The card stock and production quality of the earliest decades just does not hold up well over 70+ years in most cases. Condition is absolutely critical, and finding higher grade pre-1960 commons in collection is a challenge.

The true “junk wax era” gets its name because the sheer number of cards produced watered down values industry-wide. From 1987 until the market crashed in the early 1990s, speculators and investors flooded the market by the billions of cards. Production numbers on individual cards skyrocketed versus prior eras. As a result, nearly all cards from this timeframe that are not stars, Hall of Famers, or highly sought rookie cards are essentially worthless in resale. At their peek, you could buy a unopened pack of 1989 Topps or 1990 Donruss cards for a quarter. Nowadays, those same wax packs take up space as the epitome of “junk” status in a collection, unless they remain sealed. Even star rookie cards that sold for hundreds saw their values plummet to mere pocket change.

The late 1990s through 2000s brought about insert cards, parallel variations, autographs, memorabilia cards, and countless other specialty insert sets crammed into the base sets each year. While exciting for collectors at the time chasing the “chase cards”, the end result was that common players were featured numerous times across all the different variations and sets each year. Examples include Brandon Knight having 26 total cards produced between 1999-2003 or Mark McLemore having 19 cards across 1995-2000. With some players being virtually card number fillers across dozens of variations each season, those types of commons are exceedingly abundant and hold little more than sentimental value today outside of a team-specific collection.

While all card era have their share of “junk” that ends up taking up space, there are some additional categories that routinely inhabit the junkyards:

Team sets – Outside of a handful of flagship brands like Topps and Donruss, expanded team sets from the 90s onwards are rarely more than bulk bin material today. Exceptions may be stars’ rookie cards or rare inserts.

Parallel color variations – With some 1990s and 2000s parallels being produced in runs numbering in the tens or hundreds of thousands, eye-catching color shades ended up glutting the market and turning many parallels into junk status too.

Non-sport/entertainment cards – Anything from wrestler, NASCAR, celebrity, or non-sports sets are unlikely to hold long-term value and are more novelty than investment. Junk wax status looms large.

Semi-pro/independent league/foreign league cards – Neat for niche collectors but lack of star power and smaller original print runs mean limited resale outlook.

Over-produced modern stars – Cards of current MLB stars that were churned out endlessly across primary sets and mass-produced inserts/parallels between 2000-2010s risk becoming junk as players age out of their primes.

Base commons of all eras in diminished condition – Wear and tear takes its toll, making creased, worn, or damaged cards less appealing over time unless pristine gems.

The junkyards of baseball cards encompass the sets, players, and conditioned cards that had their day in the sun but are now obsolete in the broader resale market beyond nostalgia value. They take up space in dusty long boxes, but still hold value sentimentally to dedicated team collectors or those with fond childhood memories of specific eras. So while “junk” status in financial terms, the memories and attachments to personal collecting roots keep many cards off the path to the literal scrap heap.