1990 Topps Baseball Cards – 25 Most Valuable … PLUS Bonus Listings!

Believe it or not, 1990 Topps baseball cards may be better than you think.

I know, I know, but hear me out.

See …

What seemed to start out as a sort of cheap attempted knockoff of the classic 1975 Topps set actually has some character of its own.

Those wild borders, for example, aren’t just colorful – they have print dots. Like … wow … like comic books have (something I first realized while reading a post from Night Owl Cards).

And then there is the photography, which is pretty sharp in some cases.

And then there are some pretty interesting subjects, from draft picks to error cards to scads of Nolan Ryans.

Of course, even the stoutest of the ‘90s will likely never rattle any bank accounts, not on the whole, and not to the extent that some of the hobby’s big hitters do and will.

But these cards are still fun all these years later, and they might just surprise you, if you give them a chance.

What follows, then, are the most valuable 1990 Topps baseball cards plus the most valuable 1990 Topps Traded baseball cards PLUS a few surprises, as judged by actual selling prices for copies graded PSA 9.

In all cases, you could also opt for the more limited, super glossy Tiffany version, which will generally set you back three to five times the cost of the corresponding base cards.

Alright, let’s play ball, 1990 Topps style!

(Note: The following sections contain affiliate links to eBay and Amazon listings for the cards being discussed. You might also enjoy our Ultimate Guide treatment of 1990 Topps baseball cards, right here. )

25) 1990 Topps Sammy Sosa Rookie Card (#692)

Sammy Sosa entered 1990 with designs on a starting job for the first time in his big league career, thanks to a midseason trade in 1989 from the Rangers to the White Sox.

The young, toolsy prospect made a decent showing in his new climes, cracking double-digit home runs and stealing 32 bases. The next couple seasons were lean, though, as Sammy struggled for playing time, especially after a 1992 trade to the Cubs.

Things started to look up the next summer, though, as 24-year-old Sosa connected on 33 long balls, the first of 11 straight full seasons (he cracked 25 in strike-shortened 1994) when he hit 30 or more.

Of course, those homer numbers were off the charts starting in 1998, when he chased Mark McGwire to Roger Maris’ single-season record.

Predictably, his cards skyrocketed like one of his Wrigley Field blasts.

Today, even after the great slugger downfall of the 2010s, Sosa’s rookie cards maintain enough hobby swagger to appear on lists like this one.

Value: $5-10

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

24) 1990 Topps Larry Walker Rookie Card (#757)

It took awhile for fans, and especially collectors, to warm up to Larry Walker and his talents.

Part of that was probably because he started out with the Montreal Expos, who infamously never won a division title, but who looked like a good bet in 1994 before The Strike ended everyone’s season.

That was Walker’s last year with the team.

Then it was on to the Colorado Rockies, for whom Walker broke out, big time … forever giving critics the “yeah, but he did that in the thin air of Denver” excuse to denigrate, or at least downplay, his performance.

In the end, Walker had the last guffaw, elected to the Hall of Fame in 2020.

Even with that honor under his belt, though, Booger’s cards – like this 1990 Topps rookie – never exploded in popularity or value and offer the chance to own some Cooperstown cardboard on the relative cheap.

Value: $5-10

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

23) 1990 Topps Dale Murphy (#750)

No one knew it at the time, but this would be the last time Dale Murphy ever appeared in a Braves uniform on a regular-issue Topps base set as an active player.

With his production continuing to slide, and the Braves going nowhere fast, Atlanta sent their legendary two-time MVP to the Phillies in a sort of complicated August trade.

And, although Murphy struggled in Philly and Colorado before retiring in 1993, he’s still a hobby heavyweight all these years later, and this card reflects a solid hunk of 1980s baseball history just as an era was about to end.

Value: $5-10

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

22) 1990 Topps Roger Clemens (#245)

This is about as bland a card as you’re likely to find for one of the greatest pitchers of all time, but I guess that was Roger Clemens’ punishment for having not won a Cy Young award for two years running at the time of issue.

He would extend that 0-fer to three years in 1990 before getting off the snide and reigniting his cards in 1991.

Like Barry Bonds and others from the steroid era, Clemens reputation has fallen on hard times in recent years, but his amazing numbers are hard to overlook – even if his 1990 Topps doesn’t stoke your nostalgia fire.

Value: $5-10

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

21) 1990 Topps Kirby Puckett (#700)

As if collectors needed more reason to chase Kirby Puckett, the Minnesota Twins’ fire hydrant of a centerfielder had won his first (and only, as it turned out) American League batting title in 1989.

That showing came with a massive power outage that would last most of the rest of Puck’s career, but he remained a smiling catalyst as the Twins won their second World Series in five years in 1991.

Puckett remains a collector favorite today, earning this card showing the man in his prime a slot on our list.

Value: $8-12

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

20) 1990 Topps Albert Belle (#283)

We didn’t really know that “Don’t Call Me Joey” would be a thing when this card was issued, but we’d find out soon enough that Albert Belle had one of the most potent bats in the history of baseball.

Sure, the dude’s personality rubbed folks like a porcupine-grained sandpaper, and health issues sank his Hall of Fame hopes, but Belle managed to dominate in the batter’s box long enough to add some forever value to his rookie cards.

Value: $10-12

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

19) 1990 Topps Jose Canseco (#250)

After going 40-40 and winning an MVP award in 1988, Jose Canseco found himself injured more often than not in 1989, appearing in just 65 games.

Still, collectors were excited enough by Jose’s upside to keep his cards on the hot list (and the Cold List, for veteran Beckett readers).

Much of the shine faded in the glare of the various PED scandals, but Jose’s place in hobby history won’t go quietly into the night, and his early-career cards still draw interest today.

Value: $8-15

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

18) 1990 Topps Rickey Henderson (#450)

This was Henderon’s first Topps base card after he returned to the A’s in a midseason trade with the Yankees.

And, while this one may not inspire thoughts of grandeur, it’s good to see The Man of Steal back where he began … and where he’d set a slew of records over the next several seasons.

Value: $10-15

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

17) 1990 Topps Bo Jackson (#300)

In 1989, Bo Jackson reached career highs in games played (135), home runs (32), and RBI (105), and he also stole 26 bases for the Kansas City Royals.

That earned Bo his first (and only) All-Star appearance and even some down-ballot MVP votes.

Collectors were more eager than ever to own a piece of Bo’s cardboard, making his 1990 Topps issue an exciting pull.

And, even after the gridiron injury that wrecked his promising future on both fields, Bo still generates plenty of hobby intrigue today.

Value: $10-15

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

16) 1990 Topps Cal Ripken Jr. (#570)

By the time this card was issued, Cal Ripken was starting to draw heavy flak for his slipping performance at the plate.

After winning American League Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in 1982 and 1983, respectively, Ripken had managed just 21 home runs and a .257 batting average in 1989, even as his Orioles rebounded from laughingstock (54-107) in 1988 to contender (87-75) the next summer under second-year manager Frank Robinson.

Things were about the same (or worse) for Iron Cal in 1990, and his critics put the blame firmly on The Streak. The man needed to take a day off now and then, they said, and forget about chasing Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played.

Well, Ripken was having none of it.

Not only did he stay in the lineup, he went on to record maybe his greatest season in 1991, winning his second MVP award in the process and setting a dinner date with history for 1995.

It all solidified Cal as an ironclad collector favorite, and we still love him today.

Value: $10-15

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

15) 1990 Topps Don Mattingly (#200)

Mattingly was coming off a mild rebound year in 1989 after injuries sapped his power (18 home runs) in 1988, but things got even worse in 1990 as the Yankees superstar was limited to just 102 appearances.

As it turned out, 1989 would be the last summer when he’d top 20 dingers (23), but fans – and collectors – still held out hope.

Even now, decades after his retirement and years after he fell off the Hall of Fame ballot, Mattingly still carries plenty of weight in the hobby he helped build.

Value: $10-15

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

14) 1990 Topps Barry Bonds (#220)

Entering 1990, Barry Bonds was still mostly potential, flashing consistent tools across the board but never completely wowing in any one area of the game.

His greatness began to show in earnest that summer, though, as he led the Pirates to a division title and won his first National League MVP award. He also topped 30 home runs for the first time and joined his father, Bobby Bonds, in the 30-30 club by adding 52 steals.

That performance was just the beginning, of course, and also the start of a climb for his cards in the hobby.

Today, his early-career issues, like this one, remain popular, even if they lag behind what you’d expect for the guy who broke Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record. Bonds card prices, its seems, like his Hall of Fame candidacy, are victims of his PED taint.

Value: $10-15

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

13) 1990 Topps Tony Gwynn (#730)

Gwynn won a batting title in 1989, giving him four heading into his 30s and a new decade.

He seemed on a sure path to Cooperstown, and it was always a good day as a collector when you pulled a Gwynn card, like this 1990 Topps batting shot.

It was all sort of ho-hum greatness until Gwynn kicked things up a gear in his mid-30s, winning four straight crowns from 1994 through 1997 and flirting with .400, especially in that first, strike-shortened season.

It amounted to a hobby fire that still burns brightly today.

Value: $10-15

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

12) 1990 Topps Bernie Williams Rookie Card (#701)

Superstars don’t come much more unassuming and steady than Bernie Williams … especially Yankees superstars!

Though Bernie seldom truly wowed fans, he was always there at the end of the year with 20-30 home runs, 90-100 RBI, solid glove work in center, and, overall, another All-Star-level performance under his belt.

And at the end of his career, he was just a notch or two below Cooperstown levels, but still plenty decorated enough to make his rookie card a solid hobby star all these year later.

Value: $10-15

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

11) 1990 Topps Deion Sanders (#61)

Neon Deion Sanders was a hobby phenom right from the start thanks to his electric talent in both football and baseball.

Though the gridiron ultimately proved to be his primary passion and gift (he’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame), Sanders spent enough time on the diamond to rack up plenty of steals and runs over his nine-year career.

And, while Sanders never quite excited collectors like fellow crossover artist Bo Jackson did, his cards continue to draw solid interest from fans of both sports.

Value: $12-15

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

10) 1990 Topps Nolan Ryan Mets (#2)

With Walter Johnson years in his rearview, Nolan Ryan sailed past 5000 strikeouts in 1989, on his way to baseball immortality.

In addition to anointing him with the first card in their new set to celebrate that unheard-of milestone, Topps also ran the Ryan Express through the next four numbers on their checklist, offering a unique career retrospective.

This one features a young Ryan with the New York Mets, where he made a first, brief, and wild stop.

Value: $10-20

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

9) 1990 Topps Nolan Ryan Angels (#3)

This second hunk of the Ryan recap shows him with the California Angels, the team for whom he burned down American League hitters like toothpicks in a cremation furnace for nearly a decade.

Value: $10-20

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

8) 1990 Topps Nolan Ryan Astros (#4)

Topps continued their Ryan celebration here by showing him with the Houston Astros, who had made the future Hall of Famer the first baseball player to earn $1 million+ when they signed him as a free agent prior to the 1980 season.

Value: $10-20

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

7) 1990 Topps Nolan Ryan Rangers (#5)

Ryan found his final baseball home with the Texas Rangers in 1989, and Topps captures him with his new team on this card, fittingly showing him doffing his cap after recording his 5000th strikeout.

Value: $10-20

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

6) 1990 Topps Ryne Sandberg (#210)

Sandberg reached 30 home runs (exactly) for the first time in 1989 as he helped the Cubs win their second division title, and first since 1984.

That got his cards perking again after a bit of a lull during the in-between years.

Ryno took his power game to a whole new level in 1990, though, leading the NL with 40 homers and cementing cards like his base Topps issue as pack-winners that summer.

Value: $12-18

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

5) 1990 Topps Rickey Henderson Record Breaker (#7)

It seemed like Rickey Henderson showed up on a Record Breaker card just about every year during the 1980s and 1990s. In the 1990 set, that RB card celebrated Rickey’s 40th career leadoff home run late in 1989, which extended his own record. He had surpassed Bobby Bonds (35) that April.

And, in case you’re wondering, Rickey wasn’t quite done – by the time he retired, he had 81 leadoff dingers, way in front of runners-up Alfonso Soriano (54) and Craig Biggio (53).

Value: $10-20

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

4) 1990 Topps Frank Thomas Rookie Card (#414)

Frank Thomas was a first-round pick in 1989, but the average collector might have been forgiven for thinking that Topps had their sports mixed up when this card started popping out of packs in 1990.

After all, the strapping young lad looked more like a linebacker than a first baseman, and we didn’t have the sort of 24-7 access to baseball information – and images – back in those pre-internet days.

Fast forward a year and a half, though, and Thomas was one of the best hitters in baseball, well on his way to becoming the Big Hurt and, ultimately, a Cooperstown denizen.

Not surprisingly, Thomas’ 1991 breakout (.318, 32 home runs, 109 RBI, 104 runs) sent us all scrambling to find his 1990 rookie cards, and they’ve been hobby royalty ever since.

Value: $15-20

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

3) 1990 Topps Greg Maddux (#715)

Maddux turned in his second big season for the Cubs in 1989, with his 19-12, 2.95 ERA helping the northsiders to a division title.

That performance garnered him his first Cy Young votes and also sent collectors searching for his 1987 rookie cards.

Of course, it was just the beginning of a Hall of Fame run for Mad Dog, and within a few years, when he was stringing together CYAs for the Braves, we were stockpiling ALL his cards – including this nifty color-coordinated Cubbies deal.

Value: $15-20

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

2) 1990 Topps Nolan Ryan (#1)

That 5000th strikeout that Ryan recorded in 1989 did wonders for his hobby profile, beginning right at the front of the 1990 Topps set.

It wasn’t often that a base card of an individual player landed card #1 back in those days, but Ryan was entering bonafide legend territory, and the following years would only solidify that standing – and boost his card values across the board.

Value: $15-25

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1) 1990 Topps Ken Griffey Jr. (#336)

Even though Griffey finished “just” third in 1989 American League Rookie of the Year balloting, those 16 home runs and 16 stolen bases he put up, along with stellar defense in center, had us all believing that something special was about to happen in Seattle.

That zeal spilled over to the hobby, where we made Junior one of the most popular players in cardboard right off the bat, and his 1990 Topps card has become something of a Junk Wax classic that still delights after all these years.

Value: $20-25

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

Honorable Mention

The following cards either don’t quite measure up to the biggies on our list, or they are oddball cases that you just don’t see very often.

In any case, they help to make the 1990 Topps set what it is, and they deserve some of our cardboard love, too.

6) 1990 Topps Delino Deshields Rookie Card (#224)

Like Marquis Grissom, Delino DeShields was one of a new crop of Expos prospects who promised to bring diamond success to Montreal in the 1990s.

And also like Grissom, DeShields managed to put together a fine career that left him short of the Hall of Fame but still popular enough among old-time collectors to keep his rookie card out of the commons bin.

Value: $-10

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

5) 1990 Topps Juan Gonzalez Rookie Card (#331)

Juan Gonzalez was already a solid prospect heading into the 1989 season, and his 21 home runs with Double-A Tulsa – at just 19 years of age – put him on the hobby radar.

The card companies came calling, and collectors were happy to scoop up rookie cards of the young slugger in 1990, especially when he bashed 29 long balls at Triple-A Oklahoma City that summer before connecting on four more in just 25 games for the Rangers in September.

An additional 420+ MLB taters followed, along with a couple of MVP awards and plenty of other accolades. And, even though Juan Gone will never make the Hall of Fame, he’ll also never completely lose his collector base.

Value: $5-10

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

4) 1990 Topps Ben McDonald Rookie Card (#774)

There was no bigger rookie heading into the 1990 season than Ben McDonald.

After all, the Orioles had selected the big righthander with the first overall pick in the 1989 Draft, then brought him up after just two games in the minors.

McDonald logged ten more minor league appearances in 1990 before going 8-5 with a stingy 2.43 ERA with the big club to finish third in AL Rookie of the Year balloting.

Naturally, his rookie cards were hot tamales.

The next few years saw McDonald settle in as a solid but not spectacular rotation piece who never quite lived up to his “next Roger Clemens” billing. Then, at age 29, a blown rotator cuff ended his career.

Even today, though, there is still some mystique to those McDonald RCs that once sat near the top of the hobby mountain.

Value: $5-10

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

3) 1990 Topps Marquis Grissom Rookie Card (#714)

Marquis Grissom was one of what seemed like an endless string of Expos prospects in the 1980s and 1990s. By the time collectors started pulling his rookie card, enough of those guys – Tim Raines, Andre Dawson, Tim Wallach, etc. – had made good, that we were pretty sure Grissom could live up to his advance billing.

All told, the sparkplug centerfielder pretty much held up his end of the bargain, playing for 17 years and accumulating 2251 hits, 227 home runs, 967 RBI, 429 stolen bases, and 1187 runs scored.

For all that, Grissom falls short of Cooperstown standards, but his RC is still nothing to sneeze at.

Value: $5-10

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

2) 1990 Topps Frank Thomas Partial Blackless (#414)

This card – and others like it – are what make it seem like the whole “blackless” or NNOF phenomenon might just be a printing problem and not an actual design/release error (yeah, that might be a fine distinction, but I’m making it anyway).

In this case, it’s just a couple hunks of the black links surrounding the name box – and not the name itself – that are missing.

This one is scarce enough that pics are tough to come by, though PSA has a few on its Auction Prices Realized tool for this set.

Value: $1000-2000

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1) 1990 Topps Frank Thomas No Name on Front (#414)

Topps cards were relatively error-free throughout the 1980s, so it’s a bit surprising in retrospect that they uncorked such a doozy to lead off the new decade.

But, hey, if you’re going to spray out an iconic error card (that may actually just be a printing flaw), what better way than to target a Hall of Famer?

Frank Thomas is no John Littlefield, after all.

Over the years since this card was issued, “NNOF” has become a one-name wonder that lets collectors know right away what you’re talking about, sort of like “Uribe” these days, but with the chops to back it up.

With *still* less than 300 of these gracing the PSA Population Report as of January 2022, and with Big Hurt firmly enshrined in Cooperstown, it’s no wonder this card is such a big kahuna among 1990 baseball issues.

Value: $20000-30000

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1990 Topps Traded Baseball Cards

Like every other Topps Traded set in the 1980s and early 1990s, this one was a special treat to collectors — one last shot of new baseball cards for the year as we headed into winter.

And, while it was light on big-name rookies, 1990 Topps Traded offered up some intriguing veterans-in-new-places cards to take up the slack.

5) 1990 Topps Traded Gary Carter (#19T)

At 36, Gary Carter’s best days were behind him in 1990, but he still put up a solid season at the plate for the Giants that summer.

And he also gave us the chance to see him on a Giants card, a reality Topps helped facilitate that fall in their Traded set.

Value: $5-10

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

4) 1990 Topps Traded Lee Smith (#118T)

Smith was already an All-Star closer as the 1990 season dawned, but his biggest seasonal save totals still lay ahead, with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Of course, before that could come to pass the Red Sox had to ship him to St. Louis, which they did during that summer of 1990.

And, voila! We had an avenue toward Smith’s first Cards card, and this was it (Topps division).

Value: $2-5

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

3) 1990 Topps Traded John Olerud (#83T)

Olerud took awhile to build a resume that would land him on lists like this, putting up solid, semistar-to-star-level performances year after year.

Occasionally, he’d pop something really gaudy, like that Ty Cobb-esque .363 batting title in 1993.

Mostly, though, it was just a steady climb to 2200+ career hits, pulling his rookie card along with him.

Value: $5-10

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

2) 1990 Topps Traded Cecil Fielder (#31T)

Has there ever been a bigger revelation in the course of one baseball season than what Cecil Fielder wrought in 1990?

Back from a starring role in Japan, Fielder had us all shaking our heads as he crushed 51 home runs for the Detroit Tigers, the first 50-homer season in the bigs since George Foster went deep 52 times for the Reds in 1977.

Where had this guy been all our lives? Well, Japan and the Blue Jays.

OK, fine, but .., where had his rookie cards been?? Hiding in commons bins with the rest of his 1986 brethren.

Right, but where were his *Detroit* cards?

Well, for Topps this was the one, and it’s still special more than 30 years on.

Value: $5-15

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1) 1990 Topps Traded David Justice (#48T)

David Justice was already 24 years old when the Braves called him up for the second time, in May of 1990.

That was old for a prospect, and he hadn’t exactly torn up the minors, either.

Needless to say, his 1990 rookie cards sort of got lost in the glare of guys with more hyper surrounding them … until he started mashing, that is.

By the end of the season, Justice had smashed 28 home runs, driven in 78 runs, scored 76 of his own, and hit a solid .282. That was good enough to win the NL Rookie of the Year award and leave us all wondering where his Topps rookie card was.

This Traded entry was their answer, and it’s still evocative of that magical summer all these years later.

Value: $10-15

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

Want to see a video version of this article?