1993 Topps Baseball Cards – 10 Most Popular

Like most issues from the so-called “Junk Wax” era, 1993 Topps baseball cards don’t carry a ton of monetary value … well, except for one of them.

But this set features a clean, uncluttered design with good photography, and a boatload of now-Hall of Famers and then-superstars.

That means the cards remain popular with collectors nearly three decades later, especially in solid graded condition.

With that in mind, here are the ten most popular 1993 Topps baseball cards, as determined by the total number of each card submitted for grading, according to the PSA Population Report.

1993 Topps Derek Jeter (#98)

This is the ONE card I mentioned above that bucks the “Junk Wax” trend in this set. The Jeter rookie card has been a hot item in the hobby for 25 years or more, and that only figures to amplify now that The Captain is in the Hall of Fame and also running the Marlins.

Values on this one can range from a few dollars for raw copies on up to triple digits for top graded specimens.

(We’re only considering full-on base cards here, but you should be aware there are reports of a couple of Jeter error versions running around out there, too).

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1993 Topps Jim Edmonds (#799)

Jim Edmonds was still a “coming attraction” when this card was issued, and he would pretty much stay that way until he broke out with 33 home runs in his first full season with the Angels in 1995

A whirlwind of Gold Gloves, All-Star selections, and MVP votes followed, and Edmonds retired 15 years later (in 2010) with a pretty solid Hall of Fame case that’s sort of been lost in the shuffle of all the greats to pass through the Cooperstown gates in the last decade or so.

Nevertheless, his snazzy rookie card is still popular with collectors and is liable to become even more so if he ever gets stronger HOF consideration.

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1993 Topps Nolan Ryan (#700)

Ryan, on the other hand, couldn’t have been any hotter in the hobby than he already was as 1993 dawned. And, while his trajectory has been more of a steady steep climb than the checkmark jumps he took in the early 1990s, The Ryan Express still sits near the top of the most popular of all players when it comes to baseball cards.

This was the Topps card that greeted collectors as we watched Ryan work through his last of 27 seasons, and the nostalgia floods back even today with just a glimpse.

No wonder we still love this thing.

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1993 Topps Pedro Martinez (#557)

This isn’t Pedro’s rookie card, as he had landed on nearly 20 pasteboards from 1990 through 1992. This card was issued during his actual rookie season, though, and Martinez finished ninth in NL Rookie of the Year balloting that fall.

Rookie card or not, though, this is a great looking shot of a young up-and-comer who just so happened to develop into one of the game’s great moundsmen.

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1993 Topps Jason Kendall (#334)

Kendall spent the bulk of his career with also-ran Pirates teams before helping the Oakland A’s, Chicago Cubs, and Milwaukee Brewers reach the playoffs from 2006 through 2008, respectively.

Kendall never put up flashy numbers aside from an occasional pop into the .320 range for batting average, but he combined sabermetrics skills (on-base and slugging) with excellent glove work behind the plate to fashion an unsung star-level career.

He was “sung” enough, though, for his rookie card to have carried some hobby weight for a good while, and you have to think that the bulk of his PSA submissions came several years ago now.

Still, this is a three-decade old RC of a player who stood (or crouched) near the top of his position (catcher) for a decade or more.

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1993 Topps Ken Griffey Jr.(#179)

And speaking of standing near the top of things, Junior stands near the top of the baseball mountain when it comes to the absolute greatest players the game has ever seen.

This is a great looking card of a still-young Griffey, on the verge of his first monster season — he would smack 45 home runs in 1993 while leading the AL with 359 total bases.

Most Griffey cards have a classic look, and this popular issue is no exception.

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1993 Topps Cal Ripken Jr. (#300)

Ripken peaked in terms of on-field performance with his second AL MVP in 1991, but his popularity just grew and grew as he tracked down Lou Gehrig en route to setting a new record for consecutive games played in 1995.

This action-packed card captures one of the golden moments in between when Cal was doing what Cal did — grinding out another day at work, just like the rest of us “average” guys.

It’s just one of the many reasons Cal always has been and always will be a hobby favorite.

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1993 Topps George Brett (#397)

In 1992, Brett reached the 3000-hit milestone, and he followed that up with a farewell tour at age 40 that included 19 home runs, 75 RBI, and another 149 hits.

There was no doubt that the grizzled, hard-nosed third baseman with the sweet batting stroke would cruise into the Hall of Fame, and he made good on that promise.

Brett cards have been among the most popular in the hobby since he hit .390 for the Royals back in 1980, and this farewell cardboard still draws collector dollars all these years later.

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1993 Topps Don Mattingly (#32)

Mattingly and his 1984 rookie cards helped to redefine and jumpstart the hobby in the mid 1980s, but he was spiraling toward his diamond demise by 1993, courtesy of a bad back.

No matter, though, because Donnie Baseball’s legacy was written in stone by then, and this classic fielding shot rendered in horizontal brings all those exciting boom years back in an a flash.

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1993 Topps Barry Bonds (#2)

By the time this card found its way into collectors’ hands, Bonds had two MVP awards with the Pirates under his belt, and he was doing his slugging in San Francisco.

Of course, less than a decade later, Barry would completely turn the sport on its ear with his hitting exploits before running headlong into the public perception shredder.

Still, Bonds is one of the greatest hitters to ever lace up his spikes, and you have to think he’ll find his way to Cooperstown someday.

When he does, expect his cards — including this Bucs swan song — to be more popular than ever.

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