10 Most Valuable 1990 Score Baseball Cards
Most collectors don’t think twice about 1990 Score baseball cards but they will always be special to me…
I really liked collecting this set as a kid.
The design was colorful but respectable.
There were plenty of draft picks and rookie cards to chase.
And what kid didn’t like those little, holographic trivia cards that were inserted into every pack?
I used to love expanding my knowledge about significant baseball milestones and achievements by reading those things.
And while many cards in this set aren’t worth anything, there are some that still do stick out in terms of value.
In this list, I take a look at the top ten most valuable today.
Let’s jump right in…
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Ross Uitts - Owner
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Before we get started, I do want to make it clear that most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days.
Like the 1990 Donruss, Fleer, Bowman and Topps sets, far too many of them were printed and the market is over-saturated with them.
So, in order for the cards on this list to be worth much, they'll either have to be graded by PSA to be in perfect, gem mint condition.
That means the card needs to be basically flawless.
Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at the top ten:
This card is arguably one of the most iconic cards of the "junk" era.
It perfectly illustrates just what made Bo Jackson so special:
his ability to play both baseball and football at the highest levels.
There's no mention of the Raiders or Royals anywhere on the front.
We just get a straightforward, black and white image of Jackson sporting gear from both sports.
What a simple way to get a big point across.
One of Bo Jackson's rookie cards, produced by Classic, used a similar concept of Bo wearing gear from both sports but this is the one everyone remembers.
In top condition, this card can go for around $70 or so these days.
This may not be the most expensive Frank Thomas rookie card, but it's a design favorite among many collectors of that era.
What's not to like about this card?
The big bright smile on Thomas's face paired with a bright blue sky gives the card huge eye appeal.
I love that old White Sox logo, too.
Again, there are Frank Thomas rookies that fetch much bigger price tags but this is a classic that will always bring back great memories.
I'll never forget Walker's 1997 season...the guy was absolutely on fire.
His 49 home runs, 130 RBI and .363 batting average were good enough to win MVP honors.
Some seasons, that would be good enough to win a Triple Crown, too, but not that year unfortunately.
I also remember in 1999 when he had an outside shot of hitting .400 for the season.
He'd finish with a .379 batting average that year, which was still incredible.
That's pretty much what I'll always remember about Walker: he was an incredible hitter.
1990 Score #280 Bo Jackson
Estimated "Watham" Error PSA 10 Value: $25
Estimated "Wathan" Correct Version PSA 10 Value: $12
Check Prices On: Amazon
Bo Jackson appeared on four different cards in this set but this is considered his "base" card.
On the back side of the card, then Royals manager John Wathan was quoted as saying, "The more he plays, the better he gets. And I don't have any idea when that will stop."
However, there are fewer versions where Score misspelled Wathan's last name as "Watham".
They're not too difficult to find, but in high grade they are worth more than the correct version.
Some have sold for as high as $70 or more but I think you could likely expect to pay around $25 for a PSA 10 copy.
Technically, this card was part of Score's "Traded" series which was designated for players who were traded or called up from the minors during the season.
But, how could I leave this Big Hurt rookie off the list?
I would have loved to have seen a better action shot of Thomas, ideally one of him taking a huge cut at the ball.
But, it's still a great-looking card due to the orange borders and overall brightness that it exhibits.
These aren't worth as much as his regular Score rookie but Thomas collectors are still always on the lookout for this one in high grade.
The blue and yellow borders on this card matched up perfectly with the Mariners uniforms back then.
And together with a great action shot of Griffey showing off his sweet swing, that color scheme makes this one of the best-looking cards in the set.
During the 1990's, Griffey Jr. was one of the hottest stars in the sport and seemed destined to break all kinds of records.
Unfortunately, injuries really bogged him down in the 2000's but he still managed to put up monster career numbers.
That's a testament to how good he really was.
Eric Lindros?
Wasn't he a hockey legend?
This card is so odd because Lindros never even actually played professional baseball...not even in the Minors.
But, the Toronto Blue Jays did let him tryout and I guess that was good enough for Score to put him in their "Traded" series.
The back of the card references his hitting ability that he displayed in high school but also makes reference to him being though of as the next Mario Lemieux.
I really don't know much about Score's motive for putting him on a baseball card but I'm assuming it was some sort of promotional gimmick.
There is a huge collector base out there for Nolan Ryan cards.
His rookie card is one of the hobby's most sought-after cards in general while the rest of his cards are always among the most-demanded in any set in which he appears.
This one is no exception.
And while it may not be worth even close to what his rookie card is, it's a really great-looking card nonetheless.
The red borders perfectly complement his Texas Ranger uniform and you gotta love that action shot of him ready to throw some major heat.
This is a fantastic card and a great tribute to Jackson's 1989 All-Star MVP honor.
1989 would be the only season in which Jackson earned a trip to the All-Star game but this card (along with the other Bo Jackson cards in this set) of how much hype surrounded the two-sport star at the time.
The horizontal layout, blue borders and great action shot of Jackson's compact, powerful swing make this one of the best-looking cards in the entire set.
During the late 1990's and early 2000's, Sammy Sosa went on an absolute home run and RBI tear.
But we all know now that PEDs had a lot to do with it.
Despite that cloud that still hangs over his career, Sosa remains popular among many baseball card collectors.
Only worth about $10 in top condition, it's not his most expensive rookie card by any means.
But, for Sosa fans, it's a must-have card and features a great action shot of him running along the base path.
1990 Score Baseball Cards In Review
So there you have it, the ten most valuable 1990 Score cards.
As you can see, it will take them being professionally graded in gem mint condition to be worth much.
The checklist in this set contains 704 cards total and in general, the centering and print quality were pretty good.
But like many sets of that era, 1990 Score was massively printed.
And that has severely hurt their value over the years: they're just not that hard to find.
But, for those of us who grew up collecting these as kids, they'll always have a huge nostalgic factor to them despite not having the highest monetary value.
