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25 Most Valuable 1992 Donruss Baseball Cards

Most Valuable 1992 Donruss Baseball Cards

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Turning things up a notch, the 1992 Donruss baseball card set hit store shelves with some of the finest player photography packed within foil wrappers that you could find.

And those player images weren't held to just the card fronts...

Donruss also improved the design of the backs of their cards that year as they ditched their standard text-only design we'd grown accustomed to and included color headshots, too.

Overall, it's one of the best-looking sets of the era and contains a great checklist with many stars and Hall of Famers.

And in this guide, I'll run through the 25 most valuable.

Let's jump right in!

Ross Uitts

Ross Uitts - Owner

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Brief disclaimer: I do want to make it clear that most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days.

Like the 1992 FleerPinnacleScoreStadium ClubTopps and Upper Deck 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 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 list:

1992 Donruss #193 Rickey Henderson

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $50

Donruss utilized many excellent images throughout this set. 

But this shot of Rickey Henderson sliding headfirst into third base is arguably one of the best.

I love it when a baseball card captures a player doing what we best remember him for and this one is a fine example.

The all-time leader in runs scored and stolen bases, Rickey Henderson was a speedster and monster on the base paths who will likely never be matched.

1992 Donruss #193 Rickey Henderson Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #707 Nolan Ryan

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $50

Like Henderson's card, Donruss did a fantastic job of catching Ryan in action from behind home plate doing what he does best: throwing incredible heat.

It's amazing to think that Ryan made his rookie card debut multiple decades earlier in the 1968 Topps set.

As a baseball icon, "The Ryan Express" is still one of the most popular players in the hobby which is why you find him on this list and among the top cards in pretty much every other set in which he appeared.

1992 Donruss #707 Nolan Ryan Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #5 Kenny Lofton

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

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1992 Donruss #5 Kenny Lofton Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #406 Jim Thome

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

One of only 9 players to ever hit more than 600 home runs in his career, Jim Thome sent 612 over the fence when all was said and done.

And he did so without being associated with the PED scandal that tarnished the careers of many fellow stars of his era.

Known as a nice guy who brought a positive attitude day in and day out, Thome was one of the best power hitters in history and was rightfully a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2018.

While he spent most of his career as a first baseman and DH, he spent his first several years at the hot corner as shown on his rookie card below.

1992 Donruss #406 Jim Thome Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #596 Don Mattingly

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

A hobby icon during the "junk era" of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Don Mattingly watches one fly on his 1992 Donruss card.

Throughout the 1980s, Mattingly did nothing but rake at the plate as he picked up an MVP and 3 Silver Slugger awards.

He was just as solid with the glove, too, as he picked up 5 of his 9 career Gold Gloves during that span.

Back then, Mattingly was looking like a surefire Hall of Famer on his way to icon status with so many other Yankee greats.

Injuries caught up with him and derailed his momentum in the 1990s but collectors of that era still love Donnie Baseball enough to pay $40 for this card in high grade.

1992 Donruss #596 Don Mattingly Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #165 Ken Griffey Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35

The wheels were in motion for Griffey as he finished the 1992 season with his 3rd straight All-Star and Gold Glove honors to his name.

Living up to the hype that had sent his popularity through the roof back in 1989, the Kid was always one of the names collectors wanted to see as they ripped through pack after pack of 1992 Donruss.

While Griffey's legacy soared, the values of this card dropped over time but this one can still be worth a respectable $35 in high grade.

1992 Donruss #165 Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #470 Bo Jackson

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35

One of the biggest stars of his time, Bo Jackson is another player whose cards have held up well over time.

After dislocating his hip during a playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals in 1991, Jackson's football career was over and the Royals would cut him during spring training immediately after.

While the White Sox gave him a shot to resume his baseball career he would play in only 23 games during the 1991 season and would sit out the entire 1992 season due to hip replacement surgery.

Jackson's legendary two-sport stardom may have ended on that fateful play against Cincinnati in 1991 but his iconic status lives on in the hobby.

1992 Donruss #470 Bo Jackson Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #555 Goose Gossage and Nolan Ryan

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35

One of my favorite "Highlights" cards of the era, Donruss took the opportunity to recognize a unique occurrence in baseball history when teammates Goose Gossage and Nolan Ryan crossed the 308 save and 308 win mark together.

And when I say "together", I don't mean they happened to have 308 saves and 308 wins at one point during the 1991 season.

No, I mean they crossed those milestones during the same game against the Red Sox on July 23, 1991 when Ryan left with a 5-4 lead and Gossage entered later to close it out.

It was Gossage's only save of the 1991 season and his first since the 1989 season after spending 1990 playing ball in Japan.

As strange of a coincidence as it was, thankfully Donruss brought it to light with this fantastic baseball card depicting two legends of the game.

1992 Donruss #555 Goose Gossage and Nolan Ryan Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #35 Cal Ripken Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

A workhorse just like Ryan, most remember Ripken for his record for most consecutive games played but many will remember him as perhaps the greatest shortstop who ever played.

Like Ernie Banks had done back in the 1950s, Ripken made fans reconsider how a shortstop should perform as Ripken brought an uncommon amount of size and power to the position.

Coming off his second MVP season, his power dipped in 1992 as he finished with just 14 home runs after hitting at least 20 in each of his 10 seasons before that.

Being the complete player he was, though, he made up for that loss of production at the plate by winning his 2nd Gold Glove.

1992 Donruss #35 Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #143 George Brett

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

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1992 Donruss #143 George Brett Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #154 Nolan Ryan Highlights

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

Tipping their cap to Ryan throwing his 7th career no-hitter against the Blue Jays the year before, Donruss created this "Highlights" card to honor the legendary flamethrower.

On the back of the card, Ryan was quoted as saying that this particular no-hitter was "the most rewarding no-hitter of all because it came in front of my fans. My career is complete now."

You have to wonder just how much longer he would have continued pitching had his arm not finally given out on him at the end of the 1993 season.

1992 Donruss #154 Nolan Ryan Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #210 Wade Boggs

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

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1992 Donruss #210 Wade Boggs Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #215 Rickey Henderson Highlights

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

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1992 Donruss #215 Highlights Rickey Henderson Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #243 Barry Bonds

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

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1992 Donruss #243 Barry Bonds Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #432 Ozzie Smith

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

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1992 Donruss #432 Ozzie Smith Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #441 Tony Gwynn

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

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1992 Donruss #441 Tony Gwynn Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #576 Ryne Sandberg

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

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1992 Donruss #576 Ryne Sandberg Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #592 Frank Thomas

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

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1992 Donruss #592 Frank Thomas Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #617 Kirby Puckett

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

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1992 Donruss #617 Kirby Puckett Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #632 Mike Mussina

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

Making his Donruss rookie card debut, "Moose" is shown burning one towards home plate with the extreme look of focus and determination that he brought every day over his 18-year Hall of Fame career.

Before spending his last 8 years in the Majors as a New York Yankee, Mussina pitched his first 10 years with the Baltimore Orioles where he was voted to each of his 5 All-Star teams.

Never overpowering, Mussina brought top-notch consistency and command that allowed him to break down opposing pitchers season after season on his way to 270 wins.

Twenty of those wins came in his final season in 2008 as the then 39-year-old became the oldest first-time 20 game-winner in MLB history.

Elected to the Hall of Fame in 2019, Mussina will be remembered as one of the most effective pitchers of his era.

1992 Donruss #632 Mike Mussina Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #146 Dale Murphy

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25

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1992 Donruss #146 Dale Murphy Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #207 Randy Johnson

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25

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1992 Donruss #207 Randy Johnson Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #520 Greg Maddux

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25

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1992 Donruss #520 Greg Maddux Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #348 Mark McGwire

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $20

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1992 Donruss #348 Mark McGwire Baseball Card

1992 Donruss #548 Jose Canseco

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $20

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1992 Donruss #548 Jose Canseco Baseball Card

1992 Donruss Baseball Cards In Review

This was Donruss' biggest release at the time as the checklist contained a whopping 784 cards that were distributed in two series.

Each Series One pack contained a 3 pieces of a Rod Carew puzzle, a signature of Donruss sets for years meant to get around the Topps loophole of not being able to distribute cards with gum.

Unopened Box of 1992 Donruss Baseball Cards

Bonus cards and Diamond Kings were also randomly inserted into packs.

While their values may not have held up all that well over time, this set will go down in hobby history as having some of the finest design and imagery of the era.

Ross Uitts
 

Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. He also loves to write about the hobby and has written for Beckett, Topps, SABR and of course, this website. Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? Contact him at [email protected]

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