15 Most Valuable 1995 Topps Baseball Cards

1995 Topps #199 Derek Jeter

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $150

After starting infielders Tony Fernández and Pat Kelly both went down because of injury early in the 1995 season, Yankees fans got their first look at Derek Jeter when he filled in for thirteen games from May 29 to June 11.

During those thirteen games, the 21-year-old Jeter batted .234 with three doubles, one triple, six RBI and five runs scored in 47 at-bats.

When Fernández returned, the Yankees demoted Jeter to play for Triple-A Columbus, where he continued to perform very well, batting .317 with two home runs, 45 RBI, 96 runs scored and 20 stolen bases in 486 at-bats.

In September, Jeter appeared briefly in two more games for the Yankees but was left off the active roster for the team's ALDS trip to Seattle, where they lost a tough 3-2 dogfight with the Mariners.

The following season, the Yankees named Jeter their starting shortstop as he became the first rookie shortstop to start on Opening Day since Tom Tresh in 1962.

From that day on, Jeter exceeded nearly everyone's expectations in the Yankee organization.

In one of the most outstanding rookie campaigns in baseball history, Jeter helped the team win its first World Series since 1978 and took home a unanimous AL Rookie of the Year selection.

1995 Topps #397 Ken Griffey Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $85

With the threat of relocation looming in 1995 and negotiations for a new ballpark stalling, the Pacific Northwest needed a miracle to keep the M's around.

Despite missing 73 games with a broken left wrist suffered during his infamous "Spiderman" home-run robbery of Baltimore's Kevin Bass, Griffey Jr. delivered the goods yet again with another All-Star appearance and Gold Glove campaign.

Seattle sizzled in August and September, capturing the team's first-ever AL West championship and playoff berth.

While the Mariners' first October appearance might have been enough to keep baseball in Seattle, their iconic five-game AL Division Series win over the Yankees sealed the deal.

Griffey was a man possessed in the box against New York, going 9-for-23 (.391) with a staggering five home runs and seven RBIs.

But, it was his baserunning that earned the M's their first postseason series triumph.

Standing at first with Seattle down 5-4 in the deciding Game 5 at the Kingdome, Griffey seemingly took flight when Edgar Martinez ripped a Jack McDowell fastball into the left-field corner.

More than fifty-seven thousand fans rose in unison as Joey Cora tied the game from third, and Griffey streaked towards home behind him.

The Kid beat the tag with a slide etched in Mariners lore, and everything changed.

The M's lost to the Cleveland Indians in six in the forthcoming ALCS, but that did little to damper the baseball spirit in Seattle.

1995 Topps #588 Cal Ripken Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $75

The statistical particulars of Cal Ripken Jr.'s 1995 season aren't the story.

His role in bringing fans back to baseball following the cancellation of the 1994 World Series is the real tale to be told.

Baseball had a public-relations problem in the worst way coming into 1995.

And it showed at the turnstiles, with a 20-percent drop in overall attendance around the Major Leagues.

And while it would take time to earn back fans' trust, Ripken Jr. provided a storybook moment for a game desperately in need of one.

On September 6th, 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. became baseball's new Iron Man, surpassing Lou Gehrig by playing in his 2,131st consecutive game.

What followed was pure magic. For 22 minutes, fans and players alike exploded in a genuine display of emotion that reverberates to this day.

Every time Ripken tried to lobby for the game to start back up, the energy swelled and continued the spontaneous delay.

It was a moment in time that still brings tears for baseball fans of all teams.

And it was the moment that baseball felt baseball again, and less like a cutthroat business.

1995 Topps #388 Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $45

Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. were two of the biggest stars of their day so seeing them on the same card was great for collectors.

Not only could each of them tear the cover off the ball at the plate, but they could also run and field as well as anyone at their respective positions.

They could do it all.

They were generational talents.

As time wore on, their paths and legacies may have diverted more than anyone would have liked, but they remain two of the most extraordinary talents of all time.

1995 Topps #399 Don Mattingly

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $45

Legendary first baseman Don Mattingly's arrival with the Yankees in 1982 coincided with the beginning of one of the longest playoff droughts in franchise history.

From 1982-93, New York cycled through ten managers and repeatedly missed the playoffs with teams that ranged from depressingly mediocre to good (but not great).

In 1994, the stars seemingly aligned for Mattingly's first taste of October baseball.

Just under 3/4 of the way through the season, New York was 70-43 and in first place in the AL East.

Then, the strike happened, canceling the playoffs and denying Mattingly of his first postseason trip.

Fortunately, in his 14th MLB season in 1995, his luck would turn.

Though his offensive numbers were muted, his glove remained a critical asset.

And with a balance of young talent and veteran leadership in the clubhouse, the Yankees gave their captain his first playoff appearance with a wild card berth.

Mattingly did his part, hitting .417 with a home run, four doubles, and six RBIs.

But, a walk-off win for the AL West champion Seattle Mariners in Game 5 of the American League Division Series brought Donnie Baseball's first playoff appearance to an abrupt end.

In need of rest and wanting to spend more time with his family, he announced his intentions to sit out the 1996 season.

He'd formally retire in January 1997, just over two months after the Yankees' first World Series win in 18 years.

1995 Topps #431 Tony Gwynn

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $45

A season removed from flirting with a .400 batting average during the 1994 campaign, Tony Gwynn got right back to work with the bat in 1995.

Though his .368 batting average didn't quite approach the lofty .394 average he turned in the season before, it was still enough to land him his sixth of eight career batting titles.

Gwynn's 197 hits paced the Majors as well and by season's end, he finished ninth in MVP voting and captured his sixth Silver Slugger to boot.

Few in the game's history have approached the art and science of hitting with such enthusiasm and discipline as Gwynn.

Endless hours on the tee and in batting practice continued to pay huge dividends over his twenty-year Hall of Fame career.

Though he certainly did his part to help the team, the San Diego Padres as a unit finished third in the AL West with a mediocre 70-74 record and out of playoff contention.

Not since the 1984 season had Gwynn seen playoff baseball and he would have to wait until the 1996 season to see it again.

1995 Topps #559 Rickey Henderson

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $45

After the Oakland A's dealt him to Toronto at the 1993 MLB Trade Deadline, Hall-of-Fame speedster Rickey Henderson helped the star-studded Blue Jays to a World Series title.

However, Henderson still considered the Bay Area home and returned to the A's for his third go-around with a two-year, $8.6 million deal before the 1994 MLB season.

Henderson was solid in year one before the players' strike dropped a curtain on the season.

And despite a three-week delay to the start of the 1995 season due to labor negotiations, he was even better in year two.

The mercurial 36-year-old left fielder hit exactly .300 for the season, finishing with a .300 average (or better) for the sixth time since his rookie season in 1979.

He also stole 32 bags, ripped 31 doubles, and posted a healthy .855 OPS in 112 games.

The A's, however, were ticketed for a massive rebuilding project.

Oakland finished the season at 67-77, last in the AL West. And with significant changes forthcoming, Henderson left the A's yet again in the offseason, signing a two-year contract with the San Diego Padres.

1995 Topps #100 Barry Bonds

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

Regardless of how Barry Bonds's legacy has been shaped and analyzed in recent years, he remains one of the greatest hitters to lace up a pair of cleats.

His career had so many statistical high points, in fact, that full seasons like his 1995 campaign often fall through the cracks.

Maybe it's because the San Francisco Giants weren't very good in 1995, stumbling to a 67-77 record and a last-place finish in the NL West.

Bonds, though, was predictably stellar, leading the NL in games played (144), on-base percentage (.431), OPS (1.009), and walks (120).

He also hit 33 home runs, eclipsed 100 RBIs (104), smacked 30 doubles, and stole over 30 bases (31).

It was an all-around masterpiece of a season for the five-time National League All-Star.

A three-time National League MVP with Pittsburgh and San Francisco, Bonds finished 12th in the NL race in 1995.

Compared to his tear through the first half of the 2000s, that might seem underwhelming.

But, it's all relative when discussing Bonds' unparalleled MLB career.

1995 Topps #534 Kirby Puckett

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

One of his era's most consistent offensive threats, Minnesota Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett punctuated his Hall-of-Fame resume with a milestone-filled 1995 season.

Within nine days, Puckett reached career plateaus of 1,000 RBIs and 1,000 runs scored.

And later in the campaign, he hammered his 200th career home run.

Puckett was a professional hitter who could do it all.

And he was once again recognized for his balanced brilliance in 1995, earning his 10th All-Star appearance and a 21st-place finish in the American League's MVP race.

The season, however, ended terribly. Just one tally shy of his fourth 100-RBI season, Puckett strode to the plate in Minnesota's final regular-season game with a runner on third and one out.

Unfortunately, an errant fastball by Cleveland Indians pitcher Dennis Martinez struck Puckett in the face, breaking his jaw.

Although he recovered from his jaw injury and entered Spring Training the following year, Puckett awoke on March 28th with blurred vision and a black dot obstructing the vision in his right eye.

For several weeks, he held out hope for recovery but was forced to retire in a tearful ceremony on July 12th, 1996.

1995 Topps #535 Chipper Jones

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

After starting left fielder Ron Gant broke his leg during the offseason, many anticipated that the 22-year-old Chipper Jones would likely fill in for him as the starter for the 1994 season.

But, Jones himself fell to injury, tearing his ACL during spring training, forcing him to miss the entire 1994 campaign.

When he returned for the 1995 season, he responded in a big way with one of the best rookie seasons in Braves history.

Jones started over thirty games in the outfield for Atlanta but ultimately served as their everyday third baseman, starting in 121 games at the hot corner.

In 524 at-bats, Jones slashed .265/.353/.450 with 23 home runs, 86 RBI and 87 runs scored.

And, he was fantastic in the postseason, batting .412 with three home runs and 7 RBI over eight games against the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds to help Atlanta into a World Series showdown against the Cleveland Indians.

There, Jones batted .286 with one RBI, three doubles and three runs scored to help Atlanta to a 4-2 series victory.

For the 1995 season, Jones finished second to the Los Angeles Dodgers' Hideo Nomo in the NL Rookie of the Year vote and eighteenth in MVP voting but the World Series ring suited him just fine.

1995 Topps #577 Manny Ramirez

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

After finishing as runner-up to Kansas City's Bob Hamelin in the 1994 AL Rookie of the Year, Manny Ramirez looked to turn up the heat during the 1995 season.

And he did exactly that, breaking out into All-Star form and making the mid-summer classic for the first of twelve times in his career.

On the season, Ramirez batted .308 while belting 31 home runs, driving in 107 RBI and scoring 85 runs.

It was the first real look that he gave MLB as a guy who could hit for both average and power, a reputation that he'd carry for the rest of his career.

Ramirez played a key role on a dominant Cleveland Indians team that finished with a blistering 100-44 record, good enough for first place in the AL Central by a thirty-game margin over second-place Kansas City.

However, his bat turned ice cold in the ALDS as he went 0-12 while the Indians swept the Red Sox 3-0.

He turned things around in the ALCS against the Mariners, going 6-21 with two home runs and two RBI to help push the Indians into the World Series, where they eventually lost 4-2 to the Atlanta Braves and their dominant pitching staff.

1995 Topps #1 Frank Thomas

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35

With back-to-back American League MVP awards in his pocket, “The Big Hurt” continued to bolster his claim as one of the greatest hitters of the 1990s with a fantastic 1995 MLB season.

Grabbing individual headlines for a middling Chicago White Sox team that finished 32 games behind 100-win Cleveland in the AL Central, Thomas earned his third All-Star selection with the second 40-homer season of his six-year MLB career.

Chicago’s thin pitching staff consistently let them down in 1995, forcing a stacked lineup to slug their way out of holes all year long.

Thomas more than did his part, driving in 111 while leading all of baseball in games played (145), walks (136), intentional walks (29), and sacrifice flies (12).

Thomas finished the year with a 1.061 OPS making it the fourth time in five years that he’d eclipsed the 1.000 mark.

And while he finished just eighth in the American League’s MVP race, that had more to do with voter fatigue following his previous two MVP campaigns than anything else. 

1995 Topps #592 Bo Jackson

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35

Bo Jackson set the sporting world on fire during the late 1980s as a two-sport star in professional baseball and football.

In Major League Baseball, Jackson's big bat and rocket arm paved the way for becoming an All-Star with the Kansas City Royals while his speed and power made him a Pro Bowler with the Los Angeles Raiders in the NFL.

But, just as quickly as he rose to fame and prominence, his world came crashing down when he injured his hip during a playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals in 1991.

His NFL career was over.

But, he still managed to play parts of two seasons with the Chicago White Sox in 1991 and 1993 before joining the California Angels for the strike-shortened 1994 season.

Because of the strike, Jackson spent more time with his family than usual and formed closer ties to them.

That family time inspired him to call it quits for good and he retired from Major League Baseball at just 32 years old to be closer to his loved ones.

He probably could've suited up for the 1995 season and kept going, but you've got to respect Jackson for putting his priorities where he did.

1995 Topps #295 Greg Maddux

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

Heading into the 1995 season, Greg Maddux had already won three Cy Young Awards in a row, solidifying his place as one of the greatest pitchers of his era.

Yet, with seemingly nothing left to prove, Maddux responded with arguably the greatest season of his remarkable career.

During the strike-shortened 1994 season, Maddux was virtually untouchable as he posted the lowest ERA (1.56) since Bob Gibson's jaw-dropping 1.12 ERA in 1968.

And, over a full season in 1995, he nearly eclipsed his own personal best by following up with a 1.63 ERA, becoming the first pitcher since Walter Johnson in 1918 to post back-to-back seasons with sub-1.80 ERAs.

His career-best 0.811 WHIP paced the Majors, while his 0.3 HR/9, 1.0 BB/9 and 7.87 K/BB ratios were also the best of any pitcher in baseball.

Incredibly, opposing hitters batted just .197 against Maddux while also posting a .224 OBP, .258 slugging percentage, and .482 OPS against the masterful righty.

His dominant season led to a 19-2 record and one of the game's highest single-season winning percentages (.905) by any pitcher in history.

For his efforts, Maddux earned his fourth-consecutive Cy Young, sixth-consecutive Gold Glove and finished a close third in the MVP vote behind Barry Larkin and Dante Bichette.

To cap it all off, Maddux earned the only World Series title of his career by helping the Braves to a 4-2 series victory over the Cleveland Indians.

1995 Topps #472 Mark McGwire

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

After missing over 200 games in 1993-94 with a severe left foot injury, Oakland Athletics slugger Mark McGwire opted for surgery before the 1995 MLB season.

It was a smart call. McGwire came back looking like the MVP candidate he'd been from 1987-92 as one-half of the "Bash Brothers."

He posted a 200 OPS+, hit 39 home runs, and finished the year with a massive .685 slugging percentage and 1.125 OPS.

However, McGwire just couldn't shake the injury bug as he missed over a month of the season with back problems, leading to questions about his durability going forward.

The Oakland A's finished in the AL West cellar in 1996, adding even more fuel to the speculative fire about McGwire's future.

By the 1997 MLB Trade Deadline, his time by the Bay would come to a close, and a new chapter would begin under the arch in St. Louis.

1995 Topps Baseball Cards In Review

As you can see, this set doesn't contain any blockbuster rookie cards or rare printing errors that can fetch huge price tags, but many of them can still have decent value in PSA 10 condition.

Within the 660-card checklist, there are many stars and Hall of Famers like Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr., Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken Jr., Kirby Puckett to keep things interesting.

And, many collectors consider the 1995 Topps set design to be one of the best-looking Topps flaghshp sets of the 90s.

It's simple and straightforward, yet it contains some great photography and creative poses.

Aaron Boone and Rey Ordoñez each have rookie cards in the set but other than those two, there aren't really any big-name rookies.

One quirk about the set that you won't find in any other Topps flagship are the "CyberStats" parallels that featured a computer-projected simulation of what each player's full-season stats in 1994 may have been had the strike not occurred.

To top it all off, there were a couple of subsets as well:

• All-Stars (#384 - 394)
• On Deck (#631 - 658)
• Major League Prospects (#644 - 653) 

Overall, this set still packs plenty to enjoy for the die-hard baseball card collector and lots of nostalgic value.