12 Most Valuable 1996 Upper Deck Baseball Cards

1996 Upper Deck #156 Derek Jeter

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $75

After going 11 for 47 with 11 strikeouts during his debut in 1995, Derek Jeter's future with the New York Yankees was blurry heading into the 1996 season.

Fortunately for Jeter and Yankees fans, Gene Michael, one of George Steinbrenner's most trusted advisors, convinced the team to go with him as their starting shortstop.

And on April 2, 1996, Jeter kicked off a streak of 17-straight Opening Day appearances at short by going 1 for 4 with a solo home run in a 7-1 route of the Cleveland Indians.

From there, Jeter built off that momentum to deliver one of the finest rookie seasons in baseball history.

To go along with his .314/.370/.430 slash line, Jeter finished the year with 10 home runs, 25 doubles, 78 RBIs, and a club-leading 183 hits.

And he stayed red hot in the postseason, too.

Over 15 playoff games that ended in a 3-2 Game 6 victory over the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 World Series, Jeter collected 12 hits and 22 runs scored while maintaining a .400+ OBP.

To put a bow on such an incredible season, Jeter became the first Yankees player to be named A.L. Rookie of the Year since 1981 and only the fifth unanimous A.L. Rookie of the Year in MLB history.

1996 Upper Deck #200 Ken Griffey Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $75

Entering his eighth season in Major League Baseball, Ken Griffey Jr. had established himself as one of the most famous athletes in the world.

With his smooth swing, towering home runs, and incredible glove work in the outfield, "The Kid" parlayed his incredible skills and youthful demeanor into multiple money-making ventures.

Griffey was seemingly everywhere, whether in a Nike ad campaign, making a media appearance, or endorsing video games.

And, after helping the Seattle Mariners to their first postseason appearance and victory in franchise history in 1995, the front office decided to bust out their checkbooks, too.

On January 31, 1996, Griffey signed a four-year, $34 million deal with the club.

That deal turned out to be money well spent for Seattle.

Griffey continued to produce incredible numbers, posting a ridiculous .303/.392/.628 slash line with 49 home runs and 140 RBI to finish fourth in the AL MVP race.

He did everything he could to help Seattle to another playoff appearance.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, as Seattle fell 4.5 games behind Texas for the A.L. West crown and 2.5 games short of Baltimore for the A.L. Wild Card spot.

Still, the individual awards continued to pour in, as Griffey earned a seventh All-Star selection, seventh Gold Glove, and fourth Silver Slugger.

1996 Upper Deck #376 Ken Griffey Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $60

The "Best of a Generation" subset spanned across cards #370 - 387 in the checklist and highlighted some of the era's biggest stars.

Of the eighteen players in the subset, fifteen of them are now Hall of Famers.

With names like Cal Ripken Jr., Rickey Henderson, Tony Gwynn, Greg Maddux and Eddie Murray included, the star power is simply off the charts.

However, one name still stands out for most collectors: Ken Griffey Jr.

He was arguably the hottest player in the sport at the time, and collectors of that era still highly value his baseball cards.

On the reverse of the card, Upper Deck mentions that Griffey "has been younger than every A.L. Rookie of the Year since he arrived in the big leagues in 1989."

They also note that Griffey was then the all-time leader in home runs at the Kingdome, with 102 to his name.

While his base card may be more desirable, this is also a good one to have for any Griffey collector.

1996 Upper Deck #130 Kirby Puckett

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

Though Kirby Puckett produced yet another All-Star season for a forgettable 1995 Minnesota Twins team, things couldn't have ended any worse.

In the bottom of the first inning of the Twins' final game of the season, Cleveland Indians starter Dennis Martinez hit Chuck Knoblauch with an errant pitch.

After Matt Lawton flew out to center, moving Knoblauch over to third, Puckett found himself down 0-2 in the count and looking for his 100th RBI of the season.

Unfortunately, Martinez's control issues resurfaced with horrifying results.

This time, the Cleveland righty struck Puckett in the face with a drifting fastball, breaking his jaw and ending his season on the spot.

But few could have predicted that Puckett would never play in an MLB game again.

During Spring Training the following season, Puckett looked like his usual self and was ready for a fresh start heading into the 1996 season.

And then, one day, Puckett woke up with blurry vision and a black dot obstructing the vision out of his right eye.

He would sit on the team's bench for the first half of the 1996 season, hoping his vision would improve.

Sadly, it never did.

Puckett eventually lost all sight in his right eye, forcing him to retire in July 1996 in an emotional ceremony in front of his adoring fans at the Metrodome.

1996 Upper Deck #280 Cal Ripken Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

Other than Cal Ripken Jr.'s monumental feat of breaking Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games, Orioles fans didn't have much to cheer about in 1995.

The team finished 71-73, and the front office replaced manager Phil Regan with Davey Johnson as the team looked to bounce back in 1996.

And bounce back, they did.

With an 88-74-1 record, the Orioles finished second in the AL East, securing a Wild Card and the team's first playoff berth since winning the World Series in 1983.

Ripken was unstoppable in the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Indians, hitting .444 to help Baltimore win in four.

But as great as he was in that series, Ripken crashed hard in the American League Championship Series against the division-rival New York Yankees.

Ripken posted a subpar .586 OPS with just one RBI and a run scored as part of a lineup that struggled to get big hits when it mattered most.

Baltimore's best wasn't enough, as the Yankees sent them home in five.

On the season, Ripken earned a 14th-straight All-Star appearance while batting .278 with 26 home runs, 40 doubles and 102 RBIs.

1996 Upper Deck #445 Rickey Henderson

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

Beginning in 1979, Rickey Henderson ran all over the American League for seventeen seasons, primarily with the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees.

But in 1996, Henderson found himself in the National League for the first time in his storied career.

After his third stint with Oakland ended in 1995, the San Diego Padres inked Henderson to a two-year $6.2 million deal.

In a lineup that featured plenty of solid bats in Tony Gwynn, Ken Caminiti, Steve Finley and Wally Joyner, Henderson needed only to do what he did best: get on base and score.

Henderson answered the call, getting on base at a .410 clip while scoring 110 runs.

Batting just .241, Henderson greatly relied on his 125 walks, the second-highest total of his career and fourth-best in the National League, to get on base.

And though he finished the season with 37 stolen bases, his 71.2% success rate was the lowest of his career and well below his 80.8% career mark.  

Though he played well for the Padres, Henderson's time in San Diego was short-lived.

Less than a year later, the team traded him to the Anaheim Angels during the 1997 season.

1996 Upper Deck #450 Tony Gwynn

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

Tony Gwynn went on an absolute tear at the plate for five straight seasons from 1993 to 1998, winning four batting titles and never hitting below .353.

And, during the strike-shortened 1994 season, he even flirted with a .400 season by hitting .394 through 110 games.

As it turns out, his 1996 season was his "worst" at the plate, finishing with a .353/.400/.441 slash line with 27 doubles, 3 home runs, 50 RBIs and 67 runs scored.

His .353 batting average was nine points ahead of Colorado Rockies outfielder Ellis Burks, landing him a third-straight batting title.

Gwynn's overall dip in production was primarily due to playing in just 116 games.

In April, Gwynn experienced an inflamed bursa sac in his heel that forced him to miss significant time, followed by a partially torn Achilles that required surgery after the season.

Despite playing in pain all season, Gwynn still helped lead the San Diego Padres to their first division title since 1984 with a 91-71 record, besting the LA Dodgers by one game.

Unfortunately for Gwynn and crew, the Padres were quickly swept by the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Division Series.

1996 Upper Deck #1 Cal Ripken Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35

On June 1, 1925, New York Yankees manager Miller Huggins inserted Lou Gehrig into the bottom of the 8th to pinch-hit for shortstop PeeWee Wanninger against the Washington Senators.

At the time, it seemed like an unimportant event.

If anything, it was an afterthought in a game the Yankees lost 3-5 as the great Walter Johnson proved too much for the Yankee lineup that day.

Little did anyone know that it was the start of Gehrig's infamous streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.

For decades, Gehrig's record stood as a milestone that no one thought possible to break.

But on May 30, 1982, a twenty-one-year-old Cal Ripken Jr. started a streak of his own when he started at third for the Baltimore Orioles in a 0-6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

And well over a decade later, on September 6, 1995, Ripken achieved the unfathomable by playing his 2,131st consecutive game.

Gehrig's record had finally been broken.

Ripken would eventually increase that streak to 2,632 consecutive games.

Just as no one ever expected anyone to break Gehrig's record, no one expects anyone will ever break Ripken's record, either.

Only time will tell.

Upper Deck honored the achievement with card #1 in the set.

It was part of a two-card "Milestones" subset that featured Ripken's teammate, Eddie Murray, at card #2 to highlight his eclipsing of the 3,000-hit mark.

1996 Upper Deck #5 Chipper Jones

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35

In 1995, Chipper Jones took the league by storm, hitting .265 with 23 home runs, 86 RBIs and 87 runs scored for a dominant Atlanta Braves squad that finished as World Series champs.

He was brilliant in the postseason, too, hitting safely in his first eight games and finishing the playoffs with a .308 batting average.

On a personal level, Jones narrowly missed the 1995 NL Rookie of the Year award to LA Dodgers pitching sensation Hideo Nomo while finishing 18th in the MVP race.

It was a heck of a way to start a Hall of Fame career.

In 1996, he was even better.

Sporting a 309/.393/.530 slash line with 30 home runs, 32 doubles, 114 runs scored and 110 RBIs, Jones finished fourth in the MVP race while making his first of eight All-Star teams.

With a second-straight division title under their belts, the Braves seemed all but destined to win a second-straight World Series title.

After defeating the Dodgers and Cardinals in their first two series, the Braves started red hot in the first two games of the World Series, outscoring the Yankees by 16-1 in the first two games.

And then, the wheels fell off.

New York went on a tear, capping off a four-game championship surge with a 3-2 Series-clinching win in New York in Game 6.

1996 Upper Deck #154 Don Mattingly

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35

Throughout his fourteen seasons in the Bronx, Don Mattingly became a fan favorite and was one of the biggest names in the Majors.

In the 1980s, Mattingly was a six-time All-Star, MVP (1985), five-time Gold Glover and three-time Silver Slugger.

He could do it all.

And then, the back injuries began taking a toll during the early 1990s, completely railroading a career many once considered destined for Cooperstown.

Mattingly's glove remained elite, as he picked up four more Gold Gloves from 1991 to 1994.

But his skillset at the plate suffered.

Gone were the days of Mattingly being an annual threat to bat .325 with 30+ home runs and 110+ RBIs.

And with the Yankees bringing in Tino Martinez in 1995, the writing was on the wall for Mattingly.

He would begin the 1996 season by sitting out entirely but ultimately decided to retire midway through the year.

Sadly, Mattingly's only chance at postseason glory came and went in 1995 when Seattle defeated New York in the ALDS.

Had he hung on for one more season, he might have won a World Series ring in 1996.

Upper Deck was famous for creating these multi-image cards throughout the 1990s, and this one is as aesthetically pleasing as any.

1996 Upper Deck #300 Frank Thomas

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35

Ken Griffey Jr. wasn't the only MLB superstar in the 1990s looking to cash in on endorsement deals outside the ballpark.

During the 1995 offseason, Frank Thomas was busy releasing his video game, Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball, on multiple platforms, beginning with the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis.

As for the 1996 MLB season, the hulking first baseman and future Hall of Famer was again outstanding for the Chicago White Sox.

The two-time American League MVP posted an OPS over 1.000 (1.085) for the fourth straight season while batting .349 with 40 home runs, 26 doubles, and 134 RBIs.

As a team, the Southsiders were a good club, but their 85-77 record put them 14.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians in the A.L. West and three games out of the Wild Card spot.

Still, White Sox fans were treated to plenty of excitement all season long as Thomas continued his Hall of Fame trajectory.

Ranking near the top of the leaderboard in dozens of primary and advanced statistical categories, Thomas earned an eighth-place A.L. MVP finish and his fourth All-Star selection.

1996 Upper Deck #195 Barry Bonds

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

The 1996 San Francisco Giants were terrible, finishing the season 23 games behind the San Diego Padres in the NL West at 68-94.

Only the 67-93 Philadelphia Phillies and 53-109 Detroit Tigers were worse that year.

But the Giants' struggles had nothing to do with Barry Bonds.

Yet again, the superstar slugger was brilliant on both sides of the ball, winning a sixth Gold Glove and sixth Silver Slugger award.

Bonds finished the year with a ridiculous .308/.461/.615 slash line, 27 doubles, 129 RBI, and led all of baseball in both total walks (151) and intentional walks (31).

But, those weren't even his most impressive stats.

With 42 home runs and 40 stolen bases, Bonds became the first player since Jose Canseco in 1988 with a 40/40 season.

It was no secret that Bonds possessed incredible power at the plate and speed on the base paths, but this accomplishment put him in rare company.

To go along with his Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, Bonds capped off his incredible season with a sixth All-Star selection and a fifth-place finish in the NL MVP race.

1996 Upper Deck Baseball Cards In Review

The 1996 Upper Deck set consisted of 510 cards issued in two 240-card series, with the remaining 30 released as part of a 30-card Update set.

The design is what you would expect from Upper Deck with its high-quality imagery and gold nameplate along the bottom.

Though it certainly does not lack stars and Hall of Famers, unfortunately, the checklist doesn't contain any big-name rookie cards that cause a stir in the hobby.

There were also several different subsets in the checklist, including:

• Milestones (#1 - 2)
• Young At Heart (#100 - 117)
• Beat the Odds (#145 - 153)
• Postseason Checklists (#218 - 222)
• Star Rookies (#223 - 258)
• Diamond Debuts (#259 - 268)
• Best of a Generation (#370 - 387)
• Strange but True (#415 - 423)
• Managerial Salute (#476 - 480)

Because this set was released when the hobby bubble had burst, the lack of attention at the time kind of lessens the nostalgic factor in today's market.

Sure, this set contains plenty of superstars and great-looking cards, but many collectors will likely continue overlooking it relative to some of the sets of the early '90s.