25 Most Valuable 1990 Upper Deck Baseball Cards
I’ve always thought that 1990 Upper Deck baseball cards have been somewhat overlooked in the hobby…
True, the set is lacking of any iconic rookie cards.
And most of the cards in the set have long since seen their values plummet.
But, the set did feature fantastic photography, some interesting errors/variations, and most significantly, the first pack-inserted cards with a player’s autograph (Reggie Jackson) on them.
Those autograph inserts forever changed the hobby as most every set produced these days contains autograph inserts.
But do any of the other cards in this hobby-changing set really have much value these days?
In this guide, I’ll take a look at the 25 most valuable and some of their values may surprise you.
Let’s jump right in!
1990 Upper Deck Baseball: Market Analysis and Value Guide
1990 Upper Deck Baseball Set Snapshot
1990 Upper Deck Grading Analysis
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1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson Upper Deck Heroes Autograph
PSA 10 Value: $750
The 1990 Upper Deck set contained a monstrous 800-card checklist that was distributed in two series: the Low Series (#1-700) and the High Series (#701-800).
And within some of those high series packs, the company randomly inserted any one of the 10-card Reggie Jackson Heroes insert set.
What made these cards truly unique, though, was that Reggie Jackson had actually autographed 2,500 of them.
It was all part of the company’s “Find The Reggie” chase campaign that was created as a way to boost sales of the product by keeping collector interest high in the hope of pulling one of the autographed cards.
This practice is common today but this set marked the first time a company had every included autographed inserts making this a key milestone in the hobby.
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1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson Upper Deck Heroes Autograph
PSA 10 Value: $750
The 1990 Upper Deck set contained a monstrous 800-card checklist that was distributed in two series: the Low Series (#1-700) and the High Series (#701-800).
And within some of those high series packs, the company randomly inserted any one of the 10-card Reggie Jackson Heroes insert set.
What made these cards truly unique, though, was that Reggie Jackson had actually autographed 2,500 of them.
It was all part of the company’s “Find The Reggie” chase campaign that was created as a way to boost sales of the product by keeping collector interest high in the hope of pulling one of the autographed cards.
This practice is common today but this set marked the first time a company had every included autographed inserts making this a key milestone in the hobby.
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1990 Upper Deck #702 Mike Witt Black Box Error
PSA 10 Value: $125
Mike Witt spent twelve years in the Majors and had a decent stretch of seasons from 1984-1988 as he’d win 77 games over that span and would appear in two All-Star games.
However, what’s he’s most remembered for in the baseball card world is his 1990 Upper Deck issue upon which a large black box was placed on its reverse.
Apparently, the controversy had something to do with his pants being undone…
So, the company quickly pulled his card from production and replaced it with a card featuring three rookie studs for the Expos: Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom and Delino Deshields.
Originally it was believed that less than a dozen of these error cards made it into circulation until someone recently discovered hundreds of them at a flea market.
While that increase in supply did bring values down, this card can still sell for quite a bit in PSA 10 condition.
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1990 Upper Deck #54 Ben McDonald Orioles Logo Variation Rookie Card
PSA 10 Value: $100
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1990 Upper Deck #156 Ken Griffey Jr.
PSA 10 Value: $90
Total PSA Population: 12,165
PSA 10 Population: 2,546
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 20.9% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
While the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card took the hobby by storm when it was first released, his second-year Upper Deck card was also a hobby favorite.
The imagery on the front of the card is fantastic as it features a young Griffey with a big, bright smile on his face.
However, the reverse side is actually what makes this card special as it appeared with one of two variations: with or without the copyright information.
If you look closely at the reverse of Griffey’s card, you’ll notice there is usually a copyright statement that reads “Copyright 1990 Upper Deck Co.
Printed in USA” just under the MLB logo.
However, there is a variation where that copyright statement is missing.
And that variation is much more scarce than the standard version–about 17x as rare in PSA 10 condition.
Therefore, the “No Copyright” variation is worth far more than the standard and you can expect to pay about double for that variation.
Interestingly, Griffey wasn’t the only star in the set whose card can be found without that copyright statement.
Stars like Bo Jackson, Don Mattingly, Mark McGwire, George Brett, Fred McGriff and several others also have a “No Copyright” variation.
You can safely assume those are rarer and pricier than their standard variations as well.
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1990 Upper Deck #105 Bo Jackson
PSA 10 Value: $55
Total PSA Population: 712
PSA 10 Population: 180
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 25.3% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
Another popular legend of the era, Bo Jackson will always be a favorite of any collector who grew up collecting in the late 80s and early 90s.
I always loved this card as it captured Jackson hustling to catch a fly ball as his hat is flying off his head.
But that’s what Jackson was known for: making incredible defensive plays like this.
That, and smashing the ball on the offensive side of the game.
As I mentioned earlier, like Ken Griffey Jr., Bo’s base card can also be found in a “No Copyright” variation with the copyright missing on the reverse side.
It’s rarer than the standard card and can be worth about 50% more or so.
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1990 Upper Deck #75 Bo Jackson
PSA 10 Value: $50
Total PSA Population: 516
PSA 10 Population: 107
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 20.7% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
Bo Jackson wasn’t just a two-sport phenomenon at the start of the 1990s.
He was also an entrepreneur and a dedicated college student.
Already making millions off his image and “Bo Knows” ad campaign, Jackson also began a Bachelor’s program in family and child development at Auburn University.
In doing so, he worked to keep a promise to his mother that he’d be the first in his family to earn a college degree.
Five years later, he made it happen.
“Hopefully, this will influence my younger relatives in the family, as far as nieces and nephews, to go on to college to try to be something or someone,” Jackson said.
Months after starting at Auburn, Jackson jumped into his best individual season as a Big League, slashing .272/.342/.523 with 28 home runs, 15 stolen bases, and 78 RBIs in 111 games.
This preceded Jackson’s first and last Pro Bowl season in the NFL.
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1990 Upper Deck #17 Sammy Sosa Rookie Card
PSA 10 Value: $45
Another slugger who terrorized opposing pitchers during the 1990s and into the 2000s, Sammy Sosa also appeared in the “Star Rookie” subset.
The imagery of the card is fantastic as it features a great shot of a young Sosa with his signature smile dawning a retro White Sox uniform.
It’s scary to think of the power numbers Sosa and Frank Thomas could have produced as a 1-2 punch had Sosa stayed on the south side of Chicago instead of moving north to join the Cubs.
Sosa’s legacy also hangs under a cloud as his association with PED use has also been well-documented.
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1990 Upper Deck #555 Wade Boggs
PSA 10 Value: $45
Total PSA Population: 144
PSA 10 Population: 62
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 43.1% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
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1990 Upper Deck #734 Nolan Ryan
PSA 10 Value: $40
As you can tell by now, this set had its fair share of variations…
Nolan Ryan’s card #734 was one of those.
The front of the card can appear with or without the “300th Win” stripe in the lower-right corner, with the version without the stripe being the rarer and more valuable of the two.
This card has always puzzled me not so much because of the variations but because the reverse of the card commemorates his 6th no-hitter, not his 300th win.
Therefore, a “6th No-Hitter” stripe on the front might be more appropriate…
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1990 Upper Deck #13 Deion Sanders Rookie Card
PSA 10 Value: $40
Most two-sport athletes who play both baseball and football tend to leave the latter earlier.
Players like Bo Jackson had the innate strength and power to hit home runs despite themselves.
When Jackson’s athleticism began to wane due to injuries, he could still slot into a DH or corner outfield role with limited drop-off.
That’s what makes a player like Deion Sanders so unique.
Sanders was always more of a finesse cornerback on the gridiron than one who relied on force.
He used angles to box receivers to the sidelines or to interrupt teammates’ routes.
In truth, Sanders’ power tool was less than average.
As such, he never hit double-digit homers in parts of nine MLB seasons.
Because he struggled to consistently hit for average, too, it was hard to hide his flaws.
This included the 1990 season, when he hit just .158 and earned himself a subsequent trip to the waiver wire.
His last official MLB season was 2001, four years before his NFL retirement.
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1990 Upper Deck #24 Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle Mariners Checklist
PSA 10 Value: $40
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1990 Upper Deck #34 Nolan Ryan 5000 Strikeouts
PSA 10 Value: $40
Total PSA Population: 1,138
PSA 10 Population: 416
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 36.6% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
This beautiful card commemorated Nolan Ryan’s incredible achievement of 5,000 career strikeouts when he fanned Rickey Henderson on August 22, 1989.
The artwork on the card is beautiful as it shows his transition from windup to delivery followed by a tip of the cap.
When you look back on Ryan’s career and what he was able to do for so long, it’s nothing short of jaw-dropping.
His legacy keeps pretty much all of his cards (especially in high grade) in demand from Ryan collectors throughout the hobby.
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1990 Upper Deck #24 Seattle Mariners Checklist
PSA 10 Value: $40
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1990 Upper Deck #32 Kansas City Royals Checklist
PSA 10 Value: $40
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1990 Upper Deck #324 Ryne Sandberg
PSA 10 Value: $40
Total PSA Population: 175
PSA 10 Population: 95
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 54.3% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
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1990 Upper Deck #191 Don Mattingly
PSA 10 Value: $35
Total PSA Population: 282
PSA 10 Population: 156
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 55.3% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
Mattingly’s card is also one of the several in the set that can be found with or without the copyright statement on the reverse.
In Mattingly’s case, the “No Copyright” variation has sold for around $200 in the paSt.
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1990 Upper Deck #544 Nolan Ryan
PSA 10 Value: $35
Total PSA Population: 1,330
PSA 10 Population: 666
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 50.1% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
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1990 Upper Deck #334 Rickey Henderson
PSA 10 Value: $30
Total PSA Population: 217
PSA 10 Population: 119
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 54.8% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
There was nobody like Rickey Henderson before him, and it’s unlikely anyone will ever come close to what he brought to the table.
“For the period of time that I’ve been around, I think the most dangerous player is Rickey,” former A’s manager Tony La Russa said later.
“In our time, Rickey worried you in more ways than anyone.” Rickey’s true peak among several peaks came under La Russa during the 1990 season.
Sitting atop a dangerous A’s lineup dotted with power hitters, Henderson was historically productive.
Of course, there were the stolen bases.
Rickey led the American League with 65, half of his record output from 1982.
Yes, he was still 22 steals clear of runner-up Steve Sax, but it wasn’t the thefts that brought him his AL MVP award.
It was everything else.
Henderson topped multiple MLB categories for the AL champions, including WAR (9.9), runs (119), on-base percentage (.439), OPS (1.016), and OPS+ (189).
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1990 Upper Deck #567 Robin Yount
PSA 10 Value: $30
Total PSA Population: 90
PSA 10 Population: 38
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 42.2% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
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1990 Upper Deck #227 Barry Bonds
PSA 10 Value: $30
Total PSA Population: 497
PSA 10 Population: 158
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 31.8% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
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1990 Upper Deck #236 Kirby Puckett
PSA 10 Value: $30
Total PSA Population: 150
PSA 10 Population: 82
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 54.7% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
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1990 Upper Deck #266 Cal Ripken Jr.
PSA 10 Value: $30
Total PSA Population: 539
PSA 10 Population: 231
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 42.9% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
Ozzie Smith got the headlines, and rightfully so.
But no shortstop in the history of Major League Baseball had a better defensive year at the position than his peer, Cal Ripken Jr. In 1990, Ripken was an automatic out.
In fact, he was historically amazing.
The 29-year-old set all-time records for the best fielding percentage at short (.996), the fewest errors (3), and the most consecutive games without an error (95).
He was also one of the few above-average hitters on the 76-win Orioles, slashing .250/.341/.415 with 21 home runs, 28 doubles, 78 runs, 82 walks, and 84 RBIs in 695 plate appearances (600 at-bats).
It was just enough hitting to get Ripken a down-ballot MVP mention.
Ripken’s true value, though, was his glove.
To put those kinds of numbers out there on a normal workload is extraordinary, let alone as a shortstop in the middle of an MLB-record streak of 2,632 consecutive games.
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1990 Upper Deck #56 John Olerud Rookie Card
PSA 10 Value: $30
John Olerud was a third-round pick with a first-round hitting acumen.
As soon as he made the jump to the Bigs, it was clear that a future All-Star was on the way.
“He has unbelievable ability,” teammate Pat Borders said.“It makes me mad, because I work so hard and I could never have a swing as nice as his.” Olerud stormed out of the gates during his 1990 debut, topping all rookies in on-base percentage (.375), OPS (.840), walks (35), home runs (10), and RBIs (33) at the All-Star break.
The 21-year-old did all of this while working in a DH platoon with Glenallen Hill, minus some spot starts at first base.
Pitchers started to figure Olerud out, though, as the second half progressed.
He hit just .256 after the break with a .737 OPS, clubbing four home runs to finish at 14.
Still, it was a thrilling rookie year, one well worth his fourth-place finish for AL Rookie of the Year.
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1990 Upper Deck #72 Juan Gonzalez Rookie Card
PSA 10 Value: $30
Throughout the 1990s, Gonzalez was one of the most feared hitters in the Major Leagues and arguably the greatest hitter to ever wear a Rangers uniform.
Every year he seemed capable of putting up 40+ home runs and 120+ RBI.
I’ll never forget his 1998 season in which he had 100 RBI by the All-Star break and excitement filled the air as many thought he would challenge Hack Wilson’s single season mark of 191 by the time the season was over.
However, he ended up falling short and finished with “only” 157…still an incredible total and one of the highest single-season marks ever.
While his talent was undeniable, Gonzalez’s career will always be overshadowed by the specter of PED use.
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1990 Upper Deck #344 Tony Gwynn
PSA 10 Value: $30
Total PSA Population: 170
PSA 10 Population: 107
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 62.9% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
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1990 Upper Deck #466 Larry Walker Rookie Card
PSA 10 Value: $25
Total PSA Population: 2,707
PSA 10 Population: 979
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 36.2% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
As I mentioned earlier, Larry Walker appeared alongside fellow rookie teammates Delino DeShields and Marquis Grissom on card #702 that replaced the Mike Witt black box error.
But, he had his own standalone rookie card in this set as well.
The card features Walker on base, something he did quite well over his career as he’d go on to post an impressive career .400 OBP.
Will Walker eventually be elected into the Hall of Fame?
We’ll see…many will argue that the Coors Field bias worked heavily in his favor to help boost his career hitting totals.
Regardless, I always loved watching him play and will always remember his incredible 1997 MVP season when he smacked 49 home runs, drove in 130 RBI, scored 143 runs, and sported a .363 batting average.
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1990 Upper Deck #66 Jose Canseco
PSA 10 Value: $25
Total PSA Population: 108
PSA 10 Population: 61
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 56.5% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
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1990 Upper Deck #124 George Brett
PSA 10 Value: $25
Consistency was the hallmark of George Brett’s run to Cooperstown.
There are, in fact, no other players who have spread the wealth across such a long career quite like the Kansas City Royals legend.
In 1990, Brett won his third batting title at the age of 37, becoming the third-oldest player in MLB history to win one.
His other two titles came in 1976 and 1980, making Brett the only hitter to take a batting championship in three different decades.
The 1990 title may have been the sweetest of all.
In April, Brett flailed through a month-long swoon.
Media members jumped on it as a story, deciding out loud that the veteran was on his way out.
“I started believing it,” Brett said.
“I think that’s why it took so long to come out of the slump.” Brett hit nearly .390 after the All-Star break, ultimately clipping Oakland’s Rickey Henderson for his crown.
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1990 Upper Deck #225 Ozzie Smith
PSA 10 Value: $25
Total PSA Population: 125
PSA 10 Population: 82
PSA 10 Grade Rate: 65.6% (Set Avg.: 24.2%)
1990 Upper Deck Baseball Cards In Review
Overall, the 1990 Upper Deck baseball card set is a pretty good one in terms of its collectibility compared to other sets of the era.
The errors/variations keep things interesting while there is some decent star power within the 800-card checklist.
What makes it most special, though, are those randomly-inserted Reggie Jackson autograph cards.
Few sets can claim that they’ve changed the hobby as significantly as this one…
