30 Most Valuable 1988 Score Baseball Cards
Many are quick to dismiss 1988 Score baseball cards as just another mass-produced set from the junk era.
But, this set packs a ton of nostalgic value…
First, I’ve always loved the design and thought Score’s idea of including six different border color options was quite creative.
Second, the action shots are fantastic and perfectly capture some of the great stars and Hall of Famers of the era.
Third, there are even a few Hall of Fame rookie cards, which is always a bonus.
But, while the nostalgic value is high, the monetary value is pretty low.
However, you might be surprised that some can still be worth a respectable amount.
And in this guide, I’ll run through the 30 most valuable.
Let’s jump right in!
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Ross Uitts – Owner
- #1
1988 Score #575 Nolan Ryan
PSA 10 Value $75Total PSA Population 952PSA 10 Population 523PSA 10 Grade Rate 54.9% (Set Avg: 47.6%)The Ryan Express would spend one final season in Houston in 1988 before signing with the Texas Rangers the following year.
The legendary fireballer still had enough left at 41 years old to lead the National League in strikeouts with 228.
Collectors get a glimpse of what opposing hitters saw a lot of that year as Ryan deals some blazing heat in this fantastic image.
His vintage cards are where the serious money is when it comes to Nolan Ryan cards but even his later cards, like this one, can be worth something in top condition.
- #2
1988 Score #1 Don Mattingly
PSA 10 Value $55Total PSA Population 152PSA 10 Population 61PSA 10 Grade Rate 40.1% (Set Avg: 47.6%)Heading into the 1988 season, Donnie Baseball was looking unstoppable as he already had a batting title, MVP, three Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers to his name.
He was one of the biggest stars in the game and looked like a lock to be the next great Yankee on his way to Cooperstown.
However, injuries caught up to him and unfortunately diminished much of his power and derailed his path to superstardom.
Mattingly was always one of the names collectors wanted to see as they ripped open packs during the late 1980s and he still has a good following in the hobby today.
The nostalgia for Mattingly cards helps keep this one at around $70 in high grade.
- #3
1988 Score #26 Ryne Sandberg
PSA 10 Value $50Total PSA Population 94PSA 10 Population 44PSA 10 Grade Rate 46.8% (Set Avg: 47.6%) - #4
1988 Score #180 Bo Jackson
PSA 10 Value $50Total PSA Population 391PSA 10 Population 112PSA 10 Grade Rate 28.6% (Set Avg: 47.6%)Another big-name Jackson that can be worth around $50 in a PSA 10 holder is none other than the late-80s sports icon, Bo Jackson.
The sports world at that time sat in awe while Jackson starred in both baseball and football at the highest professional levels as he would become both an NFL Pro Bowler and MLB All-Star.
He was in Nike ad campaigns, reminding us that “Bo Knows” just about everything.
He was an unstoppable force in Tecmo Bowl on the original Nintendo.
Fans couldn’t get enough.
Today, those kids who grew up idolizing Bo Jackson still collect his sports cards in top grade as a nostalgic outlet.
Of all his cards, this one features one of the greatest images of Jackson of them all right as he’s driving through the ball.
- #5
1988 Score #265 Barry Bonds
PSA 10 Value $50Total PSA Population 378PSA 10 Population 114PSA 10 Grade Rate 30.2% (Set Avg: 47.6%)Speaking of driving the ball, we all know what Barry Bonds was able to do in that regard as he would eventually set the career home run record with 762.
However, we also know that both his legacy and that record hang under a cloud of controversy due to his connection to PEDs.
PEDs aside, Bonds was undeniably a unique talent who could do it all as he racked up twelve Silver Sluggers, eight Gold Gloves and seven MVPs over his 22-year career.
He was a five-tool star if there ever was one.
The red borders on this card and sharp image make for an overall great-looking card of the controversial slugger.
- #6
1988 Score #645 Gregg Jefferies Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $50Total PSA Population 155PSA 10 Population 84PSA 10 Grade Rate 54.2% (Set Avg: 47.6%) - #7
1988 Score #5 Mark McGwire
PSA 10 Value $40Total PSA Population 213PSA 10 Population 64PSA 10 Grade Rate 30.0% (Set Avg: 47.6%) - #8
1988 Score #13 Rickey Henderson
PSA 10 Value $40Total PSA Population 150PSA 10 Population 69PSA 10 Grade Rate 46.0% (Set Avg: 47.6%)The Oakland A’s had their sights on bringing Rickey Henderson back well before he returned in mid-1989.
In 1988, the A’s and New York Yankees were at two different stages in their franchise trajectories.
Buoyed by reigning Rookie-of-the-Year Mark McGwire and soon-to-be MVP Jose Canseco, Oakland bludgeoned their way through the AL schedule to finish with an MLB-leading 104 wins.
The Yankees, on the other hand, were one of five good-but-not-great teams in a mediocre NL East race.
New York ended at 85-76, only 3.5 games out but in fifth place nonetheless.
While the Yankees played frustratingly inconsistent ball, Henderson shone, earning MVP votes and an All-Star spot with a .305 average and MLB-high 93 stolen bases.
This caught the attention of Oakland’s front office, and they began maneuvering for a trade call.
Once the Dodgers dumped them in a shocking five-game World Series loss, rumors of a Henderson reunion picked up steam.
By the following summer, he was back in the trademark green & gold.
- #9
1988 Score #24 Kirby Puckett
PSA 10 Value $40Total PSA Population 125PSA 10 Population 50PSA 10 Grade Rate 40.0% (Set Avg: 47.6%) - #10
1988 Score #45 Jose Canseco
PSA 10 Value $40Total PSA Population 74PSA 10 Population 31PSA 10 Grade Rate 41.9% (Set Avg: 47.6%) - #11
1988 Score #385 Tony Gwynn
PSA 10 Value $40Total PSA Population 159PSA 10 Population 77PSA 10 Grade Rate 48.4% (Set Avg: 47.6%) - #12
1988 Score #658 Don Mattingly Highlights
PSA 10 Value $40Total PSA Population 84PSA 10 Population 31PSA 10 Grade Rate 36.9% (Set Avg: 47.6%) - #13
1988 Score #10 Eric Davis
PSA 10 Value $40Total PSA Population 32PSA 10 Population 14PSA 10 Grade Rate 43.8% (Set Avg: 47.6%)Eric Davis had, let’s just call it, a complicated year in 1988.
In the previous two seasons, the five-tool Cincinnati Reds outfielder hit 64 combined home runs and stole 130 bases.
He was already an All-Star, a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger by the end of his age-25 season.
You can forgive Reds fans and members of the media for anointing Davis as a Hall-of-Famer in waiting.
Yet, when he scuffled mightily to open the ’88 season, those same fans became his most vocal critics.
First, the media piled on reports that Davis was dead set on playing hurt.
“I hear I don’t play hurt, and now I hear I shouldn’t play hurt,” Davis said.
Then, Davis was forced to battle unsubstantiated rumors of drug use.
It’s a wonder that he put it all aside and finished the year strong, slashing .273/.363/.489 with 26 home runs, 35 stolen bases, and 93 RBIs in 135 games.
- #14
1988 Score #16 Mike Schmidt
PSA 10 Value $35Total PSA Population 125PSA 10 Population 65PSA 10 Grade Rate 52.0% (Set Avg: 47.6%)Widely considered to be the greatest third baseman who ever played, Mike Schmidt possessed both a superior glove and bat that earned him three MVPs and a no-brainer induction into the Hall of Fame.
Schmidt led the league in home runs an incredible eight times and racked up ten Gold Gloves in the process giving proof to his unique talents.
At 38 years old, time eventually caught up to Schmidt as an injured rotator cuff cut his 1988 season short and put an end to his streak of dominance.
His legacy is strong enough that some Schmidt collectors are willing to pay around $35 for this card in a PSA 10 holder.
- #15
1988 Score #78 Will Clark
PSA 10 Value $35Total PSA Population 81PSA 10 Population 39PSA 10 Grade Rate 48.1% (Set Avg: 47.6%)Whether or not you believe Will Clark is a Hall-of-Fame snub probably comes down to what stats matter most to you.
When considering first basemen for enshrinement in Cooperstown, most voters tend to defer to the usual counting stats (home runs, RBIs, extra-base hits, and the like).
Clark hit a career-best 35 home runs in 1987 and followed that up with his second-best total in ’88 (29).
However, that means he had only one 30-bomb season to his credit, a death knell for the candidacy of most corner infielders.
Four 100-RBI campaigns and six 20-homer campaigns don’t often get it done.
However, this all sidesteps the true impact that Clark had on four MLB teams in 15 years.
Clark hit over .300 for his career (.303), and his overall OPS+ of 137 is better than Cooperstown legends like Ken Griffey Jr. (136), George Brett (135), Al Kaline (134), Tony Gwynn (132), and Wade Boggs (131).
- #17
1988 Score #638 Tom Glavine Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $35Total PSA Population 3,045PSA 10 Population 1,228PSA 10 Grade Rate 40.3% (Set Avg: 47.6%)Though Tom Glavine didn’t possess overpowering stuff, he more than made up for it with his incredible control and pitching IQ.
A two-time Cy Young Award winner and ten-time All-Star, Glavine was an integral part of those dominant Atlanta Braves pitching staffs that ruled the 1990s.
His 1988 season was rocky, to say the least, as he finished with a 7-17 record and led the league in losses.
However, when all was said and done, Glavine would collect 305 wins, which were enough to place him fourth on the all-time wins list for left-handed pitchers.
Part of Score’s “Rookie Prospect” subset, a fantastic action shot of Glavine delivering a pitch surrounded by orange, yellow and red border coloring makes this an overall attractive rookie card.
The base version will fetch a respectable $35 or so in PSA 10 condition while the glossy version will cost much more in that grade.
- #17
1988 Score #12 Ozzie Smith
PSA 10 Value $35Total PSA Population 91PSA 10 Population 42PSA 10 Grade Rate 46.2% (Set Avg: 47.6%)The sharp rise and fall of the 1980s St. Louis Cardinals would make for an underrated documentary watch.
From 1982 to 1987, the Cardinals oscillated between championship-caliber and mediocre, splitting three blah campaigns with two pennant wins and a 1982 World Series title.
However, the spoils of St. Louis’ success would soon be their undoing.
According to the testimony of manager Whitey Herzog, the Cardinals’ clubhouse slowly fractured due to late nights, rampant cocaine use, and ceaseless infighting.
When 1988 rolled around, the party finally caught up.
Veterans underperformed, the team came up whiffing in clutch situations, and injuries reared their ugly heads.
It all added up to just 76 wins and the start of a seven-postseason drought.
One player who stayed the course, however, was the incomparable Ozzie Smith.
While his hitting regressed to below league-average (.270 avg, 98 OPS+), “The Wizard” elevated over the NL for a Gold Glove and an NL-best 3.2 dWAR.
- #17
1988 Score #450 Dale Murphy
PSA 10 Value $35Total PSA Population 128PSA 10 Population 96PSA 10 Grade Rate 75.0% (Set Avg: 47.6%)The frustration was evident for Dale Murphy throughout the 1988 MLB season.
There wasn’t much he could do.
Murphy entered the ’88 campaign with a left knee at its busting point.
The Atlanta Braves right fielder was visibly compromised after years of surgeries and rehabs.
His struggles in the field were often costly to the bottom-feeding Braves, and the issues became even more glaring as his hitting started to suffer.
Murphy slumped from the get-go, missing out on an All-Star nod for the first time since the strike-shortened 1981 campaign.
The 32-year-old slashed .226/.313/.421 in 671 plate appearances (592 at-bats), watching his power numbers crater from 44 home runs in ’87 to just 24.
Regardless of the pain, the slump, or the Braves’ awful 54-win season, Murphy still showed up, missing just six regular-season games.
“Murph wasn’t one of those guys who sat down for a split fingernail,” writer David Vincent said later.
“He’d go out and play every day.”
- #18
1988 Score #550 Cal Ripken Jr.
PSA 10 Value $30Total PSA Population 397PSA 10 Population 253PSA 10 Grade Rate 63.7% (Set Avg: 47.6%)Even the 1988 Baltimore Orioles’ opponents felt the sting of their historically awful start.
It took six losses in a row to get manager Cal Ripken Sr. fired.
It was an obviously awkward situation, considering his two sons, Cal Jr. and Billy, were still employed by the organization.
Things got less awkward and more depressing as the losses kept piling up.
First it was ten losses, then fifteen, then twenty… “It’s out of hand,” Minnesota Twins star Kirby Puckett said as the streak reached its conclusion.
“It’s nothing to laugh at.” Baltimore finally snapped into the win column after a 21-game skid, the worst to start a year in American League history.
Fittingly, it was Cal Ripken Jr. who did the trick, going 4-for-5 with a double and a homer in contest #22 against the Chicago White Sox.
Ripken ended the campaign slashing .264/.372/.431 with 23 home runs, 102 walks, 81 RBIs, and 5.8 WAR.
No other Oriole tallied more than 2.2 WAR.
- #18
1988 Score #160 Robin Yount
PSA 10 Value $35Total PSA Population 67PSA 10 Population 40PSA 10 Grade Rate 59.7% (Set Avg: 47.6%)Robin Yount’s 1989 NL MVP season was a late-career triumph, but we shouldn’t overlook the strides he took in 1988 to get there.
While his Milwaukee Brewers teammates flailed early in the year, Yount was undeterred, stitching together one of the most complete performances of his Hall-of-Fame career.
And when Milwaukee stormed back into the division race late in the year, it was their captain who led the way, hitting .319 and .326 in August and September, respectively.
The 87-win Brewers came up just short, two games back of the division-winning Red Sox.
Yet, they would have been lucky to finish at .500 without Yount in the lineup.
The 32-year-old centerfielder finished in the top ten in the AL in WAR (5.7) while playing all 162 games.
His 21 double plays grounded into may have been killers, yet they were completely offset by his .306 average, 13 home runs, 38 doubles, and AL-best 11 triples.
- #19
1988 Score #11 George Brett
PSA 10 Value $30Total PSA Population 110PSA 10 Population 63PSA 10 Grade Rate 57.3% (Set Avg: 47.6%) - #23
1988 Score #501 Reggie Jackson Orioles
PSA 10 Value $30Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 47.6%)Score paid tribute to Reggie Jackson with a five-card subset that documented his time spent with the A’s (1968-1975), Orioles (1976), Yankees (1977-1981), Angels (1982-1986) and A’s again in 1987.
The Yankees and Angels cards can fetch $20 or so in high grade but the Orioles version can sell for $25 or even more.
Jackson’s name is undoubtedly a driver of that price but this is also one of the few times Jackson appeared in an Orioles uniform on any baseball card produced during his playing days.
- #23
1988 Score #72 Barry Larkin
PSA 10 Value $30Total PSA Population 38PSA 10 Population 24PSA 10 Grade Rate 63.2% (Set Avg: 47.6%)Barry Larkin took a while to find his way as a Gold Glove performer.
Larkin committed 29 errors in his second year as the Cincinnati Reds’ starting shortstop, the most in the National League.
The 24-year-old had plenty of range and made a bushel of spectacular plays.
However, he also booted plenty of routine grounders and hoppers.
However, there was no reason to doubt Larkin’s baseball acumen, even at such a young age.
Look no further than his patience at the dish.
Larkin struck out just 24 times in 588 at-bats, the fewest Ks by any qualified hitter.
The kid knew how to read tendencies, catch tells, and grind out counts.
It’s no wonder that, once he put the work in, he became one of the best defensive shortstops ever.
As for ’88, it was Larkin’s bat and legs that did the work.
The first-time All-Star and Silver Slugger hit .296 for the second-place Reds, smacked 12 homers, stole 40 bases, and led all NL position players with 7.0 WAR.
- #24
1988 Score #2 Wade Boggs
PSA 10 Value $25Total PSA Population 50PSA 10 Population 22PSA 10 Grade Rate 44.0% (Set Avg: 47.6%)Wade Boggs did his best Ted Williams impression for the first seven years of his Hall-of-Fame career.
From 1983 to 1988, the Boston Red Sox third baseman won five batting titles.
He hit at least .357 in each of those crown-winning campaigns, including an MLB-best .366 mark in ’88.
It was a productive year for Boggs and Beantown as a whole, leading to the team’s second AL East championship in three seasons.
Boggs was the catalyst for all of it, posting top marks in the Majors for WAR (8.3), on-base percentage (.476), OPS (.965), runs (128), and walks (125).
His 719 plate appearances highlighted his durability and also paced MLB.
There is one crazy stat comparison that highlights just how locked in Boggs was at this time.
The 30-year-old rapped 45 doubles on the year, also good for the best mark in Major League Baseball.
Incredibly, that means he had more two-baggers in 1988 than actual swings-and-misses (41).
- #25
1988 Score #110 Roger Clemens
PSA 10 Value $25Total PSA Population 104PSA 10 Population 41PSA 10 Grade Rate 39.4% (Set Avg: 47.6%) - #26
1988 Score #350 Dwight Gooden
PSA 10 Value $25Total PSA Population 55PSA 10 Population 36PSA 10 Grade Rate 65.5% (Set Avg: 47.6%)Newly clean and pitching with a chip on his shoulder, Dwight Gooden returned to All-Star status with a productive 1988 campaign.
The New York Mets righty was denied a fourth consecutive All-Star trip the year before due to a much-publicized, much-debated stay in drug rehab.
It zapped nearly a third of Gooden’s available starts and handcuffed the New York Mets on their way to a disappointing second-place finish.
Gooden was still ace material in the 25 starts he did make, finishing top-five for the NL Cy Young.
While he didn’t get Cy consideration in ’88, he once again shouldered a valuable load for a Mets team that returned to the top of the NL EaSt. The 23-year-old finished 18-9 with a 3.19 ERA, striking out 175 in 248.1 innings.
Gooden completed ten of his 34 regular-season starts before contributing three strong outings (2.95 ERA) in New York’s seven-game NLCS loss to Los Angeles.
- #27
1988 Score #360 Darryl Strawberry
PSA 10 Value $25Total PSA Population 81PSA 10 Population 49PSA 10 Grade Rate 60.5% (Set Avg: 47.6%)
Ross’s Take
While they may not be worth much these days, you can see that certain cards in top shape can still have a bit of value if they receive the right grade.
However, the cost to grade them doesn’t really justify the sell prices, though, unfortunately.
But, what they lack in value they make up for in nostalgia as many great names of the era appear throughout the 660-card checkliSt. Within the set were also several different subsets, including: Reggie Jackson Tribute (#500 – 504) Rookie Prospects (#623 – 647) 1987 Season Highlights (#648 – 660) Overall, I think the set is definitely colorful, includes some great players and has some great imagery within the checklist, so if you’re not overly concerned with values, this is just a fun set to collect.
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Ross Uitts – Owner
