Anything Michael Jordan and/or Kobe Bryant. An MJ hand-numbered /23 card shows that only 23 of its kind exists, and will be very valuable. However, there are a few exceptions to this, as the 90s Michal Jordans cards show. They included a "Trade Upper Deck" card that could be sent to Upper Deck along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope in exchange for a special card of the No. It was all a recipe for superstardom, and his development from tantalizing teen star to franchise player and all-time great helped solidify his place as one of the hobby's biggest names. The card was released in a defining year for Iverson when he made his debut and won rookie of the year. So, many basketball cards of this decade capture these highlights and are very valuable. The decade was highlighted by Jordans dominance, and the emergence of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille ONeal and Tim Duncan. We strive to provide simple, straightforward advice that is objective, independent, and honest, helping you get the most for your money in the sports card investment world. The signature of Michael Jordan on a basketball card is enough to make it special. For example, a 1/1 card shows that it is the only one that exists and will be very valuable. The limited edition card has the serial number 19/40 stamped through the material. Overall, the checklist contained 198 cards in total that, if nothing else, captured some of the greatest players of all-time with exciting imagery. As one of the fiercest competitors to ever play the game, Bird used his above-average shooting, passing and rebounding skills to help lead the Celtics to three NBA titles over his career. Click the title of each to see them for sale and auction on eBay. In that year, 90 cards were put into the base sets and separated into Rows. 1981 Topps Basketball Magic Johnson #21 The next card also features Magic Johnson, in a great action shot that sees him evading multiple players on the court. The crazy electric style background is one of the main reasons why its so hard to find a decent copy of this card, as it tends to show any chipping or damage straight away. Malone was an incredible power forward who was extremely effective on both offense and defense as he used his strong frame to his advantage night in and night out. But this particular one is pristine with BGS 10 grade. Only 100 of these cards were produced, with 90 of them having a red foil background. This is one that that makes this MJ SP Authentic #M4 card very valuable. Price: $600,000 . Read the full disclosure here. After two seasons as a backup with the Phoenix Suns, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks where he teamed with Dirk Nowitzki for six seasons before returning to the Suns. The First MJ card to make the list is his Finest Refractor from 1993. 1997 1998 UD Game Jersey Michael Jordan #GJ13 $599,999.99, 2. The picture is the Black Mamba himself executing some sort of over the back slam dunk, and it is framed by a gold edge. The Gold featured only the most desired names, including MJ and Allen Iverson. The picture has MJ executing a no-look pass, in a black background that blur everything else to highlight the phenom. The odds of puling a gold refactor from a pack is 1 in 288 packs. The gold-colored card also shows Michael in a red Chicago Bulls jersey performing a jump shot. And he definitely didn't disappointthe 10-time All-Star, 2-time NBA champ and 1-time MVP easily goes down in history as one of the game's greatest centers. Produced in 1999 and known as the Finest Kobe Bryant Refractor card, it features Kobe dunking the ball behind his head in his yellow Lakers jersey. Who else but Kobe Bryant in the top spot? For the 1990s decade, the basketball cards thatll be worth money are rookie cards cards of players making their debut in that decade. The credentials set was made by the company Panini, known as the biggest competition for the Topps trading card brand. The card is graded as a Beckett 9 and Autograph 10. It is literally one of its kind. The card is by Topps, considered to be one of the more exclusive card companies for collectors. The lightning is made of foil which helps to make Jordan appear to jump out of the card, but it means that the card is in danger of chipping, both on the front and the back. 1996 Fleer Metal Universe Kobe Bryant #181 Error Card $48,000, 9. 10 Most Valuable Basketball Cards of the 1990s - Antique Mall Of course, youll need to be careful because of the condition-sensitive nature, but its easy to see why its one of the most expensive cards from the era. To understand this, lets take a look at the factors that make basketball cards valuable. The background has a wooden effect, fitting in with the Final Floor theme. This is also a somewhat historic year for Jordan himself, as it was the year of his first NBA Championship and NBA Finals MVP. Top 1990s Basketball Insert Sets, Most Valuable List, Best '90s NBA Cards Due to poor sales of the. It also paved the way for future NBA stars like Allen Iverson to implement similar moves into their offensive arsenals although Iverson and Hardaway don't necessarily see eye to eye on who did it better. Card company Flair made its debut a few years before, but 1996 was their best release to date. He doesn't quite command the same attention as Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson from his same rookie class, but there is no question Nash was one of the elite players of his generation, and the value of his Topps Chrome rookie card reflects his status. Also Read: 12 Most Valuable LeBron James Rookie Cards (2003-04 Exquisite Collection Rookie Parallel #78 Sold for $5,200,000), If youre going through your old sports trading cards at home, you might be sitting on a, Read More 15 Most Valuable Bo Jackson Cards (1986 Topps Traded Tiffany #50T Bo Jackson Was Sold For $12,300)Continue, Whilst Michael Jordans playing days are finished, his collectable cards are continuing to break records. 1 pick in the 1996 NBA draft, ahead of UMass center Marcus Camby. This is a very interesting and valuable basketball card. This was a decade that saw one of the most revered players of the game make his debut. Only the first 10 cards in the set were done in green with the rest in red making this one in green foil very rare and valuable. Top 20 Most Valuable 1990 Fleer Basketball Cards! (20 Highest Selling It also comes with a Members Only parallel, which can be distinguished by a faint watermark. Top 1990s Basketball Insert Sets Click on the linked sets below to shop for available cards on eBay. Speaking of Magic Johnson, Fleer did a fantastic job of capturing him in action on this card not so much because of what is going on but what you could imagine might be underway. Total Rookie Cards: 15 5. (Especially considering his untimely death following a helicopter crash in January 2020.). Also Read:15 Most Valuable Michael Jordan Cards (1997 Psa 7 Was Sold For Over $1.4 Million In February 2021), (Sold December 2020 by Heritage Auctions). Here are 10 of the most valuable. Yet another Jordan card to make the list, his 1998 SP Authentic Sign of Times is a tiered release. His 1998-99 SP Authentic rookie card is actually his most valuable, but with a limited print run of 3,500, it was not eligible to be included in these rankings. This makes Big Shaq cards very valuable. For those that remember, it was the 1997 UD Game Jersey cards that sparked the jersey patch craze. Of the 10 cards, only 6 have been given to PSA for grading. 15 (tie). As the modern-day big man, its no surprise to see one of Shaqs rookie cards making the list. His rookie cards are head and shoulders above everyone else on this list in terms of value, with PSA 9 versions of his Topps Chrome rookie selling for more than a PSA 10 version of Allen Iverson's in the No. 1990 Skybox card list & price guide. This later release paved the way for Series 1 and Series 2 releases in the hobby, as Series 2 could feature rookies after they began the season. For example, the most expensive basketball cards ever are rookie cards. 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractor Allen Iverson RC BGS 10 $250,000 It features MJ reaching to dunk the ball on the left with a red Chicago Bulls game jersey patch on the right side. He debuted in that year and also went on to win rookie of the year. The card is graded by Beckett as 10 Pristine making it very rare and collectible. 10 seed Santa Clara to an NCAA tournament win over Maryland as a senior, Steve Nash was selected 15th in the 1996 NBA draft. A Michael Jordan rookie basketball card can be worth a few thousand or a few hundred thousand depending on the set and grade. There was competition from Skybox and NBA Hoops, but Fleer had really cemented itself in 1986. Hall of Famer Vlade Divac left a legacy as one of the first European players to have a major impact in the NBA, paving the way for many more fantastic European players to come. Like Jordan, Pippen could score, rebound, pass and play lockdown defense. It is in mint condition, graded PSA 10. This Kobe rookie is a limited-edition example, numbered 442/449 cards. While his 1992 Bowman rookie is one of the iconic cards of the 1990s, it's actually his 1992 Fleer Update card that earns a spot on this most valuable list. While it's impossible to say for sure (as those arguments go), there is no question that Olajuwon was an unstoppable force on both sides of the ball. 1990 Hoops card list & price guide. 1 overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, which of course, was O'Neal.". However, they were creating solid value through their base designs and high-end value through scarcity with their refractor parallels. He averaged 25.7 points per game during his second season in the NBA, peaked at 27.6 points per contest the following year and he earned eight straight All-Star Game selections during his time with the Raptors and Nets. 10 Most Valuable Basketball Cards from the 1980s - Gold Card Auctions In the sports card hobby, rookies are king which is the biggest contributing factor to the lower value of this year. However, its a bit of a misnomer, as it was easier to get a Members Only Beam Teams than a standard pack-pulled Beam Teams. However, lots of brands contributed lots of brand diversitry to the hobby during the decade, including Upper Deck, SP, Hoops, Bowmans Best, and Collectors Choice. This 1997 Michael Jordan precious metal games card is another card from the highly sought-after Metal Universe collection. 1 1990 - Fleer is the most valuable basketball card brand to start the decade 2 1991 - Fleer 3 1992 - Upper Deck 4 1993 - Topps Finest 5 1994 - Topps Finest 6 1995 - Topps Finest 7 1996 - Topps Chrome becomes the most valuable brand of the 90s 8 1997 - Topps Chrome 9 1998 - Topps Chrome The card is graded as a Beckett 10, with only one other card known to exist in this quality. On the opposite end of the spectrum from Kevin Garnett, who made the NBA jump straight from high school, Tim Duncan played out his four years of college eligibility at Wake Forest before going No. 1990 Hoops Card Prices | PSA & Ungraded Values - SportsCardsPro