25 Favorite Sports Trading Cards From The Junk Wax Era (1987-1994)

If you are on RotoBaller then you are probably into fantasy sports. And if you are into fantasy sports and sports in general, you may also be into collecting trading cards. So let's take a break from all of the analysis for a few moments and, as the saying goes, take a walk down memory lane.

If you collect cards, well then you inevitably have your favorites. They could be your favorites for any plethora of reasons -- perhaps because they are of your favorite athlete/character/actor/etc., or somehow associated with your favorite team or the card has a story behind it that makes it your favorite, or whatever else the case may be -- it's YOUR favorite. The reason why it is your favorite may not make it any more enticing to the next collector, and that frankly does not matter.

Hopefully, we share some of these reasons in common. By looking back at some classics as well as some of my personal favorites, we can evoke some memories, maybe stir up some emotions, or at least share an unspoken bond within our ever-growing collecting community.

Favorite Cards from the Junk Wax Era

With all of the numerous releases across an array of various sports and non-sports alike these days, plus all of the parallels/variations that go with it, it's perhaps easier to start with a somewhat simpler time that is near and dear to me as it was the time that I started collecting cards as a youngster: The Junk Era. This period generally encapsulates the late '80s to early '90s, and as the name implies, most of it is junk because it was so grossly overproduced by the manufacturers that it essentially made them worthless.

We'll start with some that are no-brainer collectibles and not necessarily favorites of mine (at the time, anyway), but are now iconic -- for one reason or another. Forgive me in advance, as I'm sure others can be mentioned here, but the list could go on forever so it had to be whittled down. Also, this is not a list of the most expensive cards from that era, although some of those are indeed included here, and these are not in any particular order.

Ken Griffey Jr 1989 Upper Deck

#OnThisDay in 1987, Ken Griffey Jr. was selected #1 overall in the MLB Draft.

Two years later came his hobby-altering 1989 Upper Deck Star Rookie, still to this day one of the most influential baseball cards ever produced. pic.twitter.com/MJihNHWOWy

— PSAcard (@PSAcard) June 2, 2023

How can you not start with this one? Card #1 from the inaugural Upper Deck set, this rookie card features one of the game's greatest with a simple pose and smile. If you look at some of the other rookie cards of his, the eye appeal is not there as he doesn't have his trademark smile or the color palette doesn't do it any favors, save for maybe the 1989 Topps card. This beauty, with the green grass, infield dirt, and chalk lines up the side, is one of the few from that era that still holds strong value and can garner $2,000 in PSA 10 condition.

Frank Thomas 1990 Topps

You say "No Name On Front," and almost any baseball card collector will know what you're referencing.

ℹ️ This is just the 253rd copy of the famous 1990 Topps Frank Thomas Error RC ever authenticated & graded by PSA, with only 20 copies graded higher. pic.twitter.com/08OpKT2f4C

— PSAcard (@PSAcard) February 21, 2023

This was a design that grew on you I think, at least for me it did. This was one of, if not THE card, you wanted out of this set. There is a Tiffany version too that is more sought after than the base card. As with some of the other cards below, being a youngster at the time I wasn't even aware of the "NNOF" error card at the time, but the "no name on front" card is one of the most valuable of this era.

Mark McGwire 1985 Topps

Time Heals? This @PSAcard Gem Mint 10, 1985 Topps Tiffany Mark McGwire sold for $19,800 @Heritage_Sport this past weekend. When this card first hit $10,000 during the home run chase era of 1998-2000, and then plummeted, it was hard to imagine it making a comeback... but it has. pic.twitter.com/QAvYLWwVfX

— Joe Orlando (@CollectingByJoe) October 4, 2023

I wasn't collecting yet in 1985, but this is another one of the cards from around the Junk Era that was/is one to own. A young, smiling McGwire poses as a member of the USA Baseball team. There is a Tiffany version that is more valuable too. Technically this is a pre-rookie card even though many view it as his rookie card which has helped buoy its price. His 1987 cards in PSA 10 can be had for less than $100.

Derek Jeter 1993 Upper Deck SP; Derek Jeter 1993 Topps

#WhatsOnYourDesk
1993 SP Derek Jeter Foil PSA Gem Mint 10#jobperk pic.twitter.com/MrpUn1a4ws

— Heritage Auctions Sports (@Heritage_Sport) March 19, 2021

Somehow I never ended up with one of the Topps cards, but this is a Derek Jeter you can still pick up for less than $10. His 1993 Upper Deck SP is one of the more valuable cards from this era. The foil edges make this one hard to find in Gem Mint condition, which makes them all the more valuable.

Mariano Rivera 1992 Bowman

Happy birthday to @MarianoRivera, the all-time @MLB saves leader with 652. Here's my 1992 Bowman rookie card of his graded @PSAcard 10.

Do you have any cool Mariano Rivera cards? If so, please share.

#TradingCards #TheHobby @Yankees pic.twitter.com/pv1IPFo4Qc

— Cool Sports Cards (@Very_Cool_Cards) November 29, 2023

Calm, cool, and collected, just as he was in any big moment during his career (and there were a lot of big moments), Mariano Rivera poses in a casual look for 1992 Bowman. Chipper Jones is in here too looking similarly dapper. These looks feel like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his fanny pack should be included in the checklist too, and the fact that there's no baseball element here makes these particular cards unappealing to me, but a PSA 10 just went for $750, so it's one of the more valuable from this period.

Bill Ripken 1989 Fleer "FF"

My Awesome card of the day is this 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken PSA 8 FF Error

It's an iconic card that I just felt I needed to have in my PC. If anything it's a fun card to show non collectors!@cardpurchaser #thehobby pic.twitter.com/pMI4B5hKCh

— Baseball Cards are Awesome - YMT cards (@YMTcards) February 16, 2024

A fairly bland design in a set loaded with as many rookies as there seem to be error cards, there's none more famous (notorious?) than this Billy Ripken card. Here's the story behind how those words got on the end of his bat, but needless to say, when people started seeing it Fleer had to do something about it. There are four main attempts to rectify this, with some cards coming with a white box covering the words, some with white scribble, some with black scribble, and some with a black box.

This card pretty much symbolizes card manufacturing of the time, with uninspiring design and poor quality control. Pretty much junk. Except that if you have one of the originals or any variation other than the black box, then you at least have something somewhat valuable. Randy Johnson has one in here too that featured a Marlboro sign over his shoulder that Fleer later decided to cover up.

Barry Sanders 1989 Pro Set

1989 Pro Set #494 Barry Sanders ROOKIE RC PSA 10 Graded Football Card NFL ProSet #ad #thehobby https://t.co/yYz6szhFWb pic.twitter.com/LqBEYh92qB

— 24/7 Football Cards (@247fballcards) August 11, 2023

Speaking of sets full of errors, 1989 Pro Set had a bunch. This particular card had no errors though and it was the one you wanted. I didn't get my hands on one until much later, but I still remember being envious of a childhood friend of mine with his tucked inside a toploader up on his mantle. Sanders' Score rookie is more popular and has held some value, especially in tip-top shape, but the Pro Set card can be had for five bucks in raw condition.

He went this way.

No that way.@BarrySanders greatest career jukes! (@nflthrowback) pic.twitter.com/LPnh95QBLJ

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) May 31, 2019

Emmitt Smith 1990 Pro Set

1990 PRO SET #685 EMMITT SMITH PSA 10 GEM MINT RC ROOKIE #ad #thehobby https://t.co/TrhfFUDvXX pic.twitter.com/3Q3vG2Zicu

— 24/7 Football Cards (@247fballcards) October 4, 2023

Talk about being overproduced, I remember buying boxes of 1990 Pro Set for dirt cheap off the shelves of a Big Lots. Want one of these for your collection? They're cheaper than Sanders' Pro Set. You can pick one up for $2.50 in raw condition. PSA 10s go for around $200. His Topps Traded and Fleer Update are a tad more valuable, but still cheap all things considered.

Shaquille O'Neal 1992 Topps

Shaquille O'Neal 1992 Topps #362 Rookie Card RC PSA 10 Gem Mint NBA HOF #ad #thehobby https://t.co/zMK3LOuuTX pic.twitter.com/DQw2BigQc7

— League Cards 🏀 (@League_Cards) September 8, 2023

A great action shot of a young O'Neal with '92 Draft Pick in gold foil makes this one of the more collectible rookie cards of the time. Pick yours up for just over five bucks, but if you happen to have one of the Topps Gold ones (where the name and team are also in gold foil), well then you have yourself one of the more expensive cards of the era, especially in good condition. Perhaps not as sought after as the Stadium Club Beam Team cards, but still a high-end card, with PSA 10s regularly selling for around $1,000 or more.

David Robinson 1989 Hoops (#138)

1989 NBA Hoops #138 David Robinson Rookie RC PSA 10 Gem Mint San Antonio Spurs #ad #thehobby https://t.co/beSEySi3gN pic.twitter.com/OjZZtplh2f

— League Cards 🏀 (@League_Cards) December 5, 2023

Known as "The Admiral" from his time in the Navy, David Robinson's rookie card appears in the 1989 Hoops set. Due to the collation of the cards in the packs you could easily find packs containing his rookies (sorry to that guy who was having a garage sale back in 1990, I admit I pack-searched that box you had). The problem, of course, was that there were too many of them produced and they could easily be found for cheap. Even in perfect condition, a PSA 10 recently sold for just $350.

My Personal Favorites from the Junk Era

David Robinson 1988 Spurs Police Diamond Shamrock; David Robinson 1989 Hoops (#310)

1988-89 San Antonio Spurs Police Diamond Shamrock #8 David Robinson rc BGS 9.5: $500.00 End Date: Wednesday Dec-19-2018 5:46:13 PST Buy It Now for only: $500.00 Buy It Now | Add to watch list https://t.co/f8K9at4kiO #SportsCards #TradingCards pic.twitter.com/Fbv16So6lD

— SportsCardKing.com (@SportsCardKing_) December 19, 2018

David Robinson is my favorite athlete of all time, so of course I wanted his first Hoops card, but when I saw the Shamrock "card" at a hobby shop back in the day, I had to have it. Unfortunately, it was way overpriced and it was several years later that I got my hands on one as a Christmas present. These too can be found for cheap today.

I also had to have his other rookie card from the '89 Hoops set that featured an action photo and the jersey with the spur as the 'U' in Spurs. PSA 10s of these can be had for about $50.

Bo Jackson 1987 Topps; Bo Jackson 1990 Score

1987 Topps - Future Stars Tiffany #170 Bo Jackson for sale online #ad #baseballcards https://t.co/1l7fWb1qZ4 pic.twitter.com/FCPFcE9Cke

— Baseball Card Gems 💎 (@baseballcardgem) August 21, 2023

What was your favorite card, that you owned, when you were a kid? Mine was the 1990 Score Bo Jackson and it wasn't even close. I would have traded you two fleer Jordans for one of these and then made fun of you after I ripped you off. pic.twitter.com/q10YfG2SNh

— Dixons Cards (@DixonsCards) July 8, 2021

I don't think I even knew the '86 Topps Traded card existed for Bo at the time. I guess you could say I didn't "know Bo" (IYKYK). Man did I love the look of the '87 Topps card, with the wood grain border and the rainbow "Future Stars" emblazoned above the name.

By the time 1990 came around I was a big fan of Bo Jackson and the Score card that showed him posing with his bat and football pads was so cool. Oh, and it simply said "BO" on the back of the card. BOom!

Chicago #WhiteSox star Bo Jackson breaks his bat over his knee after striking out vs. Oakland A's pitcher Bobby Witt! (1993) ~ Happy 61st Birthday Bo! #BoKnows #MLB #Baseball #History pic.twitter.com/LsoWEJncs2

— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) December 1, 2023

Michael Jordan 1990 Fleer

1990 #Fleer Michael Jordan - i have this raw but wanted a graded copy for long term collection. Pretty quintessential MJ photo...#sportscards #basketballcards #BullsNation #NBA #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/nXrAVkwu3P

— SportsOnHigh (@OnHighNetwork) May 14, 2023

I was not an MJ fan growing up, probably because he was so popular (kinda like the Yankees). Of course, I didn't mind if I happened to snag one of his cards. This Fleer set was nice and this card, with Jordan tongue-out dunking, has grown in popularity. I love the David Robinson one from this set too, but this one is great as well.

Shaquille O'Neal 1992 Fleer Ultra

Trading Card Memory: Shaquille O'Neal was the #1 overall pick in the 1992-93 NBA Draft.

Not even LeBron James drew the kind of attention Shaq drew when he was coming out of LSU.

Collectors and "investors" were clamoring to get his RC cards.

When his Fleer Ultra RC came out… pic.twitter.com/BfJZdJjs9r

— Hobby News Plus! 🔥 (@Hobby_News_Plus) July 10, 2023

I loved these cards when they came out. They just felt more premium for a variety of reasons -- stock, glossy finish, gold/marble accents -- and other than chasing David Robinson, I wanted this Shaq card. I liked the gold flag that came down with 'ROOKIE' on it; the NBA Jam Session cards had the player's Dunk Rank listed on that gold flag (David Robinson #1!). I remember opening a box of these with my brothers on a train to Disney back in the day, so perhaps that is another reason this card and this set stuck with me.

The Stadium Club card also had that premium feel to it and also had "'92 Draft Pick" stamped in gold foil, although the image never quite did it for me, with him seemingly awkwardly coming down with a rebound. The image on the Stadium Club Member's Choice card though was much better.

Emmitt Smith 1991 Upper Deck

Emmitt Smith ~ 1991 Upper Deck '90 Hologram Back ~ X^FB. https://t.co/IP6hmXSZIV pic.twitter.com/YS1pD1F6wv

— Rich & Lisa Collectibles (@burkeybile03) November 7, 2023

This set felt so clean with the white borders and football surrounding the team logo, plus being Upper Deck it had that cool little hologram on the back. This one, although not a rookie card, had a nice picture of Smith in action and the white, blue, and gray all blended so well.

Barry Sanders 1990 Score Ground Force

Good morning! Some football for #WhatsOnYourDesk with a 1990 Score Barry Sanders “Ground Force” card. Loved these as a kid & dedicated a few binder pages to em.
Let’s see some pre-1990 football today.
Bonus points for NO Giants!
Make it a great day!#BeTheGood@CardPurchaser pic.twitter.com/RV84ut0P6c

— Cash (@1Cash28) October 17, 2023

I thought the lightning in the background of these cards was awesome. Barry Sanders was the Ken Griffey Jr of football -- how could you not like him even if he wasn't your favorite player?? The Bo Jackson Ground Force with him in the Silver & Black really popped too. Other favorites included Thurman Thomas and Christian "Nigerian Nightmare" Okoye.

Chipper Jones 1991 Bowman; Chipper Jones 1991 Topps Desert Shield

1991 Bowman Chipper Jones #topps #rookiecard #braves #atlantabraves #mixitup #thehobby #collect #chipperjones #sportscards #sportscardinvestor #whodoyoucollect #tradingcards pic.twitter.com/eh08SkODq5

— Sports Cards Graded (@CardsGraded) February 28, 2021

Card of the Day: 1991 Topps #333 Chipper Jones Desert Shield, a tricky variant of the switch hitter's Topps or O-Pee-Chee rookies. Issued in wax packs to U.S. troops serving in the Persian Gulf, many of these cards were destroyed or damaged. Only 30 examples are graded PSA 10. pic.twitter.com/Hh0QZMTdwF

— PSAcard (@PSAcard) September 23, 2018

With Topps bringing back the Bowman brand in 1989, it was the first time I had heard of the brand. I remember it being more expensive, but that didn't matter. I was not a fan of the bigger size cards from '89 Bowman so I didn't want them. The design of 1990 made the names too hard to see which didn't appeal to me either.

Something about the '91 set drew me in (honestly I think that little triangular indentation below the Bowman logo had something to do with it), and being a Braves fan I wanted the Chipper. It has the classic swing pose in the home whites.

I did not love the 1991 Topps card because he wasn't in a Braves uni and it clashed with the logo, but I'd be remiss not to mention the Desert Shield card. Again, at that age, I had no idea that variation even existed, but this is one of the few cards of that era that can be extremely valuable due to the scarcity.

Deion Sanders 1991 Upper Deck (#SP3)

#RFcod: 1992 Upper Deck Coach Prime … um, Deion Sanders SP

this never quite reached the levels of 1991’s Jordan batting practice SP1, but it still was a pretty damn cool card to pull out of a pack back in the day.

i’m guessing there might be a bump in interest this fall, too. pic.twitter.com/iuXyOTYn00

— ryan fagan (@myjunkwax) September 13, 2023

I loved the fact that Bo Jackson played baseball and football, so when I found out about Deion and then he became a Brave, he quickly became one of my favorites. This card was the best of both worlds, or should I say three worlds, as it blended baseball, football, and the premium Upper Deck brand. The Cowboys were my team, but I never owned a Cowboys Starter jacket; I rocked my Falcons Starter jacket with pride though!

Cal Ripken Jr 1982 Donruss; Roger Clemens 1985 Donruss

1982 donruss Cal Ripken Jr pic.twitter.com/KuvAM78YRe

— Websters Sports Cards (@CardsWebsters) March 2, 2020

1985 Donruss #273 - Roger Clemens RC. pic.twitter.com/mrHbmiKidC

— Classic Cards (@ClassicCards_) December 23, 2020

These were technically pre-Junk Era, but neither is very expensive. These two rookie cards were the crown jewels of my childhood card collection though. How did I get them? Getting good grades, of course! These were my reward for getting straight A's on a couple of report cards.

I thought I kept them in good shape having put them in hard plastic toploaders, but when I went through my old shoebox I found that they had pretty rough corners, so not as good as I thought. These two will never leave my collection. Thanks Dad!

Albert "Joey" Belle 1990 Donruss, Steve Avery 1989 Topps, Dee Brown 1991 Skybox

Albert "Joey" Belle, 1990 Donruss @Indians pic.twitter.com/A69Axnpzw9

— Sports Cards Daily (@DailyCardboard) March 7, 2014

Steve Avery’s career before the MLB strike shortened season in 1994 was remarkable, especially being the number 4 in the rotation.
Avery’s career after the strike was a struggle.
The 1989 Topps Steve Avery is one of my favorites in the entire set. pic.twitter.com/76VwjHIcp0

— WaxEraBinders (@WaxEraBinders) February 9, 2022

1991 Skybox Dee Brown, one of my favorite cards of all-time! pic.twitter.com/eaa7C8WWWd

— Junk Wax Heroes (@JunkWaxHeroes) December 14, 2022

Just some randoms here, but meaningful nonetheless.

Living in the Cleveland area in 1990, it was odd to me to see "Joey" on a card when all I knew him as was "Albert." The family made it to a few games at Municipal Stadium to watch the Indians play, and sure enough, we got to see an Albert Belle home run. I remember picking up packs of these at the local convenience store and ripping them open. The Indians were always a second-favorite team of mine, then the movie Major League solidified it, to the point that last year I was Rick Vaughn for Halloween -- haircut and all!

Steve Avery was my favorite pitcher back then, and loved this card with him tossing the ball up to himself with a vibrant smile. I picked up an autographed version in the last couple of years, another that will never leave the collection.

Finally, an awful design but an unforgettable image. Dee Brown covering his eyes to win the 1991 Slam Dunk title. I remember taking my adjustable basketball hoop and lowering it to 8 feet, just so my brothers and I could replicate this dunk. You better believe I got a pair of those Reebok Pumps!

Dee Brown knows a thing or two about the dunk contest 👀☘️ pic.twitter.com/JHZGucSgLn

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 7, 2021

Thank you for staying to the end, I hope you enjoyed it. Look for other articles that include Modern Era cards, Vintage cards, non-sports cards, and more!

More Fantasy Baseball Analysis