In fact they are quite the opposite, according to PSAcollector.com. Because so many baseball cards were printed between roughly 1987 and 1993, the values plummeted significantly.. Someday, somehow, we all know Bonds will get into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Their creation was almost too beautiful for words! Like someone fought them with his Sharpie light saber or tried to force them into being Topps or Donruss cards through creative will. So, not only did they issue a 1981 base set that was fairly OK plus showcased one of the greatest error cards of all time (C. Nettles), they also blessed us with their first Star Stickers set. Topps released the card as part of their Finest set, which featured cards printed on a special chromium cardstock. | We accept American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and More. These auctions are over, but the listings are still fun to peruse. Bush. Heck, you might get really lucky and pull a Craig Worthington noggin. Its like a Golden Corral buffet everything seems not that good, but the fried shrimp and the banana pudding aint bad at all! Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link). 10 Greatest Junk Wax Era Baseball Card Hobby Boxes Youd wait all week or all month for a chance to pick up a few packs at the grocery store or local card shop and then rush home to dig into your new treasures. The set proved to be popular, so Topps continued it in 1982. There are, however, some cards from this era that have some value. Even though baseball is entering the stretch run, then, theres no way I can ignore tantalizing football product when it pops up right? Jim Thomes Rated Rookies card highlights that subset but isnt even his rookie. The Fleer cards also seem to be a bit more scarce, though the demand may also not be quite as strong. Is there anything better than sitting down with a box of fresh wax packs with dreams of uncovering your next big baseball card find? The only player on here twice Im doubling down on some rookie Jeter. We expected more and better in 1984, and, for the most part, the major manufacturers delivered. RARE does not usually apply to baseball cards of the Junk Wax era. The 1984 Donruss card was his first major league baseball card. While the exact years of the Junk Wax Era are a bit fluid, well loosely define the period as the years from 1987-1995. But Topps issued a parallel, limited edition Desert Shield set in addition to the regular set of 792 cards, and this special gold-foil-stamped set was sent to soldiers serving in Operation Desert Shield. Did you know the Atlanta Braves drafted Randy Johnson in the 1982 MLB Draft? WebRecently, I came across an advertisement by a company called 49er Headquarters, who, by 1993, seemed to be holding a decent amount of rare and/or hard to find Pro Set items: In their free time, Yanni stays current with animation, design, and illustration trends. And, well, deckled. But dont completely turn your nose up at this era just because of the name. Heads Up Baseball Stars. Mattingly+rookie+cant-find-these-cards-anywhere+New York Hype = explosion. But 1987 Fleer baseball was about as plentiful as summer days in Pittsburgh without a Barry Bonds scowl. The unopened boxes that did survive are incredibly scarce and highly sought after, even though the only notable rookie card in the set is Chipper Jones (the Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez rookie cards wouldnt arrive until Topps issued its Traded set that year). Youve heard of wearing your heart on your sleeve, right? The 1990 Score McDonalds set is the exception. That depends a lot on the era you collected them in. This eBay lot gives you 72 chances two full wax boxes for you to let 1981 Fleer Star Stickers get stuck on you. Speedsters can help fantasy players a lot, but its all about power and WAR in collecting. And it would have yielded 15.15 repeating copies of every card in whichever set was involved. This is the holy grail of 1984 baseball boxes, of course, as it possibly contains the fabled 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly rookie card that changed the hobby forever. Even more luckily, I convinced my parents to float me a loan for all the burnt orange packs I could find. The junk wax era was a period in the late 1980s and early 1990s when sports trading cards were produced in massive quantities, resulting in an oversupply and ultimately devaluing many cards. Archives. In this case (no, just a box, actually), we a box 24 full packs of 1990 Topps! In recent years, weve seen a rise in collectors acquiring unopened wax boxes and hobby boxes, and some of these sealed boxes go back 50 years, making them some of the most valuable factory-sealed baseball cards on the market. This eBay lot lets you capture all that Super kitsch with three unopened boxes of 1984 Topps Supers, minus one pack. Easy enough to cherrypick rack and cello packs, and even wax packs had theirproblems ever hear of resealing? A completely far-out unopened pack of these sweet squares (rectangles)! And the box itself is a great display piece. You scoured the pages of Baseball Cards and Sports Collectors Digest waiting for word of any new releases, and then you planned your life around getting your hands on some. Provenzale points to the most famous card in the industry the T206 Honus Wagner card, of which there are only believed to be 60 believed in existence. You can buy them for pennies or less under circumstances like this. A Google search will deliver several articles and videos on Junk Wax Era cards that have value. Always the same design, basically, at least. Too bad for them Topps stepped on the gas an issued one of the greatest, sunniest sets of all time. 12 Most Iconic Baseball Rookie Cards From the Junk Wax Era (1986-93). If youre reading this, chances are pretty good you spent at least part of your childhood as I did ripping open (or carefully unflapping) wax packs of baseball cards. But there the packs were, with a god-awful Babe Ruth drawing but tremendous waxy promise. Most of the boxes Ive bought in the past year, from card shops or eBay, have been priced in the $5 to $20 range and have been firmly from the heart of the Junk 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. PSA 1.5 graded card was last sold for $3,000 on February 2023. Its also sad because the case itself is so beat up. The 1986 Fleer issue may not be en fuegomore than 30 years later, but it sure would be fun to crack open the 15 cello packs in this eBay lot to see if you can find your own Joe Orsulak RC prize. Upper Deck shook up the collecting world with improved glossy card stock, inserts worth chasing, counterfeit-defying holograms and foil wrappers instead of wax, Gonos wrote. And, for only $200 or so, you could relive the thrill of searching for them under wax wraps. For the first several years I collected, I harbored this dream about worlddomination and it all hinged on Topps vending cases. As Jeter's career took off, so did the value of his rookie card. All Rights Reserved, What are your baseball cards worth? The 1980 Burger King cards in this lot (affiliate link) shouldnt cause quite as much confusion, though. Also, a better Hall of Fame candidate than Jack Morris. Like Hardaway, Paytons most popular and valuable rookie card is , in a neck-and-neck battle, his 1990 Fleer Update and Skybox cards, both of which have (Take it from someone who bought a lot of baseball cards during those years there were all kinds of options at the gas stations. Try 104 packs across 52 different products, spanning baseball, basketball, and football from 1988-99, with all but one falling before 1996. Fuzzy up the photos just a bit because the sharpness of the 1983s was too much for the human eye to withstand. At the same time, collectors were having trouble filling their one-of-everything desires because 1984 Donruss was downright scarce and it was a really nice looking set for a change. Fast forward 40+ years, and someone has uncovered your forgotten treasure and thrown it up on eBay for sale. A baseball field, a baseball, and a photo of the players first Topps card. It was the best card back of the junk era. @nathanphifer: When youre 10 years old, opening a pack of cards is almost a spiritual experience. The intrigue of what is going to greet you when you peel back that wax packaging is second to none. The SP card has a foil surface, which makes it tough to find in gem-mint condition; its like trying to find a freshly cleaned restroom on a road trip. And then, theres Wayne Gross, who hit a lot of home runs for the post-Dynasty Oakland As and always looked very 70s-y. In the summer of 1984, Don Mattingly came out of nowhere to win the American League batting title, snatching it away from New York Yankees teammate Dave Winfield. Limit one per person. Finding a lot like this in 1987 especially early in the year would have made you feel like you uncovered a hidden gold mine in your back yard. Ranking the 11 worst sets of the Junk Wax Era of baseball cards Thats when leagues were over-licensing to anyone who wanted in on the gold rush, David Gonos wrote for The Athletic. That Yaz/Bench beauty is also the centerpiece of this eBay lot, an unopened 1984 Donruss Rack Pack with the Living Legends right there on top, in the middle. Fleer cleaned things up even more and put out a really nice, solid set. Oh not before they also issued a combo career tribute card for Carl Yastrzemski and Johnny Bench (and one for Gaylord Perry and Rollie Fingers). 1984 Fleer Update Kirby Puckett RC #93. Lots of chances to perfect your no-tears tearing. Those memories are part of what draws me to lots like this one, a full 1987 Topps vending case. 1984 Fleer Update Roger Clemens Rookie Card #U-27, 10. When they do not perform well, you want to punch a wall! If it werent for an all-time great Topps issue that spring, the 1983 Fleer set would have been at the top of the heap upgraded brown-gray borders, Super Star Specials, copious stats on card backs, and oooooooooophotos on card backs. In 1991, the junk wax era was in full gear. Or popcornless movies? Its freaking genius! And, sure, the Buy-It-Now price is set at $1100, but when was the last time you saw one of these? Among collectors, its fairly common knowledge that there are certain individual baseball cards that are worth a fortune, such as the iconic 1909 T206 Honus Wagner, the legendary 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth, or the glorious 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. Even now, 35 years later and after enough scandal and strife to choke a horse, Petes RC is a hobby staple. And they usually turn up one or two or ten at a time, often in terrible shape and frequently separated from their brethren. Sosas controversial PED allegations, along with his denials and subsequent weirdness when the public wanted answers, tainted his legacy. As far as anyone knows, there are no sealed wax boxes of the 1952 Topps release. Speaking of Bonds, his rookie card appears on two of these eight cello packs. There were three kinds of collectors in the early spring of 1987 those who had access to 1987 Fleer baseball cards, those who had access to 1987 Donruss baseball cards, and (mostly) those who had access to neither 1987 Fleer nor 1987 Donruss baseball cards. PSA 10 graded card was last sold for $1,150 on March 2023. The perception, at least, was that Fleer and Donruss cards were printed on superior cardstock and existed in much fewer quantities than their Topps counterparts. And, you know, busting all these packs would make you feel like a Kardboard King even if the cards arent worth the (thick) paper theyre printed on. Also, note that these listings contain affiliate links, which means if you click over to eBay or Amazon and buy something, Ill receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Granted, most of those dudes fell short of Hall of Fame standards, but theyre still standards among 1980s rookie cards. In my new role of sommelier of junk wax, I would say the 1990 Fleer football set combined forceful star density and design with delicate hints of chase cards before finishing with a lovely sense of nostalgia. Catchers are often forgotten in both hobbies. That is, if you were serious about this thing. The 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card is one of the most iconic, most popular, and yes, most valuable junk wax cards of all time. (snaps cyber fingers). Chipper Jones, a prospect for the Atlanta Braves, was included in the Desert Shield set, and his rookie card quickly became one of the set's most valuable and sought-after cards. The following year, he made his major league debut, and his rookie card was included in the 1993 SP set. And what better way to have some fun than busting open a box of one of those funky Topps test issues risen from the nadir of the Junk Wax Era. Whether you are new to the hobby or just getting back into it, theres one thing you learn quickly: Stop using cards as drink coasters. 1990 #331 Bulls Team Checklist. Oh, and Reggie Jackson, Robin Yount, Gwynn, and Boggs. 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth, 1949 Leaf Jackie Robinson and 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle and I want to know who would make your hobby post-2000 Mount Rushmore in the comments section!