I’ve been neck-deep in this question since I jumped back into collecting sports cards! First order of business: go through my 6,000 cards I collected as a young teenager and figure out what to sell, what to keep and what to toss!
While many considered the cards of the 90s to be overproduced, there are obviously still some cards worth a ton—including star rookies, graded cards, and inserts. Jordan and Kobe drive much of the value, with their cards carrying the most premium compared to their peers.
Unfortunately, there are many cards that at first glance would seem to be worthwhile, but in reality aren’t because everyone seems to have one. A great example of this are Shaq rookie cards. PSA 10s still have good value, but that’s because after so much time it’s hard to find them gem mint.
Take a look at this:
They’re so cheap because pretty much anyone who collected in the early-to-mid 90s had one (or a dozen) of these cards!
Or, here is one of my all-time favorite cards…AND it’s a Jordan:
Really? $5 for a 30 year-old-card of the GOAT? Again, PSA 10s of these are selling for $200. We know that everyone had these cards, but yet it’s hard to find them in good shape.
Which Cards From the 90s are Worth Anything?
I’m guessing you’re sifting through your big collection that you just pulled out of your parent’s attic. You’re reveling in these cards that you loved as a kid…surprised to find that you still love them. If you’re like me, you’ll realize that you only gave it up because you were spending too much money on them, not because you stopped loving collecting cards.
Since reconnecting with my collection, I’ve spent dozens of hours sifting through to determine which of my card from the 90s still carry value. Here’s what you should be looking for:
Star Rookie Cards
Unless you’re looking at absolute stars or hall of famers, base cards are highly unlikely to be worth more than $1…and are unlikely to gain any value in the future.
The players you’re looking for are ones like Shaq, Garnett, Iverson, Kobe (obviously), Pierce, Ray Allen, Dirk, Nash, Vince, Duncan…basically players that are going to be or are in the hall of fame. And sometimes, even players in the hall that weren’t overly popular or culturally impactful don’t stay hobby-relevant.
You’ll find out pretty quickly that the players even a level beneath that just aren’t worth anything unless they’re an EXTREMELY rare or premium brand. Guys like Webber, Hill, Mourning, Marbury, and Kidd just don’t see a ton of hobby love.
There are a few exceptions. For example, I mentioned Vince Carter with those other all-time greats. He’s never going to be considered a top 50 or even 75 player ever, but man was he relevant! A player as exciting as him carries a lot of weight in the hobby and his cards still do pretty well.
And also, many of those star rookie cards still aren’t worth a lot because they were overproduced (like the Shaq example above) or because it’s just a cheap brand. I have this KG rookie:
I’m obviously not planning to sell it…why would you at that price? That’s a card that I’m going to forget about for another 10-20 years and hope it grows in value over time.
Rare Inserts
What’s an insert? They’re the cards that look different than the base cards in the set, and have a name, such as this “Power in the Key” set here on the left..
It’s a common insert from the 90s…Although certainly not a rare or valuable one.
This is one I listed on eBay that sold for about $2.
So how do you know what the rare ones are? That’s a little tougher. One easy way to know is if you have a BUNCH of them. I have about a dozen of those Power in the Key inserts, so I know they weren’t rare. I looked up the value of a few of them, but most I just put back in a box to review in the future.
But then on the other hand, I had this beauty:
Being a Jordan, and obviously just a snazzy card…and as it was the only one I had, I had hoped it would be worth something! When I pulled it in 1998, it was worth $40. I sold it in 2019 for $265. Now they’re over $1,200 for a 9.
Another iconic insert set is this “Soul of the Game” – I sold a Scottie Pippen a few years back for $51. Once again, for an insert, non-rookie card, and not top-20 payer, that’s pretty good.
Honestly, the main way to know if something is worth anything is that you’re just going to have to start looking up values. I wrote an entire post on determining sports cards value here!
Want to read about more rare basketball cards? Check out 16 Strangely Rare Basketball Cards for Serious Collectors Only.
Graded Cards
I’ve already talked about this a little bit, but graded cards, even from the “junk wax” era can still be worth a good amount of money. I thought I did a good job of keeping my cards in good condition, and yet I only found 12 cards from my entire collection worth sending in to get graded!
(Update: most of the ones I got graded turned out to be a losing proposition as the market dropped a bit in late 2020 and through 2021…so really I only had a couple of cards get a nice bump from grading out of my 6,000)
It’s just hard to keep them that nice for so long…or maybe you just didn’t know they were great players yet! When I stopped collecting in 2000, Nash had just finished a season averaging 9 points and 5 assists…so I didn’t think to keep good care of his cards.
I found 2 rookies of his in my commons box and they were pretty beat up.
While looking for those star rookies or rare inserts, be sure to take a glance at the condition they’re in to see if they’re worth grading! Most of the time, it won’t be worth getting cards graded unless they can be graded a 10 (especially with grading prices typically $20+ per card).
Is Your 90s Card Worth Grading?
Here’s what you’re looking for with the condition of your cards:
- Centering – If you can tell with the naked eye that it’s off, don’t grade it.
- Corners – If you can find any imperfections, don’t grade it.
- Edges – If any white is showing through or anything is scuffed or marred, don’t grade it.
- Surface – Is there anything obviously wrong with it? Is there a smudge? Did part of the surface come off when you pulled it out of the binder?
If all of that still looks good to the naked eye, then review closer with a magnifying glass or jeweler’s loupe (I got mine of Amazon for $6). Go over every inch of it under a bright light and magnifying glass—if you still can’t find anything wrong, then it’s worth considering to get it graded!
And even then, I’d still plan on getting a 9, while hoping for a 10. When planning to grade, I make sure that getting back a 9 would at least have me breaking even.
If you’re looking to BUY cards from the 90s for investing purposes, I would likely ONLY buy graded stuff—too many of those cards will be in subpar condition. The exception would be Jordans and Kobes because they are so sought after!
=> If you’re wanting to grade, who should you go with? I put together the complete guide here: Reviewing the Complete List of Sports Cards Grading Companies (2024)
Step-By-Step With Your 1990s Basketball Cards
So, you’re going through your 90s basketball card collection to determine if they’re worth anything…here’s what you do:
- Look for star rookies! Hall of Famers, future hall of famers, especially the all-timers. Many of those still aren’t worth much, so you can pack those away. Some are worth a fortune (especially Kobe, or rarer rookies of the all-timers).
- Find those rare inserts! Rare inserts definitely carry value, but just understand that the vast majority of them are worth very little—and often less than a base card. For example, I have a LeBron James rookie insert…but it’s only worth $50 where most of his rookie stuff is easily in the hundreds.
- Graded Cards – If you’re looking to buy 90s cards now, I’d mostly stick to graded stuff. Also while looking through your collection, try to find those rare inserts or rookie cards that look like they’re grade-worth following the steps I outlined above.
I hope this was a helpful post for helping you determine which of your 90s cards are worth anything!