6 Cards from the 1990s that Together Brought Over $50k in May 2025

Okay, so the Frank Thomas 1999 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems sold in June, but I think it’s okay to include it here since these aren’t routine posts. The 2020s have treated the 1990s insert market well. Seemingly everything appears to be worth more, much more. I can remember when I bought the Frank Thomas examples of all the cards listed and I didn’t pay anywhere near these prices, not even close. However, that’s not to say I’m disappointed by what we’re seeing. I’m just glad I knocked out my guy’s cards years ago, long before the spike. More recently, I’ve mentioned to my friends that I’m glad I was aggressive when I was because there would be no possible way I could participate in the current market, just forget it. These days, I’m much more of an observer, you know, the guy in the stands watching sales in awe. That’s me now. I’m not retired; I’ve just graduated beyond collecting these cards since I’ve already done it. I’m just past it. Now I can relax and watch everyone else fight it out.

Shop for Rare 1990s Inserts

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Shop for Rare 1990s Inserts

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The following two cards were sold by a notable former Thomas collector who’s been liquidating his collection. I’ve bought a few cards, but mostly I’ve just watched sales close. His scans are always beautifully done. I think he uses the Epson V370, which is an upgrade to the V330 (also a great model). As the V-series upgrades, it just gets better. Due to the horizontal orientation of the refractor lines, these slabs were placed vertically along the scanning bed’s x axis (width). If you want the refractor lines to be scanned going vertically down the card, place the card on the scanning bed in the vertical orientation along the scanning bed’s y axis (height). Either way, they look awesome.

I’ve seen a few examples of the 1997 Finest Embossed Refractor and the 1998 Donruss Crusade Red over the years, but overall, they continue to be elusive. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen each of these cards surface over the years; we’re talking 4 or 5 in total each. I expect to see appearances every now and then, but I ultimately imagine that their appearance frequency will grow wider with time as these cards enter permanent collections.

Shop for Rare 1990s Inserts