Top Performing Baseball Card Auctions: September 2018 – 1990s Edition

While the 1998 installment of Super Rave’s vastly outperform it’s 1999 counterpart in terms of design, key player examples from 1999 are just as valuable. This Ken Griffey Jr. from 1999 Skybox Thunder is a firm testament to that claim. With print runs to just 25, regardless of year, these Super Rave parallels have proven to be super rare and desirable. I’d have liked to see more gold sparkle foil on these cards; this is where the 1999 design falls short. In all other aspects, however, the sophomoric release excels in both appeal and collectability.

It’s not every day we get to see a 1996 Select Certified Mirror Gold Hideo Nomo, and who knows when we’ll seen another. While the bid number was strong, to many it might seem the final price was weak. Given the sheer scarcity of these immensely collectible early-era elusive parallels, you’d think this card would’ve performed better. For those 25 other bidders, maybe they’ll get another opportunity to bid on an MG Nomo, maybe they won’t.

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1997 SPx Grand Finale parallels have to be some of the most subtly identifiable parallels in all of baseball cards. With a print run of 50, no serial numbering or printed parallel statement, and the only distinguishable difference between these and the Gold parallels being the gold hologram on the front of the cards, unless you know what you’re looking at, you may miss it. With a solid concluding valuation of this Jeter, it’s hoped to have found a place in a cherished collection.

Donruss Preferred Precious Metals continue to rise in popularity regardless of year – 1997 and 1998. This Frank Thomas sale price is a real shocker. The trend I’ve witnessed with these Thomas DPPMs is a slow but steady appreciation. I began tracking these in fall of 2009 and back then, they could be had for around $150. Now look at ’em! I bought mine in late May of 2014 and even then paid just north of $500. Those days and prices are long behind us.

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The other day, I was reviewing a Beckett Baseball publication from 1996 and at the time, the Cal Ripken Jr. was the most valuable of all 1993 Finest Refractors at an ambitious $2500. Seeing a PSA 9 example sell in the current market for $850 sounds about right. This is the pivotal release that set the stage for the refractor craze we see today.

Speaking of Beckett, did you know that at the time of this writing, they haven’t yet archived 1998 Metal Universe card #218 as part of the Precious Metal Gems parallel set? Yea, they stopped their records for PMGs at card #217. Not all companies are made to perfection. Speaking of perfection, it describes the addition of this card to any collection perfectly.

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Nightmare. That’s the word that comes to mind when I think of these 1997 Pinnacle Certified Certified Mirror Gold Team parallels. These cards, serial numbered to 25, have proven to be some of the most elusive of the decade. I rarely see them and when I do, army strong end prices are certainties. The $565 figure for this Chipper Jones isn’t surprising. Notable sure, but not surprising.

The 1998 Donruss Signature Autograph Century parallels have become favorites of many collectors, myself included. I’ve always liked the boutique showroom design. The tile floor look, the gradient, the design-matching blue holo foil text, and the on-card autographs make these really nice to look at. That they come with print runs to just 100 is the icing on the cake. The Derek Jeter is one of the most desired of the stars in the set.

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1997 Topps Gallery Peter Max Signature Series Serigraphs – Gosh, what a mouth full! Each of these parallels is signed by Peter Max and hand serial numbered to just 40 copies. Here’s a tip on how to spot fakes of these – authentic examples have the “Max” signature underneath the gloss. If it’s not under the gloss, you’ve got a fake. I rarely see these signed versions. It’s nice to see Mark McGwire on this list this month. Even more so to know he still has a collector base.

This Chipper Jones card hails from the mostly impossible selection of Pinnacle bankruptcy issues most of us will never own. You might remember the block of stuff that surfaced and sold last year. It wouldn’t surprise me if this card was part of that run. I’ve always liked the 1998 Pinnacle Epix stuff so I was happy to see one make the list this month. I hope you like it.