Considered by some hobbyists to be the greatest era of collecting, the 1990s were packed with key rookie cards for all-time greats, iconic photography and some of the most coveted parallels ever created.

Even cards plagued by the ultra-high print runs of the Junk Wax Era rank among the most important from the period — because they are simply that good.

For this era, cllct counts down the 10 most iconic cards using record sales, influence on the industry and the lasting impact on collecting among other factors.

Editor’s note: Because of the extreme popularity of players such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant during the era, cllct has limited this list to include just one card for each player, but we acknowledge both have truly iconic lists of their own.

1. 1997 Metal Universe Michael Jordan Precious Metal Gems

Released more than a decade after his “rookie” card, the 1997 Metal Universe Michael Jordan Precious Metal Gems is among the greatest examples of an iconic set paired with the sport’s most collectible player.

Though they feature a simple design, Precious Metal Gems are beloved because they are rare, extremely tough to find in high-grade condition and easily spotted from across the card show floor.

Numbered to just 100, these PMGs feature a Green parallel for the first 10 cards and a Red parallel for the final 90. For Jordan, the Red parallel provides a stunning color match.

To date, the public record for any Jordan PMG from the 1997 Metal Universe set is the $915,000 paid in 2020.

Also under consideration for the No. 1 spot was the 1997 Upper Deck Jersey Auto Michael Jordan, which arrived as part of the first set to feature NBA memorabilia cards. Featuring memorabilia from the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, the Jordan Jersey Autograph is among the most important basketball cards ever created.

One Jordan Jersey Autograph from the set sold for $2.7 million via a private sale in 2021.

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2. 1996 Topps Chrome Kobe Bryant

One could argue Bryant’s own Precious Metal Gems could land here, but there’s also value in simplicity.

Among Bryant’s key rookie cards, none is more recognizable than his 1996 Topps Chrome, and it arrived as part of one of the greatest draft classes of all time. The 1996 rookie group also featured Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Stephon Marbury and a number of other All-Stars, though Bryant is considered the greatest of them all.

Tough to find in high grades — the set has just a 16% gem rate, according to GemRate — it also suffers from a greening condition that collectors have called “hulking.”

The public record sale for the card is the $1.75 million paid for a Refractor with a BGS 10 Black Label grade in 2021.

3. 1993 SP Foil Derek Jeter

Easily the most valuable Derek Jeter card, Upper Deck’s 1993 SP Foil rookie card features the Yankee shortstop in pinstripes for one of the most popular issues of the era.

In 1993, Jeter was still a couple years away from his first MLB game in 1995 and a Rookie of the Year award in 1996. He’d later earn the title of “captain” in 2003, but his appearance as part of the “Top Prospect” subset foreshadowed his greatness.

The most noteworthy attribute of this card, other than its subject, has to be its condition-sensitivity, caused by the foil used in the card’s surface. Out of more than 50,000 examples submitted to PSA, BGS, SGC and CGC, only 308 have received a gem-mint grade — a rate of 0.61%.

The record sale for the card (and any Jeter card) belongs to the $600,000 paid for a PSA 10 example in April 2022.

4. 1990 Topps "No Name on Front" Frank Thomas

The irony of Frank Thomas’ most recognizable card lacking his own name is obvious.

One of the most famous error cards in the hobby, the Frank Thomas 1990 Topps ("No Name on Front") is a variation of the standard rookie card and is highly desired by collectors.

Upon its release in 1990, Thomas had yet to catch many eyes as a prospect and therefore flew under the radar in the hobby.

But in 1993, when the Beckett Price Guide listed his NNOF error as a separate variation from his standard rookie (No. 414A and No. 414B) as $5 and $3.50, collectors took note.

The following year, the error card was priced at $40. In 1995 it was $1,200.

The error’s origins are disputed, with theories ranging from a promotional strategy from Topps capitalizing on the success of the F-Face Billy Ripken card to more likely causes such as a production issue.

As of May 2025, PSA had graded more than 25,000 copies of the standard Frank Thomas rookie but less than 300 of the NNOF.

The record sale for the NNOF variant is the $170,400 paid for the lone PSA 10 example in December 2022.

5. 1996 SI For Kids Tiger Woods

While most definitions of what constitutes a “rookie card” might disqualify the 1996 Sports Illustrated for Kids Tiger Woods card from the discussion — first and foremost due to the “pack-pulled” stipulation — there is no doubt it is among the earliest and most significant Woods cards.

It appeared in the uncut sheet within the children’s magazine a year before Woods won his first major, and, like all S.I.F.K. cards, is incredibly condition sensitive.

The major grading companies require collectors to carefully extract the card from the uncut sheet along its perforations, a delicate process which often leads to tears and damage.

Of the 2,221 graded by PSA, just 22 have been graded a PSA 10. The record sale for a PSA 10 came in May 2023 when Fanatics Collect sold one for $45,600.

6. 1990 Score Bo Jackson

The 1990 Score Bo Jackson isn’t a rare card, and it’s not particularly difficult to find in high grades, with more than 4,000 examples graded a gem-mint PSA 10.

It does feature one of the most iconic images in trading card history, however, and that’s what makes this card important.

By 1990, Jackson was a Pro Bowler with the Raiders, an MLB All-Star with the Royals, and an advertising star with the iconic “Bo Knows” Nike campaigns.

A hip injury halted Jackson’s football career in 1991, however, and he’d play his last MLB game in 1994.

Years later, despite being considered one of the biggest “what-ifs” in sports, Jackson’s 1990 Score remains one of the most important cards of the era simply for its photograph.

Because of the card’s widespread availability in high grades, collectors can snag PSA 10 examples in 2025 for less than $400, making it the most achievable card on this list for the everyday collector.

An interesting twist for the 1990 Score is Jackson refuses to sign any item that features the “bat over shoulder” photograph. In 2013, photographer Richard Noble sued Nike over use of the image in the “Bo Knows” campaign, and though the suit eventually settled, Jackson no longer signs any item that uses the image.

7. 1992 Stadium Club Beam Team Shaquille O'Neal

With print runs still reflecting the sky-high totals of the Junk Wax Era, the Beam Team inserts, distributed one in every 36 packs, created a well-received chase in the product.

The Members Only parallel, distributed solely in factory sets with a reported print-run of 10,000 copies, added to the scarcity.

Featuring a design meant as a tribute to Topps’ “Beams Above the Rim” video played at that year’s NBA All-Star Game, the cards were flashy and busy — a perfect reputation of the era’s aesthetic.

Of course, there was no bigger chase than the top pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, Shaquille O’Neal.

Of the 1,457 Beam Team Members Only Shaq cards graded by PSA from that year, 61 have been given a PSA 10. Prices for the card peaked in March 2021, when one sold on eBay for more than $20,000.

8. 1998 Playoff Contenders Ticket Peyton Manning

Compared to some of his peers, Manning’s cards have long delivered disappointing secondary-market prices, but that doesn’t make his most coveted rookie card any less important to the era.

Today, Contenders Rookie Ticket Autographs are among the most important rookie cards for the NFL’s top players.

That was far from the case when Manning’s first landed, but collector sentiment has changed over the years, and Manning’s Contenders Ticket has since been significantly elevated to one of the best from the decade.

Manning’s Contenders Ticket isn’t serial-numbered, but it is limited to just 200 copies and features a color-matched blue pen for the autograph.

To date, the record public sale for Manning’s Contenders Ticket is the $71,989 paid for a PSA 10 example at PWCC in 2019.

9. 1994 SP Foil Alex Rodriguez

Like Derek Jeter’s SP Foil, this example represents Alex Rodriguez’s most important rookie card — mostly because it’s basically impossible to find in gem-mint condition.

Though the foil finish makes the card stand out amongst its peers, it also makes the card extremely susceptible to damage such as surface wear and chipping along the edges.

Across the four major graders, the card has been authenticated more than 36,000 times with just 235 scoring gem-mint grades. The card has been graded more than 19,000 times at PSA alone with just 60 copies returning with a PSA 10.

According to data tool Card Ladder, the public record for the card is the $39,600 paid for a PSA 10 copy at Goldin in 2021. A PSA 10 example of the more limited die-cut version, which has earned just 19 gem-mint grades across the four major authenticators, sold for $115,200 at Goldin in 2021.

10. 1997 Skybox E-X 2001 Allen Iverson Essential Credentials Now

Few cards could represent the golden age of ‘90s parallels better than the unique and somewhat confusing arrangement of the 1997 SkyBox E-X 2001 Essential Credentials set, with its Now and Future parallels.

The construction was as follows:

The 80-card base set (excluding checklists) was serial-numbered to match the player’s card number in the set, meaning card No. 1 (Grant Hill) is limited to one copy, while card No. 80 (Ron Mercer) is numbered to 80.

In this case, Iverson’s card is No. 3 in the set, meaning there are only three copies.

The set’s “Future” parallels work in the opposite direction, with Mercer serial-numbered to 1 and Hill to 80. Iverson’s “Future” card from the set, which has one of the largest print runs, is numbered to 78.

Adding to the allure of the card is the fact it is one of three from the set to be serial-numbered to the player’s jersey number, along with Kobe Bryant and Damon Stoudamire.

The all-time record for any Iverson card was set in February when a PSA 5 example of the rare “Now” parallel sold for more than $700,000.

Ben Burrows and Will Stern are reporters for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.

Ranking the 10 most important sports cards of the 1990s

Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Bo Jackson all land on our list