There are many fantastic Derek Jeter rookie cards to choose from, so how do you pick a favorite?
Well, the most valuable cards are a great place to start! Below you’ll find 16 of the most valuable Derek Jeter rookie cards.
1. 1993 SP #279
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $70,000
This is definitely one of the most valuable modern baseball cards around! While the card isn’t hard to find, getting your hands on one in perfect condition is because of how easily the foil front chips.
This famous card helped to launch Upper Deck’s SP line of higher quality cards and is a favorite among collectors.
2. 1992 Little Sun High School Prospects Auto
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $5,000
This card is a testament to how popular and readily printed baseball cards were during the 90s, as this card actually depicts Jeter in high school.
While a non-autographed version of this card is also valuable, his autographed version is what brings in the big bucks! This is because just 250 autographed versions were printed, making them very rare indeed.
3. 1993 Upper Deck #449 Gold Hologram
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $4,000
While this may look like a standard 1993 Upper Deck Jeter card at first, if you take a closer look at the Upper Deck hologram in the bottom left corner of the reverse side, you can spot some gold, different to the regular silver version we’re used to seeing.
These gold parallels were just distributed in one out of every 15 factory sets. This makes them very rare when compared to their silver counterparts.
4. 1992 Front Row Gold #55
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $1,300
Front Row was one of the first baseball card manufacturers to introduce multicolor parallels that are so common nowadays.
This set contained five different iterations of this card – an autographed version, a base version, a gold version, a purple promotional version, and a silver version.
The gold version is the most expensive however, and features the same photo as the Little Sun set we talked about earlier.
5. 1993 Topps Micro #98
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $1,250
One of the most unique cards on this list, this card is a smaller version of the standard 1993 Topps Jeter card. It’s also one of the riskiest cards you can own, as it can easily slip and slide around the holder due to its small size.
6. 1992 Classic Four Sport Autographs #231
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $1,000
One of the most attractive cards on this list, the image of a high-school aged Jeter really sets this card apart. Plus, his hand-numbered autograph is a nice touch!
7. 1992 Fleer Pro Cards Gulf Coast Yankees
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $1,000
This is one of the first cards that depicted Jeter in his Yankees uniform when he was playing for the Gulf Coast Yankees, a rookie affiliate of the New York Yankees.
It’s a slick, sharp card depicting Jeter doing something he would become infamous for – throwing someone out at first.
8. 1993 Topps #98 Colorado Rockies Inaugural Year
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $1,000
This counterpart to the base 1993 Topps card was part of an extremely short run of factory sets that were sold at the Mile High Stadium and a handful of Denver stores.
The gold embossed version stands out due to the emblem in the bottom right corner.
9. 1992 Little Sun High School Prospects
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $950
Another Jeter card from the 1992 Little Sun set once again depicts Jeter in his Kalamazoo High School uniform ready at short.
The green and pink lettering at the bottom of the card makes it quintessentially 90s, and while it’s not as expensive as the autographed version, it’s still a much sought after card.
10. 1992 Front Row Silver #55
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $850
There were 10,000 of these cards – a silver counterpart to the 1992 Front Row card – distributed inside factory sets that also featured Jason Giambi.
11. 1993 Classic Best Auto #AU4
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $700
Jeter had four 1993 Classic Best Cards, and this autographed version is one of them. Each card is hand-numbered out of 1,200 and also features Jeter’s signature in blue. The card depicts an awesome action shot of a young Jeter taking a nice cut.
12. 1993 Topps #98 Florida Marlins Inaugural Year
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $650
While not as valuable as the Colorado Rockies Inaugural Year card, this 1993 Topps Florida Marlins Inaugural Year is still pretty special. It also had a limited distribution, and is a standout card with its emblem in the bottom left corner.
13. 1993 Classic Best #1 Greensboro Hornets
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $600
Classic Best also released a 30-card Greensboro Hornets set and made the smart decision to place its young star player as the number one card. It features a fantastic close-up picture of Jeter, posing like he’s following through a swing.
These cards are a challenge to find – especially in good condition – but if you’re after a PSA 10 quality card, then you can’t go wrong with this card.
14. 1993 Fleer Pro Cards All-Star #21
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $500
This South Atlantic League All-Star card is one of Fleer’s best designs, and this is reflected in the price of the card.
15. 1992 Classic C3 #4
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $450
Another card from Classic, due to the dark blue borders these cards are susceptible to some wear and tear. However, the image of a young Jeter looking ready to respond to a ball that’s just been hit makes this card worth the investment.
16. 1993 Front Row Gold #2
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $350
A definite improvement over Front Row’s 1992 offering, this card features a much better image of Jeter than the yearbook picture featured on the 1992 version.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it! The 16 most valuable Derek Jeter Rookie cards (see also “What Is A Rookie Card?“)! We hope our article has highlighted which Derek Jeter cards you should invest in.
He bought me my first baseball mitt, and taught me everything I know about baseball. When he came over one day with my first ever baseball card, I was absolutely elated. We started collecting them together, and getting excited whenever we went somewhere that sold them.
Here, I hope you find all of the information that you need to build your own amazing baseball card collection with friends, family and loved ones, and you too can find happiness in getting all of your favorite cards!
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