What era of sports cards are the most valuable?
Generally speaking, the value of a card all comes down to supply and demand. The more of any given card that was produced, the less valuable it will be. That’s why you will sometimes hear much of the 80s and early 90s referred to the “junk era” for sports cards. The hobby was growing exponentially, which meant card companies started overproducing, and leagues began licensing everything to cash in on the craze. To put it bluntly, sports cards from this era are largely worthless, with some notable exceptions. Particularly if it’s a star player, it’s a rookie card, or it’s graded. But that’s not always the case. Even though he was certainly a star in his day, a1989 Topps Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card will fetch you a whopping $5 today - maybe $80 if it’s a PSA 10.
Since that time, production quantities have corrected and we’ve seen a surge of value with more modern cards. In fact, six of the ten most expensive cards ever sold are from the 2000s. Our personal favorites, though, are vintage cards from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Not only were less of these cards produced and purchased, they’ve been around for many years and sometimes passed through multiple generations, so finding them in good condition is even rarer.
