The year 1990 can seem awfully long ago for some people. Yet, many remember that decade and the year with fondness. Especially fans of the National Football League, NFL for short. If you were around and watched the games in those days you’d surely have a favorite team and a favorite player.
You probably kept trading cards of your favorite player as well. Now might be the time to take a look at those cards again. They just might be worth a lot of money. Below is a run of the 20 most valuable Topps football cards from 1990.
Table of Contents
20 Most Valuable 1990 Topps Football Cards: Price List
No. |
Most Valuable 1990 Topps Football Cards |
Grade |
Price |
1 |
Joe Montana Topps Tiffany Card |
PSA 10 |
$2,499.99 |
2 |
Topps Emmitt Smith Rookie Card |
PSA 9 |
$1,200 |
3 |
Topps Barry Sanders Football Card |
Ungraded |
$1,200 |
4 |
Troy Aikman Topps Super Rookie Card |
Ungraded |
$3,000 |
5 |
Jerry Rice Topps Tiffany Card |
PSA 10 |
$1,200 |
6 |
Topps John Elway Card |
Ungraded |
$200 |
7 |
Derrick Thomas Topps Football Card |
Ungraded |
$200 |
8 |
Topps Tiffany Super Rookie Deion Sanders Card |
PSA 8 |
$349.95 |
9 |
Jerome Brown Topps Card |
Ungraded |
$300 |
10 |
Topps Christian Okoye Card |
Ungraded |
$250 |
11 |
Topps Tiffany Football Thurman Thomas |
PSA 10 |
$228 |
12 |
Topps Tiffany Lawrence Taylor Card |
PSA 10 |
$399 |
13 |
Topps Junior Seau Card |
PSA 10 |
$275 |
14 |
Jeff George Topps |
BGS 9.5 |
$200 |
15 |
Topps Tiffany Ronnie Lott Card |
PSA 10 |
$399 |
16 |
Dan Marino Topps Tiffany Card |
PSA 9 |
$420 |
17 |
Topps Tiffany Rod Woodson Card |
PSA 10 |
$399 |
18 |
Bo Jackson Topps Card |
PSA 10 |
$279.99 |
19 |
Topps Randall Cunningham card |
PSA 10 |
$149.95 |
20 |
Bruce Matthews Topps Card |
PSA 10 |
$100 |
1. Joe Montana Topps Tiffany Card
Year: 1990
Price: $2,499.99
Grade: PSA 9
Card Number: #13
Joe Montana was one of the best players of the NFL. He played quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs between 1979 to 1994. Many would remember Montana for his resilience on the field.
They’ll also remember The Catch in 1981 when his team the San Francisco 49ers played against the Cincinnati Bengals at NFC championship Game. It was a game winning touchdown pass to Dwight Clark. Montana won numerous awards that includes 4 Super Bowl championships, 2 MVP, Athlete of the year and many more. This card is his, and it was made by Topps in 1990. It is graded 9 by PSA. It shows Montana in his uniform about to throw the ball.
2. Topps Traded Emmitt Smith Rookie
Year: 1990
Price: $1,200
Grade: PSA 10
Card Number: #101T
Smith played Running Back for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals between 1990 and 2004. He was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft. He broke the record of Walter Payton when he rushed for 18,355 in his career. He has won many awards as well. He holds the record for career rushing touchdowns with 164.
He is the only running back to ever win a Superbowl championship, NFL most valuable player award, Superbowl most valuable player, NFL rushing crown, all in one season. He, Troy Aikman and Micheal Irvin were known as The Triplets. This Topps card is from 1990. It’s got Smith’s image on it. It is graded PSA 10.
3. Topps Barry Sanders Football Card
Year: 1990
Price: $1,200
Grade: Ungraded
Card Number: #3
Barry Sanders played for the Detroit Lions from 1989 to 1998 as a running back. He led that team in rushing yards four times and in rushing touchdowns once. He was one of the most elusive runners in the history of the game.
If you are a fan you’d remember him as a quick and agile runner. He won offensive player of the year in 1994 and 1997, he was 10 times Pro Bowl. In 197 he was the third player to rush over 2000 yards in a season. He is ranked number 1 running back by Bleacher Report and in the top ten by others. A sterling habit of Sanders is he rarely celebrates when the whistle blows despite his flashy playing style. He either handed the ball back to the referee or went on to congratulate his team mates.
4. Troy aikman topps super rookie card topps
Year: 1990
Price: $3,000
Grade: Ungraded
Card Number: #482
Aikman played 12 seasons as quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys selected first overall by the team at the 1989 NFL draft. He won six Pro Bowl selections and three super bowl titles 1992 to 1995.
Many would remember Aikman for being named MVP of super bowl XXVII, the franchises first title in more than ten years. One highlight from the year 1993 is when Aikman had a concussion from a tackle in a playoff. Aikman had shredded off the 49ers secondary in the NFC championship 38—21. Perhaps it was the concussion because Aikman doesn’t recall playing in the game now. This Topps card here reminds of his exploits in the NFL. It is ungraded but valuable all the same.
5. Jerry Rice Topps Tiffany Card
Year: 1990
Price: $1,200
Grade: PSA 10
Card Number: #8
This is Topps card for Jerry Rice, wide receiver who played in the NFL for 21 seasons. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1985 NFL draft. He is one of the greatest players and one of the best wide receivers ever known. His list of awards and career highlights are a mile long, some of which include Bert Bell Award, three times Super Bowl champion, super bowl MVP, NFL offensive player of the year and many more. This Topps card is PSA 10 graded and beautifully encased in a plastic cover.
6. Topps John Elway Card
Year: 1990
Price: $200
Grade: Ungraded
Card Number: #37
Elway was a quarterback for the Denver Broncos from 1983 to 1998. By the time he retired in 98 he was the most prolific passer in NFL history and the starting quarterback with the most victories. He is also the only second quarterback to retire after a super bowl victory.
He is seen here on this ungraded card holding the ball, playing for the Broncos. In 1997 his team played the preseason in Mexico City where he ruptured a muscle in his throwing arm. The team did dismally. They came back 19 days later and won their first super bowl.
7. Derrick Thomas Topps Football Card
Year: 1990
Price: $200
Grade: Ungraded
Card Number: #248
He was nicknamed D.T. He played outside linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was selected in the 1989 NFL draft and played 11 seasons for the Chiefs until his death in 2000. He was NFL man of the year in 1993 and many more awards.
He was a Pro Bowl 9 times. He was posthumously inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2000. Derrick loved charity work. In 1990 he founded the Derrick Thomas Third and Long Foundation. This Topps card has his face on it to remind fans of the great player.
8.Topps Tiffany Super Rookie Deion Sanders Card
Year: 1990
Price: $349.95
Grade: PSA 8
Card Number: #469
Deion Sanders was the only athlete to play in both a super bowl and world series. He was both a baseball and football player. He played in the NFL for 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and the Baltimore Ravens. In 1990 he was playing with the Falcons where he was until 1993. This graded Topps card shows Sanders in a contemplative stance, perhaps in mid game.
9. Jerome Brown Topps card
Year: 1990
Price: $300
Grade: Ungraded
Card Number: #88
Brown was a football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played his short career with this team from 1987 to 1991. In those years he was selected twice to the Pro Bowl in 1990 and 1991. He was a member of an Eagles defense that terrorized games in the late 80s and early 90s. He was one of the league’s premier tackles. He died on June 25, 1992 in a car crash that killed him and his nephew. This Topps card reminds fans of the NFL of Brown’s contribution to the game.
10. Topps Football Christian Okoye
Year: 1990
Price: $250
Grade: Ungraded
Card Number: #2
Christian Emeka Okoye is a Nigerian-American former fullback for the Kansas City Chiefs. He played from 1987 to 1992. He was nicknamed The Nigerian Nightmare for his running style and his ability to break through tackles.
He rushed for 660 yards in his rookie year on 157 carries. His best year was 1989 with 1,480 yards rushed. A knee injury limited his career in 1990. This Topps card shows him charging through for a rush.
11. Topps Tiffany Football Thurman Thomas
Year: 1990
Price: $228
Grade: PSA 10
Card Number: #206
Thurman played running back with the Buffalo Bills for most of 13 seasons. Thurman was voted to the All-Pro team in 1990 and 91. He was voted NFL’s MVP in 1991 after finishing the season with over 2,000 all purpose yards. He played 5 pro bowls from 1989 to 1993. In 2007 he was inducted into the pro football hall of fame. This graded Topps card shows him playing for the Bills.
12. Topps Tiffany Lawrence Taylor Card
Year: 1990
Price: $399
Grade: PSA 10
Card Number: #52
Lawrence was nicknamed L.T, an outside linebacker for the New York Giants from 1981 to 1993 in the NFL. There is a wide consensus that Lawrence Taylor is the greatest defensive player of all time. He is credited for changing how defensive game plans in the NFL.
He produced double digit sacks all the time from 1984 to 1990. He is the second defensive player to have won the NFL MVP award. No defensive player has won it since then. This Topps card that shows his 6 feet 3 inches bulk is graded PSA 10.
13. Topps Junior Seau Card
Year: 1990
Price: $275
Grade: PSA 10
Card Number: #381
Tiaina Baul Junior Seau played linebacker in the NFL. He played for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and the New England Patriots, all between 1990 and 2009. Fans will remember Seau for his passionate style of playing, pumping his fist and dancing after a big game. He was quick, and would sometimes go out of his position.
But it usually worked out fine in the end for the games. Seau would not leave a game even when he was hurting. This Topps card shows the smiling, handsome face of Junior Seau. A fine card graded 10 by PSA.
14. Jeff George Topps Card
Year: 1990
Price: $200
Grade: BGS 9.5
Card Number: #298
George was a quarterback for the teams he played with. And he played for quite a number of teams from 1990 to 2006. He was playing for the Indianapolis Colts in 1990 when this Topps card was manufactured. The team traded to pick him in the 1990 draft. It was a contract worth $15 million at the time. His only winning season however was in 1992. This is his Topps card from 1990, valuable and graded by 9.5 by BGS.
15.Topps (Tiffany) Ronnie Lott
Year: 1990
Price: $399
Grade: PSA 10
Card Number: #9
Ronnie Lott was a first round pick in the 1981 NFL draft. He played cornerback and safety for five teams in his career. In the 1990 season he was playing for the San Francisco 49ers and it wouldn’t be until 1991 that he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Raiders. He led the league in interceptions in that year. He went into broadcasting after his career. This graded Topps card is graded 10 by PSA for good quality.
16. Dan Marino Topps Tiffany
Year: 1990
Price: $420
Grade: PSA 9
Card Number: #323
Marino played quarterback back in his days in the NFL. For 17 seasons he was with the Miami Dolphins from 1983 to 1999. During his time, the Dolphins were perennial playoff contenders. He played 7 times as a starter in 9 Pro Bowls. He won awards on and off the field, for his efforts in the NFL and also for his charity work. The 1990 Topps card is a memory of all his exploits during his career. It is graded 9 by PSA.
17. Topps (Tiffany) Rod Woodson
Year: 1990
Price: $399
Grade: PSA 10
Card Number: #179
American football safety and cornerback Rod Woodson played in the NFL from 1987 to 2003. In 1990 when this graded Topps card was manufactured, he was playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. On December 6, 1990 the Pittsburgh Steelers offered Woodson a three year extension of his contract for $3 million. It made him the highest paid player in the history of the team.
18. Bo Jackson Topps Card
Year: 1990
Price: $279.99
Grade: PSA 10
Card Number: #4
Jackson was a star in both American football and baseball. He is the only athlete in history to be named an all-star in both sports. His fame crossed the borders of sports in 1989 and 1990 when he became involved with a Nike advertisement for a cross-training athletic shoe named for him. Jackson played four seasons in the NFL in which he rushed 2,782 yards and 16 touchdowns. This card was made by Topps in 1990 and graded 10 by PSA.
19. Topps Randall Cunningham
Year: 1990
Price: $149.95
Grade: PSA 10
Card Number: #93
Quarterback Randall played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1990. In that year he finished with 942 rushing yards, the third rushing yards ever for a quarterback and the 10th best in the entire league. This card is Topps made in 1990 and graded 10 by the PSA. It is also considered very valuable.
20. Bruce Matthews Topps Card
Year: 1990
Price: $100
Grade: PSA 10
Card Number: #215
Bruce played guard, center, offensive tackle, and long snapper in the NFL for 19 seasons beginning from 1983 to 2001. Most of his career was spent with the franchise of Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Titans. He was invited to the Pro Bowl each season of 1988, 89, and 90 and earned recognition each of these years from reputable sports media for his efforts in the games.
Final Thoughts
You have to admit the game of football can’t do without trading cards. They allow fans to recall memorable facts about their players and important games. All the players in these 1990 Topps cards have retired, but their legacy lives on in the sports. Do you have Topps trading cards that you believe might be worth a lot of money? You might want to share your gem with the world.
