Being a popular Baseball Hall of Fame player, Frank Thomas rookie cards have become quite popular. There’s the 1990 Topps Frank Thomas No Name error baseball card that’s been known to sell for quite a bit. But the Topps #1 Draft Pick card is not the most valuable Frank Thomas rookie card. That honor goes to the 1990 Leaf #300 Frank Thomas RC. Not only is it a nice-looking card, but you can put some money in the bank if you happen to pay Beckett Media or PSA to grade it!
There are over 4500 PSA 10 Gem Mint copies that have been graded by PSA as of May 2024. Out of about 23,000 graded by PSA, that makes for a “gem rate” of about 20 percent. Because perfect 10’s are naturally the most preferable for serious collectors and cardboard investors, this explains why there’s such a premium placed on them. Whereas PSA 9 copies sell from anywhere between $25 to $35, a PSA 10 example can sell between $125 to $175. So, essentially that makes a pristine copy worth 5 to 7 times a PSA copy.
As one of the more popular Hall of Famers in recent years, it’s not surprising that this card fetches a strong price. But, it’s not a price that you’d expect for a 1990 baseball card that’s simply a base card! Still, the pose is great and the overall card design is clean and simple. These are factors that make it very attractive to collectors.
If you’re willing to buy the card graded but don’t mind a different slab, you can look to Beckett or SGC graded copies. Beckett’s 9.5 is considered “Gem Mint” yet sells for significantly less than their PSA 10 counterparts. You could get a BGS 9.5 copy for as low as $80! There hasn’t been a BGS 10 Pristine sold in awhile on eBay, as it’s a grade given out very rarely. The last BGS 10 that sold on eBay was in September 2023 for $2,005, which is obviously a very nice boost over the PSA 10! As SGC has become more popular, their prices have caught up to PSA, around an average selling price of $120 in mid-2024. Their 9.5, however, can be had for as much as $50 — this is a great value when compared to the gap between PSA 9 and 10!
Before the sports card boom of the 2020’s, this Frank Thomas card could be regularly acquired In 2018 between $70 to $80 for PSA 10 copies, with plenty of eBay sales within that price point. But, in late 2018 and early 2019, PSA 10 Frank Thomas rookie cards started eclipsing the $100 mark in auctions on a regular basis. Considering there are a ton of PSA 10 copies out there, and there are over 1500 more PSA 10 examples graded since early 2019, that’s quite a jump in price. Of course, his demand makes sense, as he hit over 500 home runs and hit over a .300 batting average in his career (.301). These are both milestones that card collectors appreciate.
Because of the sheer volume of PSA 9 examples available on the market, though, $25 is still a potential selling point for a PSA 9 copy. Grading isn’t cheap, either —, about $15 to $25 per card, depending on how many cards you submit at once or if there are grading specials available at the time. But, grading IS worth it for this particular 1990 Leaf Frank Thomas card if you can get it in a PSA 10. Due to essentially breaking even (or worse) on getting a PSA 9 back instead of a PSA 10, collectors are willing to pay a substantial premium for an already slabbed PSA 10 example.
So, what if you don’t want to put the time and money into grading? In 2024, a raw copy sells for not much less than a PSA 9. You used to be able to find the entire 1990 Leaf set for $20 or less, but that price has tripled over the past few years. The set also has a Sammy Sosa rookie card that collectors are still buying today. If you do find a mint copy of the 1990 Leaf Frank Thomas that you decide to grade, since there’s a discount on grading more cards at once, there are other cards to consider submitting:
- #12 Roger Clemens
- #21 Nolan Ryan (HOF)
- #25 Greg Maddux (HOF)
- #63 Mark McGwire
- #91 Barry Bonds
- #98 Ryne Sandberg (HOF)
- #125 Bo Jackson
- #154 Tony Gwynn (HOF)
- #160 Rickey Henderson (HOF)
- #178 George Brett (HOF)
- #180 Joey (Albert) Belle RC
- #197 Cal Ripken Jr. (HOF)
- #237 John Olerud RC
- #245 Ken Griffey Jr. (HOF)
- #265 Nolan Ryan (No Hit King) HOF
- #297 David Justice RC
Many of these cards can fetch significant profits over their grading cost as graded PSA 10 examples. There are a few other Hall of Famers in the set, such as Eddie Murray, as well. Do be aware, however, that the 1994 Leaf set featured a reprint of this card. Fortunately, it’s really easy to tell it apart because it has a 5th anniversary foil stamp on the front. It’s about a $3 to $5 card, and a PSA 10 copy sold in December 2023 for $30. It’s a nice cheap alternative to the original and is actually somewhat rare as these anniversary reprints were only one in 36 packs.
Frank Thomas continues to be a beloved, charismatic former ballplayer long after his Hall of Fame induction in 2014. While you may not be able to build a retirement fund around his most popular rookie card, it definitely is looking like a strong investment in any baseball card collection. So, thanks to Frank Thomas for making the 1990 Leaf baseball set worth collecting!
Updated 5/19/2024
