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The Top Rookie Cards Of Hall Of Famer Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter

The face of the Yankees dynasty of the 1990s and 2000s, Derek Jeter had a storybook career. He’s no doubt an all-time great, but what about Derek Jeter rookie cards?

What are they? Which are the best ones?  And that was the junk wax era, so what craziness will be find because of that?

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Who is Derek Jeter?

As a Red Sox fan, I find this difficult to say, but Derek Jeter was good at baseball. I’ll even go as far as to say that he carried himself well. Not many athletes played two decades in New York City without controversy and scandal.

Selected by the New York Yankees with the 6th overall pick in the 1992 rookie draft. He played 20 years in the big leagues, all with the New York Yankees. Jeter won a Rookie of the Year award, was a 14-time All Star and played on 5 World Championship Yankees teams. He added 5 Silver Slugger awards, 5 Gold Gloves, and won both an All Star Game and a World Series MVP awards.

Derek Jeter finished his career with 3,465 career hits (6th all time), 260 career home runs, and 1,923 runs scored (11th all time). He even stole 358 bases. His career line was .310/.377/.440 with an OPS of .817 and OPS+ of 115. Jeter was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2020 with 99.7% of the vote.

Derek Jeter – 2020 HOF

Derek Jeter’s mainstream 1993 Rookie Cards

1993 was the tail end of the junk wax era, so Jeter has no shortage of rookie cards. He appears on eight major release rookie cards that year. These range from the fairly pedestrian to the downright iconic, although all have been and remain strong sellers.

The 1993 Bowman Derek Jeter #511

This is an iconic Jeter rookie card. The classic card has a lot going for it, with a reasonable PSA count and just over 10% of the total PSA 10’s. Those PSA 10s sell in the $425-550 range. This is a nice mid-level Jeter rookie card.

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1993 Bowman Derek Jeter #511

1993 Pinnacle Derek Jeter #457

The 1993 Pinnacle Derek Jeter has a bit lower population than the Bowman, with fewer PSA 10s as well. This combo makes for a big higher selling price point, typically $600-1,000 for a PSA 10. Those black borders can be tough, so finding one in great condition can be challenging.

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1993 Pinnacle Derek Jeter #457

Derek Jeter 1993 Score #489

The most affordable of Jeter’s major rookie cards is actually one with one of the lower PSA populations. That would be the 1993 Score Derek Jeter. Even in PSA 10, the card sells for a reasonable $100-150. Why?

Score was certainly a “value” brand in 1993, but I think at least some of the low cost is that the card is a bit…shall we say “less than attractive.” The fact that 34% of all graded copies are 10s can’t help any, either.

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1993 Score Derek Jeter #489

1993 Select Derek Jeter #360

Another reasonably priced Jeter is the lowest PSA population on the list, the 1993 Select Derek Jeter. With almost 5,000 copies graded, it’s not exactly rare, but that qualifies in this case.

PSA 10 copies sell for $350-400. That’s not bad considering that there are far fewer 10s of this card than every other card on the list.

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1993 Select Derek Jeter #360

1993 SP Derek Jeter #279

Next on our list is an interesting case. The 1993 SP Derek Jeter is from a premium set, but the key here is condition. PSA has graded close to 22,000 copies of this card. Of those, there are only 616 PSA 9s and a shocking 21 PSA 10s.

Because of this condition sensitivity, high grade copies sell for a premium. A PSA 9 sells for $4,500-5,500 and PSA 10s sales are very rare to the point where comps are hard to come by. PSA 8s are a bit easier to track down and sell in the $325-$475 range.

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1993 SP Derek Jeter #279

1993 Stadium Club Derek Jeter #117

Released in complete set form with a print run of 128,000 sets, 1993 Stadium Club Murphy Derek Jeter is the only entry on this list not released in pack form. The low print run and a PSA population on the lower side made this a bit harder to find, and a strong seller in the $575-$700 range for a PSA 10.

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1993 Stadium Club Murphy Derek Jeter #117

1993 Derek Jeter Topps Rookie Card #98

The 1993 Topps Derek Jeter has been graded a staggering 41,000+ times. There are over 3,200 PSA 10s. Despite these high PSA populations, the card still sells for $325-450 in a PSA 10 slab.

In addition to the standard 1993 Topps version, Topps also produced special Inaugural Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies variations. These were designed to celebrate the two new expansion teams.

PSA has graded an additional 649 Rockies versions and 899 Marlins versions. Recent PSA 10 sales of these versions were for $1,600.

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1993 Topps Derek Jeter #98

1993 Derek Jeter Upper Deck rookie card #449

The 1993 Upper Deck Derek Jeter has a PSA population over 12,500, but PSA 10s still sell in the $425-$500 range.

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1993 Upper Deck Derek Jeter #449

Derek Jeter rookie card value

How much is a Derek Jeter rookie card worth? Derek Jeter rookie card value can vary significantly by card and grade. Check below for recent comps.

CardPSA PopPSA Comp SubRecent PSA Comp
1993 Bowman Derek Jeter #5118,048PSA 10 = 863PSA 10 = $425-550
1993 Pinnacle Derek Jeter #4577,362PSA 10 = 701PSA 10 = $600-1,000
1993 Score Derek Jeter #4895,925PSA 10 = 2,024PSA 10 = $100-150
1993 Select Derek Jeter #3604,843PSA 10 = 490PSA 10 =$350-400
1993 SP Derek Jeter #27921,737PSA 9 = 616PSA 9 = $4,500-5,500
1993 Stadium Club Murphy Derek Jeter #1174,973PSA 10 = 940PSA 10 = $575-700
1993 Topps Derek Jeter #9841,011PSA 10 = 3,242PSA 10 = $325-450
1993 Upper Deck Derek Jeter #44912,545PSA 10 = 803PSA 10 = $425-500

Derek Jeter rookie card gold variations

If you’re a Jeter super fan with deep pockets, there are other higher priced options beyond the SP offering. For those, we’ll turn to gold parallels.

1993 Derek Jeter Topps Gold rookie card #98

In 1993, Topps produced Gold parallels of the base set. 1993 Topps Gold cards were seeded one per wax pack, three per rack pack, five per jumbo pack, and ten per factory set. This popular parallel was of course produced in far smaller quantities than the base set.

Still, PSA has graded 8,631 copies of the Jeter, although with only 417 PSA 10s. These sell for roughly four times what the base Topps offering does in a PSA 10 slab.

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1993 Topps Gold Derek Jeter #98

Derek Jeter rookie card Upper Deck Gold Hologram #449

Upper Deck also had a Gold offering in 1993, but with a twist. In every case of 1993 Upper Deck complete sets, one of the 15 sets had gold holograms on the back. The set was completely the same on the outside, so the only way to tell you got a gold hologram set was to open it.

Exactly how many gold hologram sets isn’t known, but considering it’s only 1/15 sets, and only complete sets, the number must be fairly small.

PSA has only graded 325 1993 Upper Deck Gold Hologram cards, with 46 of these cards PSA 10s. Recent PSA sales have been in the $7,000-10,000 range.

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1993 Upper Deck Gold Derek Jeter #449
CardPSA PopPSA Comp SubRecent PSA Comp
1993 Topps Gold Derek Jeter #988,631PSA 10 = 417PSA 10 = $1,400-2,000
1993 Upper Deck Gold Holo Derek Jeter #449325PSA 10 = 46PSA 10 - $7,000-10,000

Which Jeter Rookie Card is for you?

What is the “best” Derek Jeter rookie card? That’s far too subjective a question. But there’s likely a perfect Jeter rookie card for you.

If you’re a high roller and big time Jeter fan, the 1993 Upper Deck Gold Holo or a high grade 1993 SP are the clear choices. But I’ll go out on a limb and guess that not everyone reading this article falls into those two categories, and besides, it’s boring when the answer to the question about what the “best” rookie card is answered simply with “the most expensive one”.

If you’re looking for an entry-level Jeter, the 1993 Score is compelling based on its lower purchase price. The fact that the total PSA population for this card isn’t massive helps, although the high percentage of 10s isn’t ideal. Also, I personally don’t love the design of the card. If it doesn’t bother you, or you like it, it’s a very affordable option.

In between the two extremes, I’d say two mid-level options stand out as compelling. The first is the 1993 Select. The card has the lowest total PSA population and PSA 10 population of the cards on our list, and it sells for prices at the lower end of the spectrum.

The other is the 1993 Bowman. It’s got a bit higher PSA population than the Select card, but it’s an attractive card that sells strongly for a tick above what the Select card demands.

Of course, other cards on the list have their selling points, for sure. While I’d say away from the high PSA population Topps and Upper Deck cards, The Stadium Club Murphy and Pinnacle are interesting. The Pinnacle has black borders that can be tough, while the Stadium Club Murphy was only released in factory set form.

In this article we focused on PSA 10 prices. If you’re happy with a PSA 9 (as I am when I purchase graded cards), the prices involved are significantly lower.

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Derek Jeter Pre-Rookie cards

The early 1990’s were the pinnacle of the junk wax era. That doesn’t just mean overproduced mainstream cards, but lots and lots of what I’ll call “oddball” cards. Draft picks. Pre-rookies. Minor League cards. Even High School cards. It was a crazy time to be a collector. Jeter features prominently in some of these offerings in 1992 and 1993.

1992 Classic Derek Jeter #231

Classic created baseball cards and board games, and featured Jeter in three sets in 1992: Draft Picks, Classic Best, and 4-Sport. In 1993, Jeter appeared in Classic Best again.

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1992 Classic 4-Sport Derek Jeter #231

1992 Front Row Derek Jeter #55

Front Row included Jeter in its 1992 Front Row Draft Picks set. These were available exclusively to members of the Front Row Collector’s Club in complete set form. Front Row included Jeter in a 1993 set titled “Gold Collection” in 1993.

Fun fact: I was 16 in 1992 and was in fact a member of the club. It remains to this day the most exclusive club that has ever accepted me as a member.

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1992 Front Row Derek Jeter #55

1992 Little Sun High School Prospects

1992 Little Sun High School Prospects is an example of the early 1990’s insanity. High school prospects? Anyway, Jeter is featured in the set and it’s actually a bit of a tough find these days. PSA has graded just over 1,000 copies, with only 60 PSA 10s.

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1992 Little Sun High School Prospects Derek Jeter

1992 Fleer Procards Derek Jeter #3797

Jeter also appears on minor league cards from Fleer Procards and Upper Deck Minor League in 1992 (and in the case of Fleer Procards, 1993).

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1992 Fleer Procards Derek Jeter #3797

With many of these cards, autographed, promo, proof, and other rarities make for even more difficult pulls. The cards above range from around $100 in PSA 10 condition to over $1,000, with some falling into the “good luck finding one” category. If you’re a Jeter super fan, there are some exciting options here to explore.

Final thoughts on Derek Jeter’s rookie cards

There is a Derek Jeter rookie card (or early career card) for every collection. Whether you’re a high rolling super fan or a casual fan on a budget, there’s a Jeter card for you. What’s your favorite Jeter rookie card? Let us know at card_lines on Twitter.

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Jeter, Posada, Rivera, Pettitte

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Derek Jeter “The Captain”
Mike D.

Mike D

Mike D. has collected cards for over 35 years, since he bought his first pack of Topps at the corner store in 1987. His fandom,  collecting interests, and contributions to Cardlines center around baseball in general and the Baseball Hall of Fame specifically.

Mike's collecting focus is centered on graded cards, mostly rookie cards, of Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers. Lately, he's been enjoying dabbling in graded minor league cards. A collector/investor with a "buy and hold" approach, Mike takes the long-term view with his collection.
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