Derek Jeter Rookie Card Guide: Values and Checklist

Derek Jeter embodied the spirit of the New York Yankees in his 20 seasons with the team. Winning five World Championships in the late 1990s and early 2000s sealed his record as one of the greatest to put on pinstripes. His illustrious career was recently immortalized in an ESPN documentary series titled “The Captain,” after his long-standing nickname.

Jeter’s 1999 season is widely considered as the best of his career. He collected 219 hits, batted .349, hit 24 home runs and had 102 RBIs. He batted .375 during the playoffs that year and .350 during the World Series. Despite hitting career leading stats for himself, Jeter finished 6^th in the Most Valuable Player award voting.

Derek Jeter finished his career with 3,465 hits, 260 home runs and a .310 batting average. He also accounted for 1,923 runs, 1,311 RBIs and 358 stolen bases. Jeter accumulated numerous awards during including five gold gloves, five silver slugger and 1996 Rookie of the Year. He was a 14-time all-star, as well as All-Star Most Valuable Player and World Series MVP. His number two jersey was retired by the New York Yankees in 2017. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020 during his first year of eligibility.

1993 Topps Gold #98

Before the rise of parallels in the hobby the occasional variant showed up. 1993 Topps #98 has four such parallels in this set. The difference between the base version of the card and this gold parallel is incredibly subtle. Where the base version has a Topps logo along the left side, the gold parallel has Topps Gold in gold foil along the right side of the card. Topps used the Gold Winners tag the year before but chose Gold for the 1993 set.

The memorable design has stuck in the minds of collectors, and the sports card collecting boom during the last few years has really made this card increase in value. The 1993 Topps Gold #98 has averaged $2,895 over the last five years. The other Topps Jeter cards of this design all benefit from this card’s higher price tag.

1993 Upper Deck SP #279

This has long been one of the most iconic rookie cards of the modern era. Upper Deck attempted to create a premium card series and they achieved that with SP. Jeter is pictured tossing a ball, and the Upper Deck name arches across the top of the card. The New York Yankees name, Jeter’s name and the Premier Prospects logo sit along the bottom of the card.

The 1993 Upper Deck SP #279 does suffer from damage and flaking of the foil coating, which benefits cards in the highest grade. Over the last five years the sale price has been $2,125. The sensitive nature of the foil coating leaves many cards with a lower grade than many collectors hope for.

1993 Topps Micro #98

This card has everything about the most recognizable Jeter rookie card, but in miniature. Topps made the entire 1993 set in miniature in fact. The special factory set matches the micro name very well, as the cards are barely bigger than a postage stamp. This is frequently sold as a whole set online. Due to the small size, many collectors have avoided this card, but the market could swing either direction as more cards are sold.

This card in highest grade is incredibly uncommon. Something about the miniaturization process led to centering issues and just an overall poor print quality. Over the last five years the 1993 Topps Micro #98 has averaged around $2,100.

1993 Upper Deck Gold Hologram #449

This parallel was only included in the 1993 Upper Deck factory set. However, Upper Deck did not include them in every factory set. This parallel was included in one out of every 15 factory sets. There is a good chance that many of these were never opened. The base version of this card featured a silver hologram logo on the reverse. This parallel is identical except for a gold hologram on the reverse side of the card.

The scarcity of the 1993 Upper Deck Gold Hologram #449 card is what holds the price so high. The card design itself is very plain but features one of the larger images of Jeter in action. In the highest grade this card sells for $2,050 over the last five-year average.

1993 Topps Inaugural Rockies #98

The 1993 Topps set was a very popular set, and this is easily Jeter’s best known rookie card, but it also has a few variants. This card was only part of a limited-edition set and estimates are that about 10,000 sets were produced. The card features a small Rockies logo in the bottom right-hand corner of the card.

The 1993 Topps Inaugural Rockies #98 card has averaged $950 over the last five years. This set has similar production numbers to the Marlins Inaugural set but has been seen more often on the market in the highest grade thereby inflating the price.

1993 Stadium Club Murphy #117

This is the most difficult of the Jeter rookies to track down. They were part of the 1993 Stadium Club box set and estimates are that only 8,000 were produced. The card’s overall design is almost unchanged from the year before. Jeter is pictured during batting practice. The Topps Stadium Club logo is in the bottom left corner of the card with his name and “1992 Draft Pick” across the bottom. The clean appearance of the card and lack of distracting text or design elements really lend themselves to making this a great card overall.

This card is just outside of the top five most valuable Jeter rookie cards. It’s a great addition to any collection due to its general scarcity, and the design is much better than most of the other Jeter rookie cards. The 1993 Stadium Club Murphy #117 has sold for an average of $800 over the last five years.

1993 Pinnacle #457

This card is Score’s answer to other high-end baseball card offerings. 1993 Pinnacle has a black and white border around the player’s photograph. Across the top of the card is the team name, and the bottom right corner holds the Pinnacle logo. Just below Jeter’s picture is a notation that he was a first-round draft pick. Jeter is pictured with a bat on his shoulder in pinstripes that complement the overall design of the card. This is easily one of the best-looking Derek Jeter rookie cards available. The black border of this card really adds to the visual appeal of this card.

Such a good-looking card is a great addition to any collection. The average sale price of a 1993 Pinnacle #457 has been $775 over the last five years. While the black border looks good, it can hurt the value of the card as it quickly shows even the smallest dings to the corners and edges. This is a quality to look out for if adding this card to a collection.

1993 Topps #98

This is the most recognizable of all the Jeter rookie cards. It is also one of the most common. Jeter is pictured throwing a ball superimposed over a baseball diamond. The top of the card lists him as a 1992 Draft Pick, the Topps logo is along the left side and his name is circled along the bottom. This isn’t the best-looking Jeter rookie card, but it is one of, if not the, best known.

As the best-known Derek Jeter rookie card, it is still in reach of most collectors looking to add an iconic rookie to their collections. Over the last five years, the 1993 Topps #98 has averaged $550 in the highest grade.

1993 Bowman #511

Bowman followed up their 1992 set with a similar look for 1993. This set suffers from a lack of rookie stars as well as name recognition otherwise. Jeter is pictured in a Yankees t-shirt in the middle of practice. The back of the card features a second photo of Jeter, this time a little more relaxed and with a smile on his face and a short bio. It is a decent card design with a moderately interesting action photo. This is one of the better Jeter rookie cards.

This middle of the road design is easily the best card from the 1993 Bowman set. The five-year average on a high-grade 1993 Bowman #511 card is around $485.

1993 Upper Deck #449

This is the best card from the 1993 Upper Deck set. The card shows Jeter looking for a fly ball in the sun. The Upper Deck logo is placed in the top left corner. The bottom of the card features a gold bar with his name, position and a Top Prospect 1993 logo. This is one of the better action photos on a Jeter rookie card.

A decent action shot with a simple design highlight this card that is unique among all the Jeter rookie cards. The 1993 Upper Deck #449 has averaged $375 in the highest grade.

1993 Topps Inaugural Marlins #98

This is essentially the same card as the base version. It does, however, sport a small gold foil stamp of the Florida Marlins logo and a 1993 for their inaugural debut in Major League Baseball that season. This was only sold in a special limited-edition factory set, of which it is estimated that less than 10,000 sets were produced. It is not a rare card by any means, but still uncommon.

The 1993 Topps Inaugural Marlins #98 has averaged around $350 over the last five years. Because this card isn’t commonly seen on the market, it leaves the door open for a rapid price increase with just a few high-grade cards being sold.

1993 Select #360

Score attempted to broaden their range and appeal to the market with the addition of Select. The card shows Jeter in the clouds, literally, and notes along the top that Jeter was a First Round Draft Pick. The superimposed image is jarring at first glance.

Over the last five years the 1993 Select #360 card, in the highest grade, has sold for around $315. A nice action shot is hampered by an over-the-top background. Like other Score cards, this card hasn’t retained as much value as other Jeter rookie cards.

1993 Score #489

This Jeter rookie card has a lot going on. The white background washes out a decent action shot of Jeter throwing the ball. The oversized Draft Pick logo has different sized fonts, presumably to accommodate the logos oval shape. Behind Jeter is a series of vertical lines of different sizes and blue gradient that doesn’t really make sense. Overall, this card is a mess. It has very little eye appeal, which contributes to its low value.

The 1993 Score #489 is easily the most value priced Jeter Rookie in the highest grade with an average over the last five years of $150. The card shows great action but lacks the more refined styling of the highest-end Jeter rookie cards.

Checklist

• 1993 Bowman #511
• 1993 Pinnacle #457
• 1993 Score #489
• 1993 Select #360
• 1993 Upper Deck SP #279
• 1993 Stadium Club Murphy #117
• 1993 Topps #98
• 1993 Topps Gold #98
• 1993 Topps Inaugural Marlins #98
• 1993 Topps Inaugural Rockies #98
• 1993 Topps Micro #98
• 1993 Upper Deck #449
• 1993 Upper Deck Gold Hologram #449