CGC Cards Registry Featured Set: 1990-91 Upper Deck Hockey
Posted on 5/6/2025
The NHL Playoffs are currently underway, as teams vie for a chance to lift the Stanley Cup. New hockey cards are still releasing for collectors to rip as the season continues, but arguably none are more popular than Upper Deck's flagship set because of the Young Guns subset that features the hobby's most coveted rookie cards.
While the Young Guns cards weren't an overnight success, nostalgic hockey card collectors will remember the 1990-91 Upper Deck Hockey series, which included the debut of the Young Guns subset. In addition to the Young Guns cards, the set also featured numerous NHL Hall of Famers, several beloved rookies, important milestone cards and some fun artistic sketch cards.
As CGC Cards revisits the first-ever Upper Deck hockey set, CGC Cards Registry set owner mjerry22's top-ranked 1990-91 Upper Deck set has several fan favorites from the whopping 550-card set. The set owner compiled 15 of the most popular cards in the series, which are all graded at least CGC 8.5, including four Top Pops, helping the set owner earn the prestigious Best in Set Type distinction.
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| 1990-91 Upper Deck #54 Wayne Gretzky graded CGC Gem Mint 10 Click images to enlarge. |
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The 1990-91 Upper Deck Hockey set is divided into two series: a Low Series (#1-400) and High Series (#401-550). The glossy cards featured a simple but clean white border that is enhanced by a slim marble-like frame that corresponds to the player's team colors. Sharp images of player closeups and in-action shots helped the set stand out compared to grainy, low-definition images used in many of the past O-Pee-Chee and Topps hockey sets before Upper Deck's first hockey release.
The fronts also included player names at the top, team names at the bottom, the Upper Deck logo in the bottom left corner and the team logo framed in a marbled circle in the bottom right corner. The team logo is switched out on certain specialty cards like the Award Winners, Star Rookies, Number 1 Draft Picks and Young Guns cards. Although the backs were fairly standard, with a card number, NHL logo, stat box and either a cropped image or short bio, they also included a small anti-counterfeiting hologram that was an advanced feature during its day.
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| LEFT: 1990-91 Upper Deck #59 Mario Lemieux graded CGC 9.5 RIGHT: 1990-91 Upper Deck #205 Wayne Gretzky - Art Ross Trophy graded CGC 9 Click images to enlarge. |
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The set showcases numerous NHL All-Stars who would go on to become Hall of Famers, including Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Patrick Roy, Brett Hull, Mark Messier and more. The checklist also included a stacked class of rookie cards that included numerous future Hall of Famers as well, including Jaromir Jagr, Pavel Bure, Sergei Fedorov, Mike Modano, Ed Belfour, Mats Sundin and Jeremy Roenick.
Among these rookie cards were the debut of the brand's trademark Young Guns cards, found only in the High Series and topped by Bure and Fedorov's cards. Not only is this Bure's only official rookie issue but set owner mjerry22's example received a grade of CGC Gem Mint 10, making it a Top Pop (among 9 total in that grade) in the CGC Cards Population Report.
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| LEFT: 1990-91 Upper Deck #526 Pavel Bure - Young Guns graded CGC Gem Mint 10 RIGHT: 1990-91 Upper Deck #525 Sergei Fedorov - Young Guns graded CGC 9.5 Click images to enlarge. |
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It may come as a surprise to some that the Young Guns subset didn't gain traction with collectors right away. In fact, Upper Deck removed them from the series after the 1992-93 season, not to appear in the company's flagship series again until the 1999-00 Upper Deck Hockey set. Since then, the Young Guns rookie cards have become must-have issues by hockey collectors.
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| LEFT: 1990-91 Upper Deck #545 Wayne Gretzky - 2,000th Point graded CGC 9.5 RIGHT: 1990-91 Upper Deck #307 Wayne Gretzky graded CGC 9 Click images to enlarge. |
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Like most cards released in this era, 1990-91 Upper Deck Hockey cards were printed in abundance, meaning collectors can still easily find them today. Due to a lack of rarity and high value, they are still reasonably priced and make a great addition for veteran and newcomer hockey collectors alike. The set is a staple of hockey card collecting, with an extensive selection of NHL icons among its checklist, making the 1990-91 Upper Deck Hockey set a cornerstone of NHL collectibles.
About the CGC Cards Sports Card Registry
The CGC Cards Registry is a free online platform where collectors can register and display their CGC-certified sports cards. The Registry helps you to organize your collection and interact with other collectors. Begin adding your CGC-certified cards and create CGC Cards Registry sets here. Your sets are automatically considered for the annual CGC Cards Registry Awards, where winners receive a prize package that includes a $500 CGC Cards grading credit. For more information on the CGC Cards Registry Awards, check out the announcement here.
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