Top 5 Derek Jeter Cards
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It makes sense that Derek Jeter continues to be one of the most collected athletes in the sports card hobby, even 10 years after his retirement. “Captain Clutch” was the face of baseball’s last dynasty, playing 20 seasons with the New York Yankees. The Hall of Famer put up historic numbers and was synonymous with winning, earning five World Series rings.
Jeter is one of only a handful of baseball players to achieve cultural icon status. His marketability and charisma led to countless endorsements during and after his playing career. His popularity crossed over into the cultural lexicon.
There isn’t many more recognizable baseball player playing the game today. This testifies to the fact that Derek Jeter’s baseball cards could be a safe “investment,” especially compared to the current crop of MLB stars. This article will highlight the 5 best (most expensive) Derek Jeter cards.
5. 1992 Front Row Draft Picks Gold #55 PSA 10
Card Relevance/Background: This was one of Jeter’s earliest cards from 1992, the year he was drafted out of high school by the Yankees. He is even wearing his Kalamazoo Central High School jersey. The gold version of this card is very rare and has only been graded by PSA 296 times (the base version of this card has been graded 3,566 times by PSA.)
Aesthetics: Part of what makes this card cool is that Jeter looks so young. The baby-faced Jeter even has long hair flowing out the back of his baseball hat.
Population Count (how many of these cards exist in this grade): 14
Price (based on most recent sale): $6,650 (December 20, 2024)
4. 1996 Topps Chrome #80 Refractor PSA 10
Card Relevance/Background: Topps Chrome, along with Topps, is the “flagship set” in the baseball card hobby. This means that Topps Chrome is a core or main annual baseball card release. The 1996 Topps Chrome Jeter is a flagship rookie card, and the refractor version would be considered rarer and more desired than the base.
Aesthetics: Refractors are desired because of scarcity, but also because they are eye-catching. The rainbow-like shimmer of a refractor looks awesome when holding the card in hand. This classic Jeter image of him catching a fly ball is now synonymous with his rookie cards.
Population Count: 10
Price: $21,990.50 (March 20, 2025)
3. 1998 Metal Universe #199 Precious Metal Gems /50 PSA 9
Card Relevance/Background: Precious Metal Gems are some of the first cards to be serial numbered. These rare inserts have SKYROCKETED in price within the basketball card hobby, and now baseball/football card collectors are beginning to catch on. 1998 is a special year for Jeter as he helped lead the Yankees to a record 125 wins (combined regular season and playoffs).
Aesthetics: These PMGs have a very distinctive and eye-catching look with the holographic foil and concentric circle design. This card looks just so awesome with the Statue of Liberty background.
Population Count: 1
Price: 57,600 (April 26, 2023)
2. 1996 Select Certified Edition #100 Mirror Gold /30 PSA 10
Card Relevance/Background: These were some of the earliest numbered cards and ultra-rare parallels. 1996 Select Certified Edition helped introduce the “rainbow chase” with 6 total parallels (not including base) which include Mirror Gold /30, Mirror Blue /45, Mirror Red /90, Certified Blue /180, Artist’s Proof /500, and Certified Red /2000. These parallels are all popular and would dominate this list. For the sake of variety, I only included Mirror Gold.
Aesthetics: Unlike the standard silver-colored cards, the Mirror Gold parallels have gold foil coating across the entire surface of the card. The card is reflective and shiny with a slight mirror effect. The same image of a young Jeter tracking a fly ball is seen on all parallels.
Population Count: 2
Price: 288,000 (July 27, 2023)
1. 1993 Upper Deck SP #279 PSA 10
Card Relevance/Background: 1993 SP was released at the tail end of Junk Wax Era. It was one of the first ‘premium’ sets that made it stand out during the era.
Aesthetics: These were the first cards to use a shiny-full foil technology for the cards. The fact that these cards are very susceptible to scratches, surface wear, and edge chipping makes a high grade example very rare and expensive.
Population Count: 22
Price: 324,000 (March 20, 2025)
David is a collector based in Georgia and a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and New York Knicks. He is an avid sports card collector with a strong passion for vintage baseball cards and vintage on-card autographs. David enjoys obtaining autographs through the mail and loves connecting with other knowledgeable collectors to discuss the history and evolution of the hobby. He also previously wrote about the New York Giants for GMENHQ.com