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The best junk wax boxes to buy include 1994 Upper Deck Series 1, 1989 Upper Deck Low Series, and 1992 Bowman. This is based on average sales value over the last 365 days as reported by Market Movers and products in its sealed wax catalog. Notably, I have not included 1993 SP, 1993 Finest, and 1994 SP, and that’s because I refuse to call any box that costs over $500 “junk wax.”
Really, I’m having a hard time sticking some of these others on the list as well, but late 80s-mid 90s Upper Deck, Bowman, etc. is what I immediately think of when it comes to junk wax (well, after the junk that I wouldn’t recommend buying like 1991 Fleer).
All in all, here are the top boxes ranked by average sales value.
- 1994 Upper Deck Series 1 Baseball, $452.12
- 1989 Upper Deck Low Series Baseball, $380.96
- 1992 Bowman Baseball, $361.66
- 1989 Upper Deck High Series Baseball, $281.78
- 1990 Leaf Series 2 Baseball, $145.06
- 1990 O-Pee-Chee Baseball, $145.06
- 1993 Topps Series 1 Baseball, $110.97
- 1993 Pinnacle Series 2 Baseball, $110.6
- 1994 Collector’s Choice Series 2 Baseball, $100.23
- 1993 Bowman Baseball, $91.2
- 1994 Bowman’s Best Baseball, $91.1
- 1994 Topps Archives Baseball, $87.32
- 1994 Leaf Limited Rookies Baseball, $86.75
- 1990 Leaf Series 1 Baseball, $86.45
- 1994 Flair Series 2 Baseball, $79.73
- 1993 Upper Deck Series 2 Baseball, $78.76
- 1989 O-Pee-Chee Baseball, $75.06
- 1992 Front Row Baseball, $71.83
Use this tool if you want to quickly search for them on eBay:
What makes these junk wax boxes so special? We won’t go through every single one, but you can pick up on a few major themes.
First, rookies. 1989 Upper Deck is where you can find one of the most valuable Upper Deck baseball cards around, Ken Griffey Jr. #1. (And yes, there is a difference between low series and high series). The other 1989 entry is O-Pee-Chee, and while you won’t find Ken Griffey Jr. in that set, Randy Johnson and other stars are lurking.
Next a much bigger year in terms of number of solid rookies, 1990—Frank Thomas, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, David Justice, and more. Mix those names with sets that went above and beyond the basic cardboard entry (1990 Leaf was SPECIAL, and much like 1989 Upper Deck, different from all the rest).
Back to a one-man show, 1993 was the year of Derek Jeter, and thus is responsible for 1993 Topps (looking for that Topps Gold), 1993 Pinnacle, 1993 Bowman, and 1993 Upper Deck (learn more about the Jeter Upper Deck Gold Hologram). He’s also the main chaser as a minor leaguer in 1992 Front Row (#18 on the list).
And if you’re thinking wait, these cards probbaly don’t justify the price of a box, you’re right…but in PSA 10 condition they do.
OK, so all of that said, what gives with 1994? Well, first, 1994 Upper Deck Series 1 is where collectors are seeking to pull the almighty Mickey Mantle/Ken Griffey Jr. auto. Just a masterpiece on every level, the card is pretty much the most valuable card one could ever pull out of a box over the 80s and 90s. 1994 Topps Archives as a new concept at the time (to make the old new again), as was 1994 Flair with their ultra-premium packaging and design.
Now, what if your qualification for “best” means those boxes that are a little more affordable and $100? Then 1990 Topps, 1990 Donruss, 1989 Fleer, 1989 Bowman, and 1989 Donruss might be your best bet. Plus, the market agrees as these are all the most purchased boxes over the last 365 days (and under $100 in average sales value).
- 1990 Topps Baseball, 428 Sales
- 1990 Donruss Baseball, 421 Sales
- 1989 Fleer Baseball, 373 Sales
- 1993 Topps Series 1 Baseball, 360 Sales
- 1989 Bowman Baseball, 321 Sales
- 1989 Donruss Baseball, 320 Sales
- 1990 Score Baseball, 281 Sales
- 1993 Upper Deck Series 2 Baseball, 230 Sales
- 1989 Topps Baseball, 224 Sales
- 1988 Topps Baseball, 214 Sales
- 1990 Fleer Baseball, 207 Sales
- 1991 Topps Baseball, 203 Sales
- 1991 Donruss Series 1 Baseball, 197 Sales
- 1991 Score Series 2 Baseball, 191 Sales
- 1991 Fleer Baseball, 179 Sales
- 1988 Donruss Baseball, 179 Sales
- 1994 Topps Series 1 Baseball, 177 Sales
- 1992 Topps Baseball, 175 Sales
- 1991 Upper Deck Low Series Baseball, 170 Sales
- 1992 Fleer Baseball, 169 Sales
What are you searching for here? Most of the 1989 boxes are going to have Ken Griffey Jr. rookies. These include 1989 Fleer (#3 above), 1989 Bowman (#5), and 1989 Donruss (#6). While Griffey isn’t in 1989 Topps, Randy Johnson rookie cards are (The Big Unit can be found in 1989 Fleer and 1989 Donruss as well).
1990 boxes not only feature all of the rookies I mentioned above, but people are always looking for that elusive Frank Thomas NNOF error cards. 1990 Donruss doesn’t have Frank Thomas, but is a fun rip thanks to all of the errors and misprints (like the famous Juan Gonzalez reverse).
Altogether, don’t be fooled—the junk wax era isn’t all junk. Is there a lot of it out there? Sure, but it’s a great starting point for any new collector, and can provide more than enough entertainment (and sometimes big value) for others.
