1992 donruss triple play baseball cards most valuable

After a garish effort in 1990 and a blocky, largely unpopular 1991 issue, 1992 Donruss baseball cards were a breath of fresh air.

Gone were the harsh colors and paint-speckled borders of the recent past, replaced by cool blue fading into beautiful photos, all topped by a semi-gloss finish.

The design was simple and elegant … and did I mention full-color photos on card backs?

It was great stuff that vaulted Donruss back into the discussion for best card of the year, but like all cards in those years, there was way too much Big D product on the market.

As a result, this issue falls squarely into the “Junk Wax” category, but that doesn’t mean all the cards out there are worthless.

In fact, if you target perfect graded specimens — PSA 10, in other words — you’re looking at some decent prices.

With that in mind, here are the most valuable 1992 Donruss baseball cards, gauged by recent eBay sales of copies in PSA 10 condition.

(Check out our full series of posts on the history of Donruss baseball cards.)

1992 Donruss Nolan Ryan Highlights (#154)

You can bet that any list like this for cards from the 1960s through the middle 1990s is going to contain at least one Nolan Ryan card.

In 1992, The Ryan Express was about the hottest thing going, thanks to all the records he kept racking up for the Texas Rangers well into his eighties (right?).

On May 1 of 1991, Ryan nailed another big one, tossing his seventh career no-hitter, and this Donruss card commemorates that event.

No wonder it’s still strong with collectors, to the tune of about $30 in PSA 10 condition.

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1992 Donruss Jim Thome Rated Rookie (#406)

Jim Thome is a rare bird — a big bopper from the steroid era who remains untarnished by PED rumors and who still managed to top the 600-home run plateau.

This Rated Rookie card shows a young Thome plying his trade at third base, and looking very 80s-cool in his stylin’ shades.

Seeing that old Indians uniform is also a blast from the past!

For all that, the 1992 Donruss Thome rookie card can bring $20 or more in PSA 10.

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1992 Donruss Nolan Ryan (#707)

See above for a discussion of why you shouldn’t be surprised to see the base Ryan issue on this list of most valuable 1992 Donruss cards.

This one features a powerful shot of Ryan coming right over the top at you.

Duck!

In PSA 10, this is about a $15 card.

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1992 Donruss Nolan Ryan and Goose Gossage (#555)

Nolan Ryan not enough legend to fill a baseball card for you?

Well … how about we add a second legend?!

That’s exactly what Donruss did here, keying the fact that Gossage and Ryan were teammates with the 1991 Texas Rangers, and that Goose’s 309 saves exactly matched Ryan’s 308 wins (at that time).

It’s a great looking card that can bring $15 in PSA 10.

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1992 Donruss Mike Mussina (#632)

Mike Mussina was something of a quiet ace for 18 years, winning 18 more games six times but 20 only once.

That 20-win season came in 2008 with the New York Yankees, Moose’s last in the Major Leagues.

It was a great last impression, and no doubt helped Mussina gain election to the Hall of Fame in 2019.

This second-year card is a solid reminder of the potential the young hurler showed — and mostly realized — and brings around $15 in perfect graded condition.

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1992 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. (#165)

Like Ryan, you can be sure that any Griffey card will pop up on a list like this for whichever set it belongs to.

By the time this card was issued, Griffey was still just a “Kid” with his best years ahead of him, but he had long ago shed his prospect status — dude was already a superstar, destined for Cooperstown.

This fourth-year card is a $10-15 item in PSA 10.

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1992 Donruss Rickey Henderson (#193)

Henderson was not too far behind Nolan Ryan when it came to popular veterans in 1992.

After all, Rickey had followed up his 1990 MVP campaign by breaking Lou Brock’s all-time stolen base record early in 1991.

All that was left was for Henderson to focus on the walks record … and the runs record … and which team he would represent in the Hall of Fame.

It all came to pass, making Rickey a legend and this a $10-15 card when perfect.

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1992 Donruss Rickey Henderson All-Star (#30)

More Rickey, more A’s green and gold, more action-packed photography. This one adds a bit of splash with the American League eagle trophy, too!

For all this, the Henderson All-Star card sells for about $10 in PSA 10.

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1992 Donruss Andre Dawson (#119)

Now we come to a run of cards that are basically interchangeable from a value standpoint …

They’re all guys who hit a lot of home runs, collected a lot of hits, and made the Hall of Fame.

And all of these cards show the players with funky (for them) teams (except maybe Dawson-Cubs) late in their careers.

And they all sell for around $10 in PSA 10.

So, do you prefer Dawson and his unlimited potential and one monster season?

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1992 Donruss Dave Winfield (#133)

Or will you take Dave Winfield and his propensity to show up in the World Series, regardless of where he played?

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1992 Donruss Eddie Murray (#392)

Or maybe Eddie Murray and his sustained excellence is more your style?

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1992 Donruss Rickey Henderson Highlights (#215)

Remember how I said that Henderson set the all-time stolen base record in 1991?

Well, he did.

And Donruss noticed, as evidenced by this Highlights card that shows baseball’s ultimate thief doing what he does best.

It’s a great card of a great player, and one that can sell for $10 or so in PSA 10.

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1992 Donruss Kenny Lofton Rated Rookie (#5)

This something of an honorable mention, because it’s pretty hard to find any of these for sale on eBay in PSA holders.

Raw, this Lofton rookie sells for about a buck.

But considering that this guy has a strong Hall of Fame case and may still make the Cooperstown cut, I couldn’t very well leave the Astros version of his Rated Rookie off the list … could I?

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