In the early ‘90s, the baseball card market began to pivot towards premium cards as collectors desired something new after enduring the junk wax era. Upper Deck decided to feed that desire and released the 1993 SP set. It consisted of 290 cards, with the first 18 containing All-Stars and the remaining cards featuring many of the top players at the time. However, the final 20 cards were reserved for “Premier Prospects”. That section of the checklist included players such as Chipper Jones, Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez, Carlos Delgado, Javy Lopez, Cliff Floyd, and, slotting in at #279, Derek Jeter.
As marquee printings of fellow Yankees Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle did in the past, Jeter’s iconic 1993 SP Foil rookie defined a generation of baseball cards. The card, which features No. 2 turning two in the traditional Yankee pinstripes, contains a gold foil “Premier Prospect” emblem in the bottom right-hand corner and the words “Upper Deck” above Jeter’s head. The premier aspect of this eye-popping card is its fragile full-foil coverage. The layer has proven to be the reason for such intense, sustained interest in this card. Similar to late-’90s Precious Metal Gems, the foil on this Jeter had the potential to become wrinkled, creased, or chipped with even the slightest of contact.
Of the nearly 27,500 copies assessed by PSA, this is one of just 22 to earn a Gem Mint 10 grade.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 06/22/2026.