1990 upper deck baseball heroes reggie jackson autograph

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The 1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson AU represents a turning point in hobby history. It’s the first of its kind in the now routine pack-issued autographs category. Despite its print run of 2500, which was tiny at the time, it remains popular in the current market. For this article, we’re going to cover how to identify authentic examples of this forever famous card.

The Hologram

When encountering the 1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson AU, flip it over and have a look at the shape of the hologram on the back.

• Authentic examples of the non-AU header card have circle-shaped holograms
• Authentic examples of the AU header card have diamond-shaped holograms

If you find a signed and serial numbered example of the 1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson AU and the hologram on the back is circle shaped, the autograph and serial number on the front are both fake.

There are two versions of the 1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson AU:

A. This version contains Reggie Jackson’s autograph, and corresponding serial number hand-written on the card.

This is the most common example and makes up 2475 (99%) of the 2500 autographed examples of the 1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson AU. In the current market, collectors can usually get their hands on one of these for under $200.

Related article: 1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson AU/2500… and romance

The Inscription & Serial Numbers

B. This version contains Reggie Jackson’s autograph, corresponding serial number, and “Mr. October” inscription hand-written on the card.

Version B is extremely rare because Reggie Jackson only included the “Mr. October” inscription on examples with numerators in the serial numbers ending in 00. With a print run of 2500, that leaves us with just 25 examples (1%) of the total 2500 that contain the inscription. In the current market, authentic inscribed examples can bring over $500.

To be thorough, here are the numerators in the serial numbers on the examples that contain the inscription:

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2400, and 2500.

Replacements

One visitor sent us the following images. This example contains the correct hologram shape but lacks the serial number, which puts it in the replacement category. Something like this would’ve been kept on hand by Upper Deck until a fulfillment request was made. This replacement went unfulfilled but we see it here because someone pulled it from the factory.

Examples to Avoid:

Given the notoriety of the 1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson AU, encountering skullduggery associated with this card isn’t uncommon. To avoid getting ripped off, carefully check the hologram style, autograph, serial number, and inscription. Here are some examples to avoid:

If you find an authentic example of the 1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson AU with the “Mr. October” inscription and the numerator portion of the serial number doesn’t match any of those 25 numbers, the inscription is fake.

The following example sold on eBay on August 25, 2019 with 28 bids at $560. The numerator in the serial number on this example doesn’t end in 00. Someone got hosed.

Here’s another one that surfaced in December 2021:

These “Mr. October” inscriptions have been written on many authentic examples of the 1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson AU that don’t have the right serial numbers with the specific intention of misleading buyers to drive up sale values. If you’re looking to add one of the elusive inscribed versions, look for examples with numerator portions of the serial numbers ending in 00.

The autograph and serial number on the following card are very likely forgeries. Reggie Jackson doesn’t sign his name like this.

While on eBay in mid April of 2021, I discovered an example of the non-AU header card (circular hologram on back) with an autograph and serial number. Two thoughts came to mind when I saw this listing:

• Due to the circular hologram on the back, this could only be an In Person (IP) signature (if authentic)
• If it is an IP signature, the existence of a serial number makes the authenticity of the signature highly suspect

Side note: When I discovered this listing, I shared it in a couple Facebook Groups. Within minutes the listing was pulled, which is itself, highly suspect. Be careful.

In Conclusion

This card requires attention. To be sure you’re buying an authentic example of the pack-issued 1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson AU, check the hologram style, autograph, serial number, and inscription. Cross check them with the information provided here to confirm the authenticity of the card.

To see the current eBay auctions for the 1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson AU, click here.