9 of the most popular trading cards and stickers from the 80s and 90s, and how much they're worth today

• The 80s and 90s was a golden era for trading cards and stickers
• Some trading cards from back then are worth thousands of pounds today
• We’ve put together a list of some of the best-loved cards and stickers from the 80s and 90s, and how much they could be worth all these years later

These were among the most popular trading cards and stickers of the 80s and 90s, some of which are hugely collectable today, selling for thousands of pounds | Various

They have provided countless hours of entertainment to generations of children, and adults, and been the cause of a few playground fights over the years.

We’re talking trading cards and stickers, of course, which enjoyed their heyday during the 80s and 90s.

From gross-out cards to stickers celebrating the biggest movies and most popular TV shows of the era, there was a card or sticker for nearly everything back then.

Today, some of those cards change hands for hundreds of pounds, with the very rarest selling for thousands.

The most expensive trading card ever sold was a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card, which was snapped up for an astronomical £9.2 million in 2022.

The most valuable cards tend to be American sports cards, which are particularly collectable, but a Pokémon card sold in 2022 for an eye-watering £4.325 million.

We’ve put together a list of some of the most popular trading cards and stickers from the 80s and 90s, which you may remember from your childhood.

Some are worth big money today, while others have sentimental value only.

Although Pokémon cards came out in the late 90s, we’ve not included them as they were more of a noughties and beyond phenomenon, particularly in the UK.

Garbage Pail Kids

Garbage Pail Kids | Getty Images

These bad taste stickers, which parodied the popular Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, were huge during the 1980s.

The stickers, sold in packs containing a stick of bubble gum, first went on sale in 1985.

They depicted a bizarre range of characters, often seen suffering a horrific death or with an unusual deformity.

Rare Garbage Pail Kids stickers can sell for huge amounts today, with one showing 'Nasty Nick' listed on eBay for more than £600, and another, of 'Adam Bomb' on sale for more than £250.

Neighbours trading cards

Everyone was watching Neighbours during the late 80s, when Scott (Jason Donovan) and Charlene’s (Kylie Minogue) romance gripped the UK.

Topps cashed in by releasing a series of trading cards in 1988, which fans of the Australian soap rushed out to buy.

All the characters were featured, from Harold and Madge to Bouncer the Dog.

Sadly for those who still have their cards, they do not appear to be worth a lot today. A set of Neighbours cards from 1988 is listed on eBay for just £10.

Topps football cards

Football fans attemped to assemble their dream team during the 80s and 90s by collecting these popular trading cards.

The most expensive sold recently on eBay include an ‘Iconic Kits’ card of Arsenal striker Ian Wright in the early 90s, which fetched more than £400, and one of Manchester United winger Andrei Kanchelskis, which sold for more than £300.

Snoots

Collectors were invited to wear Snoots cards on their noses | eBay/chilledmitch

These collectable cards stuck out from the crowd - literally - as they featured a hole for you to stick your nose through to complete the image.

The series released in the late 80s included Nosy Bodies and Nosimals.

The cards included a humorous summary on the back of the character depicted.

They don’t appear to have increased in price greatly, with a set available on eBay for less than £40.

WWF cards

The WWF’s (World Wrestling Federation) heyday came during late 80s and early 90s, when big personalities like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage had fans glued to their screens.

WWF trading cards were hugely popular back then, and the rarest cards from that era can sell for hundreds or even thousands of pounds.

A collection of over 200 WWF cards from 1986 is listed for sale on eBay for just under £7,000, while a single Hulk Hogan card from that same year is priced almost £500.

Star Wars

Trading cards were produced to mark the release of the original Star Wars film in 1977 and the sequels in the early 80s | Getty Images

Star Wars merchandise is hugely collectable, and the cards which accompanied the first films in the franchise are no exception.

Trading cards were produced to mark the release of both The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), as they had been for the original 1977 film.

Today, a set of 11 ‘prismatic’ vending machine sticker cards is listed on eBay for just under £1,000, while a Millennium Falcon card from 1983 is priced just over £400.

Batman Returns

Batman Returns was directed by Tim Burton | Getty Images

Batman Returns, directed by Tim Burton, received mixed reviews upon its release in 1992 but is now considered a cult classic.

A single trading card signed by Danny DeVito is listed for sale on eBay for a whopping £850, while an almost complete set of cards is priced £500.

Top Trumps

Top Trumps began life in the 1970s and remains a hugely popular card game today | National World

Top Trumps aren’t technically trading cards but they are hugely collectable.

They first came out in the 70s but the game really caught on during the 80s and is still massively popular with children and adults alike.

Top Trumps has celebrated everything from supercars to supervillains over the years, with players doing battle to see who boasts the best stats.

The most valuable Top Trumps game from the 80s, according to eBay, is the Super Top Trumps Fantasy edition, which is listed for just over £80.

Power Rangers

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers first hit TV screens in 1993 and became an overnight sensation.

Power Rangers trading cards came out the following year and the rarest cards can be worth a small fortune.

A set of 48 cards from 1994 is listed on eBay for £1,750, while a single Green Ranger card from the same year is priced £1,181.10.

Other memorable trading cards and stickers from the 80s and 90s include the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jurassic Park, and Magic: The Gathering.

What do you think were the best cards or stickers produced during the 80s or 90s? Let us know in the comments section below.