Junk Wax Era
The period from roughly 1987 to 1993 when card manufacturers massively overproduced sports cards. Most cards from this era have minimal value due to oversupply.
The Junk Wax Era (approximately 1987-1993) was a period of extreme overproduction in the sports card industry. Multiple manufacturers (Topps, Fleer, Donruss, Score, Upper Deck) printed millions of copies of each card, creating a supply glut that destroyed secondary market values.
Cards from this era were produced in such high quantities that even "stars" like 1989 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. rated #33 or 1987 Topps Barry Bonds #320 are worth pennies in raw condition. However, PSA 10 copies of key rookie cards from this era can still command significant premiums because truly perfect condition copies are rare relative to the total print run.
The Junk Wax Era ended the first card collecting boom and led to industry consolidation. It serves as a cautionary tale about overproduction — and partly explains why modern manufacturers use serial-numbered parallels and limited print runs to maintain scarcity.