1990 $20 Bill Value
Some sets in this hobby leave a mark for their design alone and 1990 Topps football cards would certainly qualify as one of them.
With its multi-colored borders, football graphic in the lower-left, and green and white gridiron notches on the top and bottom borders, this set is instantly recognizable.
However, the market for football cards was certainly crowded in 1990 as Fleer, Pro Set and Score were also vying for a piece of the market.
- These are rare $20 dollar bills worth a lot of money. We look at rare currency bank notes to look for in circulation. This video is sponsored by Noble Gold I.
- $20 Star Note Tables. Smaller-run, meaning rarer, star notes are highlighted. For more details, use the Star Note Lookup.
That competition led to overproduction that has greatly diminished the values of many of the cards of that era but in high grade, some can still have value.
Value of $20 from 2000 to 2020 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, today's prices in 2020 are 51.21% higher than average prices since 2000. Dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 2.09% per year during this period, causing the real value of a dollar to decre.
And in this guide, I'll run through the 12 most valuable 1990 Topps football cards.
Let's jump right in!
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1990 Topps Traded #27T Emmitt Smith Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $40
Technically part of the 1990 Topps Traded set, I didn't feel quite right about leaving the rookie card of the game's all-time leading rusher off the list so here it is.
Emmitt Smith wasted no time cementing his legacy as an NFL legend as he'd finish the 1990 season with 937 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
Amazingly, it was the last time he failed to eclipse the 1,000 rushing yard mark until 2002 when he just barely missed with 975 yards.
One of my favorite oddball statistics about Smith is that he rushed for exactly 937 in both his first and last seasons in the NFL.
This card is one of multiple sought after Emmitt Smith rookie cards.
1990 Topps #13 Joe Montana
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $40
Coming into the 1990 season, Joe Montana and the 49ers were looking to win their third straight Super Bowl.
They were firing on all cylinders and nobody seemed to be able to stop them.
Further proving just how dominant those 49ers teams were was their record 18-game road winning streak that spanned across the 1988 to 1990 seasons.
Winning any single game on the road in the NFL is challenging enough, let alone 18 in a row.
Collectors throughout the hobby still love 'Joe Cool' and this card can fetch around $40 in top grade.
1990 Topps #252 Barry Sanders
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30
Speaking of unstoppable, Barry Sanders goes down in history as arguably the greatest running back of all-time.
Sure, he doesn't have the career records to prove it but anyone who saw him play knows how incredibly elusive he was.
Over his 10-year career he was a Pro Bowler each season and racked up 15,269 rushing yards, the most by any NFL player over a 10-year stretch.
Prior to the 1999 season, Sanders unexpectedly retired and left football fans everywhere wondering just how many yards he could've ended up with had he kept running.
1990 Topps Traded #28T Junior Seau Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25
If I included Smith's Topps Traded rookie card then I need to include Junior Seau's Topps Traded rookie card, too.
One of the greatest linebackers of all-time, Seau was the type of player who offenses had to plan their entire day around.
If not, he'd make you pay as his speed, power, and intelligence were just too much to handle.
To prove how good he was, Seau would finish his storied career as a 12-time Pro Bowler and 6-time All-Pro.
1990 Topps #285 Bo Jackson
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $20
While the 1990 season was Jackson's one and only Pro Bowl year, it was also sadly his last in the NFL.
During a game against the Bengals in January 1991, Bo dislocated his hip and was forced to retire from football.
While he was able to continue playing Major League baseball, he was never able to perform at the same high level again.
Regardless, Jackson is still loved throughout the hobby and collectors are always looking for his cards in high grade.
1990 Topps #86 Reggie White
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $20
One of the most feared defensive linemen of his day, Reggie White would earn his 5th straight trip to the Pro Bowl for his efforts in the 1990 season.
He was a one-man wrecking crew that wreaked havoc on opposing offensive lines and would finish his Hall of Fame career with 198 sacks when all was said and done.
White was also known as a man of high character which led to him being even more popular among fans and collectors.
In high grade, this card can be worth around $20.
1990 Topps #1 Joe Montana Record Breaker
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $20
During Super Bowl XXIV, the San Francisco 49ers annihilated the Denver Broncos 55-10 in one of the most lopsided victories of all-time.
Along the way, Joe Montana turned in one of the finest performances by a quarterback as he set a record for most passing touchdowns in a game with 5.
Topps commemorated the event quite nicely with this '1989 Record Breaker' card.
Montana's record would stand until Steve Young threw 6 touchdown passes against the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.
1990 Topps #8 Jerry Rice
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $15
Speaking of that record-setting night against the Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV, 3 of those 5 touchdown passes that Montana threw were to none other than Jerry Rice.
It was one of many performances that solidified his legacy as the greatest receiver, if not the greatest player in general, in NFL history.
The 1990 season was one of his finest as it was the only year in which he led the league in receptions, receiving yard and receiving touchdowns.
Rice left a legacy of consistency, professionalism and dominance that made him a fan favorite and one of the most highly-collected players in the hobby.
1990 Topps #482 Troy Aikman Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $15
While Troy Aikman made his rookie card debut with Topps in their 1989 Topps Traded set, the company awarded the legendary quarterback with a 'Super Rookie' card in their 1990 set.
Considering Aikman was a 6-time Pro Bowler and 3-time Super Bowl champ, it's surprising that he threw for more than 20 touchdowns in a season only once in his career.
I guess when you have some Emmitt Smith running the ball and some incredible defenses to support you on the other side, you don't have to put up gaudy passing stats to be considered an all-time great.
1990 Topps #323 Dan Marino
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $15
Often credited with transforming the quarterback position into what it is today, Dan Marino was the first quarterback to ever throw for more than 5,000 yards and toss more than 40 touchdowns in a season.
He also goes down in history as arguably the greatest NFL player who never won a Super Bowl.
Year after year, Marino would lead some electrifying Dolphins offenses into the playoffs only to be eliminated at one stage or another.
His one chance at a Super Bowl came early in only his second year in the NFL but the Dolphins were stopped 380-16 by a dominant 49ers team led by Joe Montana.
1990 Topps #37 John Elway
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $15
For years, John Elway seemed like he might end up like Marino without a Super Bowl ring.
And it wasn't for a lack of Super Bowl appearances as he'd already been to the big game three times heading into the 1990 season.
The Giants stopped him in Super Bowl XXI.
Washington slammed the door in Super Bowl XXII.
And, then the 49ers crushed Elway's hopes yet again in Super Bowl XXIV.
You gotta wonder how Elway could keep coming back for more but to his credit, that's exactly what he did.
But, just as his career was wrapping up in the late 1990s, he'd win not 1 but 2 rings as he rode off into the sunset as an NFL legend.
1990 Topps #52 Lawrence Taylor
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $15
Last on our list is a guy whose name is right up there with Jerry Rice when discussing who deserves to be called the greatest NFL player in history.
LT brought a combination of speed and power to the linebacker position that may never be seen again.
And it's not like the guy transformed into a dominant defender over his career as he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year right out of the gate for his rookie campaign in 1981.
To call LT intimidating would be an understatement as he brought a level of intensity and relentlessness to his game that struck fear deep into the hearts of his opponents.
1990 Topps Football Cards In Review
While they may not have much value these days, the 1990 Topps football set was loaded with Hall of Famers and gives us a great dose of nostalgia.
Within the 528-card checklist, there were also several different subsets, including:
- Super Rookies
- All-Pro
- 1,000 Yard Club
- Record Breaker
- Team Leaders
- League Leaders
- Checklists
One interesting thing about this set is that the backs of many of the cards contain the verbiage 'Topps Football Player cards are not manufactured, sponsored, or authorized by any team or league'.
For those collectors on the lookout for great Hall of Famers of the era or just a fun set to complete, this set may be for you.
Value of $20 from 2000 to 2020
1990 Series $20 Bill Value
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, today's prices in 2020 are51.21% higher thanaverage prices since 2000.The U.S. dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 2.09% per year during this period, causing the real value of a dollar to decrease.
In other words, $20 in 2000 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $30.24 in 2020, a difference of $10.24 over 20 years.
The 2000 inflation rate was 3.36%. The current year-over-year inflation rate (2019 to 2020) is now 1.18%1.If this number holds, $20 today will be equivalent in buying power to $20.24 next year.The current inflation rate page gives more detail on the latest official inflation rates.
| Cumulative price change | 51.21% |
| Average inflation rate | 2.09% |
| Converted amount ($20 base) | $30.24 |
| Price difference ($20 base) | $10.24 |
| CPI in 2000 | 172.200 |
| CPI in 2020 | 260.388 |
| Inflation in 2000 | 3.36% |
| Inflation in 2020 | 1.18% |
Buying power of $20 in 2000
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $20 in 2000 (price index tracking began in 1635).
For example, if you started with $20, you would need to end with $30.24 in order to 'adjust' for inflation (sometimes refered to as 'beating inflation').
When $20 is equivalent to $30.24 over time, that means that the 'real value' of a single U.S. dollar decreases over time. In other words, a dollar will pay for fewer items at the store.
This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a dollar over time. By calculating the value in 2000 dollars, the chart below shows how $20 is worth less over 20 years.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, each of these USD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | Dollar Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $20.00 | 3.36% |
| 2001 | $20.57 | 2.85% |
| 2002 | $20.89 | 1.58% |
| 2003 | $21.37 | 2.28% |
| 2004 | $21.94 | 2.66% |
| 2005 | $22.68 | 3.39% |
| 2006 | $23.41 | 3.23% |
| 2007 | $24.08 | 2.85% |
| 2008 | $25.01 | 3.84% |
| 2009 | $24.92 | -0.36% |
| 2010 | $25.33 | 1.64% |
| 2011 | $26.13 | 3.16% |
| 2012 | $26.67 | 2.07% |
| 2013 | $27.06 | 1.46% |
| 2014 | $27.50 | 1.62% |
| 2015 | $27.53 | 0.12% |
| 2016 | $27.88 | 1.26% |
| 2017 | $28.47 | 2.13% |
| 2018 | $29.18 | 2.49% |
| 2019 | $29.69 | 1.76% |
| 2020 | $30.24 | 1.85%* |
This conversion table shows various other 2000 amounts in today's dollars, based on the 51.21% change in prices:
| Initial value | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| $1dollarin 2000 | $1.51dollarstoday |
| $5dollarsin 2000 | $7.56dollarstoday |
| $10dollarsin 2000 | $15.12dollarstoday |
| $50dollarsin 2000 | $75.61dollarstoday |
| $100dollarsin 2000 | $151.21dollarstoday |
| $500dollarsin 2000 | $756.06dollarstoday |
| $1,000dollarsin 2000 | $1,512.13dollarstoday |
| $5,000dollarsin 2000 | $7,560.63dollarstoday |
| $10,000dollarsin 2000 | $15,121.25dollarstoday |
| $50,000dollarsin 2000 | $75,606.27dollarstoday |
| $100,000dollarsin 2000 | $151,212.54dollarstoday |
| $500,000dollarsin 2000 | $756,062.72dollarstoday |
| $1,000,000dollarsin 2000 | $1,512,125.44dollarstoday |
Inflation by City
Inflation can vary widely by city, even within the United States. Here's how some cities fared in 2000 to 2020 (figures shown are purchasing power equivalents of $20):
- San Diego, California: 3.98% average rate, $20 → $41.98, cumulative change of 109.89%
- San Francisco, California: 2.58% average rate, $20 → $33.31, cumulative change of 66.57%
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Florida: 2.44% average rate, $20 → $32.42, cumulative change of 62.09%
- Tampa, Florida: 2.39% average rate, $20 → $31.32, cumulative change of 56.58%
- Denver, Colorado: 2.30% average rate, $20 → $30.83, cumulative change of 54.16%
- Seattle, Washington: 2.30% average rate, $20 → $31.54, cumulative change of 57.68%
- Boston, Massachusetts: 2.22% average rate, $20 → $31.00, cumulative change of 54.99%
- New York: 2.21% average rate, $20 → $30.99, cumulative change of 54.94%
- Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota: 2.05% average rate, $20 → $29.41, cumulative change of 47.03%
- Houston, Texas: 2.00% average rate, $20 → $29.72, cumulative change of 48.58%
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 1.93% average rate, $20 → $29.33, cumulative change of 46.63%
- Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas: 1.88% average rate, $20 → $29.04, cumulative change of 45.19%
- Atlanta, Georgia: 1.85% average rate, $20 → $28.87, cumulative change of 44.37%
- St Louis, Missouri: 1.77% average rate, $20 → $28.42, cumulative change of 42.10%
- Chicago, Illinois: 1.71% average rate, $20 → $28.05, cumulative change of 40.25%
- Detroit, Michigan: 1.69% average rate, $20 → $27.99, cumulative change of 39.94%
50 Dollar Bill 1990 Series
San Diego, California experienced the highest rate of inflation during the 20 years between 2000 and 2020 (3.98%).
Detroit, Michigan experienced the lowest rate of inflation during the 20 years between 2000 and 2020 (1.69%).
Note that some locations showing 0% inflation may have not yet reported latest data.
Inflation by Country
Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £20.00 in 2000 would be equivalent to £33.89 in 2020, an absolute change of £13.89 and a cumulative change of 69.43%.
In Canada, CA$20.00 in 2000 would be equivalent to CA$28.21 in 2020, an absolute change of CA$8.21 and a cumulative change of 41.05%.
Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $10.24 and total percent change of 51.21%.
Inflation by Spending Category
CPI is the weighted combination of many categories of spending that are tracked by the government. Breaking down these categories helps explain the main drivers behind price changes. This chart shows the average rate of inflation for select CPI categories between 2000 and 2020.
Compare these values to the overall average of 2.09% per year:
| Category | Avg Inflation (%) | Total Inflation (%) | $20 in 2000 → 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and beverages | 2.32 | 58.06 | 31.61 |
| Housing | 2.38 | 59.99 | 32.00 |
| Apparel | -0.44 | -8.48 | 18.30 |
| Transportation | 1.36 | 31.06 | 26.21 |
| Medical care | 3.50 | 98.89 | 39.78 |
| Recreation | 0.84 | 18.17 | 23.63 |
| Education and communication | 1.57 | 36.64 | 27.33 |
| Other goods and services | 2.70 | 70.37 | 34.07 |
The graph below compares inflation in categories of goods over time. Click on a category such as 'Food' to toggle it on or off:
For all these visualizations, it's important to note that not all categories may have been tracked since 2000. This table and charts use the earliest available data for each category.
Inflation rates of specific categories
Medical Care· Housing· Rent· Food· MoreInflation-adjusted measures
S&P 500 price·S&P 500 earnings·Shiller P/EHow to Calculate Inflation Rate for $20 since 2000
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 2000 and today:
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 172.2 in the year 2000 and 260.388 in 2020:
$20 in 2000 has the same 'purchasing power' or 'buying power' as $30.24 in 2020.
To get the total inflation rate for the 20 years between 2000 and 2020, we use the following formula:
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
Alternate Measurements of Inflation
The above data describe the CPI for all items. Also of note is the Core CPI, which measures inflation for all items except for the more volatile categories of food and energy.Core inflation averaged 1.96% per year between 2000 and 2020 (vs all-CPI inflation of 2.09%), for an inflation total of 47.48%.
When using the core inflation measurement, $20 in 2000 is equivalent in buying power to $29.50 in 2020, a difference of $9.50. Recall that for All Items, the converted amount is $30.24 with a difference of $10.24.
In 2000, core inflation was 2.43%.
Chained CPI is an alternative measurement that takes into account how consumers adjust spending for similar items.Chained inflation averaged 1.77% per year between 2000 and 2020, a total inflation amount of 47.48%.
According to the Chained CPI measurement, $20 in 2000 is equal in buying power to $28.42 in 2020, a difference of $8.42 (versus a converted amount of $30.24/change of $10.24 for All Items).
In 2000, chained inflation was 1.99%.
Comparison to S&P 500 Index
The average inflation rate of 2.09% has a compounding effect between 2000 and 2020. As noted above, this yearly inflation rate compounds to produce an overall price difference of 51.21% over 20 years.
To help put this inflation into perspective, if we had invested $20 in the S&P 500 index in 2000, our investment would be nominally worth approximately $71.86 in 2020. This is a return on investment of 259.29%, with an absolute return of $51.86 on top of the original $20.
These numbers are not inflation adjusted, so they are considered nominal. In order to evaluate the real return on our investment, we must calculate the return with inflation taken into account.
The compounding effect of inflation would account for 33.87% of returns ($24.34) during this period. This means the inflation-adjusted real return of our $20 investment is $27.52. You may also want to account for capital gains tax, which would take your real return down to around $23 for most people.
| Original Amount | Final Amount | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal | $20 | $71.86 | 259.29% |
| Real Inflation Adjusted | $20 | $47.52 | 137.61% |
Information displayed above may differ slightly from other S&P 500 calculators. Minor discrepancies can occur because we use the latest CPI data for inflation, annualized inflation numbers for previous years, and we compute S&P price and dividends from January of 2000 to latest available data for 2020 using average monthly close price.
For more details on the S&P 500 between 2000 and 2020, see the stock market returns calculator.
News headlines from 2000
Politics and news often influence economic performance. Here's what was happening at the time:
- Steve Ballmer becomes CEO of Microsoft after Bill Gates steps down.
- Dot-com bubble bursts after NASDAQ Composite stock market index peaks.
- George Bush becomes President of the U.S. in a disputed election that is eventually resolved by the Supreme Court.
- Gisborne, New Zealand becomes the first city to enter the new millennium.
Raw data for these calculations comes fromthe Bureau of Labor Statistics'Consumer Price Index(CPI), established in 1913. Inflation data from 1665 to1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political scienceprofessor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University.
You may use the following MLA citation for this page:“$20 in 2000 → 2020 | Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 9 Dec. 2020, https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/2000?amount=20.
Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.