Most Valuable Garbage Pail Kids Cards
Adam Bomb 8a (1985 Series 1) Adam Bomb is a baby wearing a suit and tie, holding a button in his hands. But by far the most shocking feature of this character is the atomic mushroom cloud exploding out of his head. A mint Adam Bomb card once sold for $7643 on eBay, but a glossy version with a rare checklist on the back sold for $25,100!
Nasty Nick 1a (Series 1, 1985) Nasty Nick is the GPK version of Dracula, complete with fangs, a cape, and a doll to menace. He was technically the first GPK card ever released, so mint versions of this card can go for huge chunks of change. One Nasty Nick card sold for $17,900 at auction!
Corroded Carl 19a (1985 Series 1) Corroded Carl is covered in nasty, oozing pimples, as evidenced by zit cream in his hands and the acne lotion behind him. Authentic, matte, mint versions of this card can sell for up to $16,000 on eBay.
Blasted Billy 8b (1985 Series 1) If you think Blasted Billy looks familiar, you'd be right! He's the "B" version of Adam Bomb and looks the same as his "A" counterpart. Matte, mint Blasted Billy cards typically go for around $4000, but one version with a print error at the top is listed on eBay with an asking price of $5000.
Electric Bill 4b (1985 Series 1) Electric Bill is probably one of the most controversial GPK designs because it's a kid in a prison uniform being electrocuted in an electric chair. Perhaps because of its offensiveness, glossy, mint versions of the card have sold for as high as $4999 on eBay.
Fryin' Brian 4a (1985 Series 1) Fryin' Brian is the alternative version of Electric Bill. Most GPK cards have at least two versions with different names but the exact same design. Don't fret if you have a Fryin' Brian instead of an Electric Bill, as these cards have been known to sell for up to $4311.
Evil Eddie 1b (1985 Series 1) Evil Eddie is the alternate version of Nasty Nick and looks identical to his "A" counterpart. You may be able to get a few hundred dollars for this card if it's in good condition, but if you have a mint edition of the non-die cut error version, you could sell it for up to $3999 on eBay.
Junky Jeff 22a (2013 Chrome & 1985 Original Series 1) Junky Jeff is probably as close to being a dumpster fire as you can get. He's standing in front of a collection of garbage cans brimming with trash, and he himself is spewing trash from his head. Normal graded versions of the 1985 card typically sell for $100-$300, but a mint 2013 Junky Jeff from the Chrome Series and signed by the artist, John Pound, can go for up to $3500.
Hot Head Harvey 87b (2020 Chrome & 1986 Original Series 3) Hot Head Harvey is no ordinary Garbage Pail Kid. He looks like a cross between a Transformer and Thomas the Train Engine with his armored body and moonlike face. Look out for 2 valuable versions of him: the original 1986 card, which goes for around $600 mint, and the Chrome 2020 card, which can sell for up to $3250.
Dead Ted 5a (1985 Series 1) Dead Ted is a zombie child shown climbing out of his grave (complete with a tombstone). Only glossy, mint versions of these cards go for thousands of dollars – but the rarest version of all has the much sought-after checklist on the back and once sold for $2599 on eBay.
Mean Gene 41a (1985 Series 1) Mean Gene looks like a guerilla terrorist ready to burn the world down with his bundle of dynamite in one hand and a machine gun in the other. A professionally graded Mean Gene in perfect condition will easily sell for over a thousand dollars and even for as high as $2495 on eBay.
Schizo Fran 49b (1985 Series 2) Schizo Fran isn't disturbing in a gross way, but she definitely makes you feel uncomfortable!. This card features a little girl with two heads fighting one another in a schizophrenic frenzy. Collectors love this card, though, with mint versions of it going for up to $2,399 on eBay.
Nerdy Norm 24b (1985 Series 1) "Nerdy Norm" seems a bit of a misnomer for this disturbing GPK card. The kid in this illustration is surrounded by bottles of soda and cups of steaming coffee while he chain-smokes in his diaper. One of these cards in mint condition sold for $2002 on eBay in 2021.
Heavin' Steven 3b (1985 Series 1) Some of the GPK cards may make you want to throw up looking at them, and Heavin' Steven leans into that energy with gusto. Glossy, mint versions of this card featuring a baby spitting up onto a blanket have sold for up to $1694.
Sumo Sid 83b (1985 Series 2) Sumo Sid is illustrated to look like an exaggerated child sumo wrestler, complete with tiny briefs and a ponytail. If you want to add a mint edition of this card to your collection, eBay sellers are listing them for upward of $600. Some listings are as high as $1499!
Leaky Lou 23b (1985 Series 1) Trigger warning for those of you with tryophobia (a fear of holes): Leaky Lou is full of holes! In fact, he has so many openings in his body that the water he's drinking from a glass is pouring out of them and out onto the ground. If you can stand to collect Leaky Lou, expect to pay up to $799 or even $1299 for a mint and graded one.
Dead Fred 57b (1985 Series 2) If you're a fan of old movies about gangsters (or the 1983 film Scarface), you might be interested in Dead Fred. This card shows a character wearing a pinstriped suit and holding a Tommy gun in his hands as he's shot to death by an unseen assailant. It's gruesome, but if that's your jam, go on eBay and look to pay around $1099 for it.
Jolted Joel 53a (1985 Series 2) Jolted Joel is a relatively mild card design in the GPK series. It features a child rock star getting electrocuted with a bolt of lightning while he holds his electric guitar. Graded and minted versions of this card sell for around $1000 online.
Jenny Genius 27b (1985 Series 1) You may have heard of a person being called "brainy," but they have nothing on Jenny Genius! This GPK card features a little girl on the front with an enormous skull (which holds an equally enormous brain). You can snag this fun card in near-mint condition for around $750-$800 (one mint gem sold for $964.95 in 2024).
Soft Boiled Sam 58b (1985 Series 2) Soft Boiled Sam is clearly going through it. His eggshell skin has been cracked by a baby bird coming otu of his head, and he also inexplicably has egg yolk spilling out of his right shoulder. This is a rare GPK card that can sell for up to $875 at auction to the right buyer.
Buggy Betty 39a (2020 Chrome & 1985 Series 1) Buggy Betty isn't your average girl-next-door. She's a child-bug hybrid, and she loves garbage. The 1985 version of the card is available in superb condition (just a step down from mint) for $400-$800, and the 2020 Chrome Sapphire version in orange goes for $400-$500.
Brutal Brad 55b (1985 Series 2) Brutal Brad may offend our modern sensibilities with how he's illustrated manhandling a girl character by the hair like a stereotypical caveman. But he certainly won't offend your wallet if you happen to own one in mint condition! Mint versions of Brutal Brad have gone for up to $689.
Semi Colin 355a (1987 Series 9) Semi Colin is unique not because of his half-human, half-lizard monster body. The real distinguishing factor for this card is the fact that it's a misprint and is missing its card number in the upper right corner. Mint Semi Colin cards can cost a pretty penny and have sold as for as high as $610!
April Showers 7b (2020 Chrome & 1985 Original Series 1) April Showers's card shows her getting struck by lightning while wearing a yellow raincoat and holding a red and white umbrella. The original version of this card released in 1985 can sell for over $300 in mint condition. But the really valuable ones are the 2020 Sapphire Series editions, and they sell for more than double the original.
Matt Ratt 66a (1985 Series 2) Matt Ratt isn't that popular of a GPK card among collectors, and it's easy to see why that might be the case. The front illustration shows a boy-rat caught in a mouse trap grasping at a piece of cheese, and in GPK terms, that's kind of tame! If you can find one in mint condition, though, you may be able to sell it for up to $500.
Bad Breath Seth 70a (1985 Series 2) Bad Breath Seth may look like a cute baby from the neck down, but his mouth is a blackened hole from which black breath is pouring out. Seth's breath is so bad, it caused a nuclear wasteland around him! Yet this card still isn't as gross or offensive as other cards on this list, which is why it typically only sells for $100-$300 (or $339 for a mint card).
How to Find the Value of Garbage Pail Kids Cards
Check if your Garbage Pail Kids cards are from the Original Series 1. In general, OS Series 1 ( #1-#41) cards are the rarest and most valuable in the line. You can sell yours for $5-$8 if they're in nice condition or for a lot more if they're in pristine condition (mint).
See if your Garbage Pail Kids cards have a matte or glossy finish. Glossy finishes on OS Series 1 cards are rare and valuable, whereas matte is more sought-after in OS Series 2 cards. That's one of the reasons the glossy Adam Bomb sold for over $25,000! Matte OS Series 2 (#42-#83) cards in nice condition go for $2-$3 each online, whereas glossy ones in this series sell for only $0.50-$1 each.
Check your Garbage Pail Kids cards for wear and tear. If you see any writing, stains, creases, rips, or rounded edges or the picture is off-center, you may as well keep it for your own collection or throw it away. You won't be able to make more than a couple of bucks on it on eBay.
Look for printing errors on your Garbage Pail Kids cards. Printing errors on GPK cards are rare and can raise their value by up to 25% (according to eBay listings)! So keep an eye out for ink smears, missing numbers, and misshapen cuts on your cards.
Check prices of similar Garbage Pail Kids cards on eBay. Search for your GPK card and see what other sellers are asking for it. If yours is in nicer condition than theirs, you may be able to ask more. The opposite is also true: if your card looks worse than theirs, you should ask for less money for it.
Send your card to PSA to be graded to raise its value. Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) is a third-party service that grades trading cards and autographs. After they authenticate your card and assess its condition, they'll give it a grade up to 10. The higher the grade, the higher the resale value (in most cases). For example, a PSA 10 Dead Ted card can sell on eBay for up to $2600, while an ungraded Dead Ted card might list for as little as $17.50. Just getting your card graded can be enough to raise the value of your card, as GPK collectors are more willing to pay for a card they know is authentic! PSA also offers a Price Guide where you can track how your GPK cards' values are rising and falling with market trends. This can be a great resource to help you identify the best time to sell.
Where to Sell Garbage Pail Kids Cards
Auction off your Garbage Pail Kids cards on eBay. Set the starting price on your eBay listing below the card's value to draw buyers in, and then watch the bidding war take off! Alternatively, you can establish a fair price that you think closely matches the card's value and sell it as a "Buy It Now" item.
Sell your cards on Garage Pail Kids Facebook groups. Join Facebook groups that are exclusively made for Garage Pail Kids collectors to buy, sell, and trade cards with one another. Just beware of scam buyers and sellers, and never give out your personal credit card or bank account information. Instead, use a secure third-party vendor like PayPal to accept payment.
What are Garbage Pail Kids?
Garbage Pail Kids are trading cards that parody the Cabbage Patch Kids. When Topps released GPK Series 1 in 1985, the Cabbage Patch Kids – those wholesome dolls with wide eyes and chubby bodies – were already hugely popular. The GPK characters are modeled after the standard Cabbage Patch Kid design, and indeed, the series was conceived as a parody of the beloved doll brand. The likeness was so obvious that the Cabbage Patch Kids owners sued Topps for copyright and trademark infringement. But the lawsuit backfired and actually made Garbage Pail Kids cards a big hit with kids.
When were Garbage Pail Kids cards popular?
Garbage Pail Kids were popular from 1985 to 1988 before retiring. Topps released the first series in 1985 and followed it with 14 more series through 1988. After the 15th series, Topps retired GPK for almost 20 years and then restarted it in 2003. It's been running continuously ever since.
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