He received 20 first place votes in the NL Rookie of the Year vote and his 129 vote points outpaced Atlanta's Jason Heyward who 107 vote points for his impressive debut performance. That milestone was part of a scintillating month for which Freeman captured NL Rookie of the Month honors while batting .362 with a .433 on-base percentage in July and leading all rookies with 38 hits. In comparison, Suzuki's lowest full-season OPS in the Majors to that point was .747 in 2008, over 100 points better than his 2011 mark. But, Joe Jackson is instantly recognizable on this card depicting him as a member of the Cleveland Naps minor league team, the New Orleans Pelicans. | Compare vs. Most Expensive, Since its not his rookie card or his most scarce, the1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 isnt his most expensive card but it is arguably one of his most beautiful cards. There are 11 different backside variations in total each with The George Close Co. printed on them. Two great images of Banks are show atop a white border than can be notorious for showing print defects. Over the first seven games of his MLB career, Altuve had at least one hit, tying him with Russ Johnson for the club record for most consecutive games with a hit to begin a career. Even in poor condition, they routinely sell for over $1 million. Five Hall of Famers made their rookie card debut in the T206 set and Walter Johnson is one of them, a fact that makes this card even more interesting. #4 Most Valuable Baseball Cards 2000s - Topps Finest For The Record #3B Ken Griffey Jr. Price for PSA 9 featured with Alex Rodriguez: $100 Price for PSA 10 Gem: $1,500 Player's History 13 times All-Star Ken is the son of Ken Griffey Sr, a famous baseball player and coach during his era. His 1951 Bowman issue is his only recognized rookie card and along with the Mantle rookie is the key to the entire set. As the reigning NL Central champs sputtered to a 79-83 record and failed to make the playoffs, Chapman worked out the kinks in his delivery in 53 relief appearances. The Say Hey Kidwas arguably the greatest all-around player to step on the field. 1991 Chipper Jones Topps Desert Shield RC #333 Buy on eBay So named because his dad saw him as a "chip off the old block", Chipper Jones has an RC which is the most valuable card from the 1991 Topps set. Some argue that this is Mickey Mantles most beautiful card. 1. The 2011 Atlanta Braves had an excellent crop of rookie riches. However, the gold borders of the T205 cards leave them vulnerable to chipping and wear. The T206 set is special for many reasons but one of them is no doubt the numerous brand advertisements on the backs16 different backs in total. Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. Read our methodology . This card has been and will likely remain the most valuable baseball card for years to come. In 2014, MLB instituted rules that prevented a runner from initiating "an avoidable collision" at home plate. The find has since been dubbed The Lucky 7 find. 1978 Topps Andre Dawson 72 PSA 10 Rookie Cup PSA 10 Image Credit: ebay While most of these newer A&G Topps cards were baseball players, you can also find other sports represented (wrestling, soccer, MMA, basketball, softball, beach volleyball, boxing, and car racing). A fantastic portrait of the Sultan of Swat wearing a tilted Yankees cap is shown atop a bold, red background. By the way check out the best Wander Franco Rookie Cards #2. So, although not as desirable as the others, the fact that it exists in such great condition brings a steep price tag. The first Dodgers hurler to secure the NL pitching Triple Crown since Sandy Koufax back in 1966, Kershaw led the National League in wins (21), strikeouts (248), and ERA (2.24), the latter serving as the best mark for a starter in all of baseball. With Mays, the opposite is true: his Bowman rookie card is worth more than his 1952 Topps card. Some collectors go for the base set. He also led the Majors in on-base percentage (.448) and doubles (48) while logging a career-best 7.6 bWAR for Detroit's first division championship squad since 1987. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle: $12.6 million 2. By 2008, Altuve moved from Venezuela to Tennessee to play for the Greeneville Astros, who were the Houston Astros' Rookie-level Appalachian League affiliate until 2017. 25 Most Valuable 1981 Topps Baseball Cards - Old Sports Cards Was it because Wagner wanted to be paid by the tobacco company to use his image? Now that we got that out of the way let's get started Like a few others on this list, this card is technically part of the 2011 Topps Update set. While his 1952 Topps card is more popular and more expensive, some collectors forget that this is the only recognizedMantle rookie card. Its pretty much identical to his 1915 Cracker Jack issue except for the fact that the back of the 1915 version is turned upside down and was printed on thicker paper stock. It should come as no surprise that the rookie card of the greatest player who ever lived would be on this list. The sale smashed the record for most valuable baseball card at the time, beating the then-highest sale of a Honus Wagner T206 White Border card at $3.1 million. Although it features identical imagery as his 1914 Cracker Jack issue, most high-end examples of these two issues are of the 1915. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Only 7 of the Ty Cobb cards have ever been submitted to PSA for grading which speaks to the rarity of them. This is one of them. I remember seeing one of these in abaseball card shop near where I grew up and I would just stare in awe. And with those five prime seasons back, he quite possibly couldve added enough home runs to his career 521 total to challenge Ruths record of 714 before Aaron did. Ten days after the Houston Astros called up Altuve from the Hooks, the team called up Martinez to make his MLB debut on July 30, 2011, replacing the recently-traded Hunter Pence. I like Posey's rookie cup card #198 from Series One better than this card that appeared in Series Two from an aesthetic standpoint. This still ranks among the most popular baseball cards of all-time. Before I get started, I just want to clarify some of the criteria I used in creating this list. He also turned heads with his slick glove work at first, earning the only Gold Glove of his career thus far. Its so rare that only a handful exist and not many collectors have even seen one in person. In addition to the Satchel Paige and Stan Musial rookie cards, Robinsons rookie is key to the set. Not surprisingly, Cobbs card is the cornerstone and to the set. The card features a great image of the Sultan of Swat seated in pinstripes looking over his right shoulder atop a green background. Premium: A PSA 10 1954 Topps Banks rookie card sold for $142,836 in May 2012. Ruth was at the tail end of his career in 1933 but he still produced well enough to be named a starter in the All-Star game at Comiskey Park that year. 2022 Topps Baseball Rookie Cards Guide. His .250 batting average reflected the lack of discipline and experience but his .474 slugging percentage hinted at the kind of power he could bring to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Reigning NL MVP Joey Votto couldn't carry an inconsistent, snake-bitten Cincinnati Reds squad to a second-straight postseason in 2011. Centering is also a tough issue for this card. Its an extremely tough card to find in high grade. And by 2016, he'd solidified his place as a Cubs legend when he helped the franchise win its first World Series title since 1980, finally breaking the "curse" that had haunted them for over 100 years. A truly great baseball card of the legendary icon. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! Posey was one of the biggest young names in the game at that point so seeing Topps issue multiple cards for him in this set should be no surprise. The second toughest of the four 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth cards, the #149 Red Ruth is every bit as appealing as the #53 Yellow Ruth. We believe the following 10 cards will be tops in short-term return on investment over the next 1 to 2 years. Only a finite number of them still exist and as likely as it is that baseball will remain a very popular sport, collectors will do anything to get their hands on them. The 1932 U.S. Caramel set is one of the most desirable and challenging prewar sets in the hobby. With so many greats, how do you choose between them? Most Expensive 2006 Topps card list & price guide. Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, Bernie Williams, and Larry Walker all claim Class of '90. However, Cabrera's top-five finish in the AL MVP race and sixth All-Star campaign was a warning shot of epic proportions, followed by back-to-back MVP years (2012-13). 10 Most Valuable Sammy Sosa Baseball Cards Like Jose Altuve, J.D. And this is one of the few Ruth cards overall that show him in a Boston Red Sox uniform. 1986 Topps Reggie Jackson Card 8. However, at the beginning of his career, things didn't go so smoothly for Goldschmidt after he made his MLB debut on August 1, 2011, against the San Francisco Giants. The 1912 Plows Candy E300 Mathewson features a large photographic image of the legendary pitcher of the Dead Ball Era framed by text readingPlows Candy CollectionandMathewson, New York Nationals.. These are the Top 3 Most Valuable Baseball Cards Worth Money. The T210 Old Mill set features hundreds of minor league ballplayers that most people have never heard of before. He also loves to write about the hobby and has written for Beckett, Topps, SABR and of course, this website. Rookie Cards. Then they went 9-18 in the campaign's final month, losing out on a playoff spot by a game to St. Louis with a season-ending five-game losing streak. Most Valuable. The card is subtle in design and imagery but remains a truly majestic card for any serious collector to consider. Freeman finished second in the NLs Rookie of the Year balloting, slashing .282/.346/.448 with 21 home runs, 32 doubles, and 76 RBIs. The price would certainly be astronomical. 2) Being a high number card (cards 311 407 in the set) means that fewer Mickey Mantle rookie cards were printed than the average 1952 Topps baseball card in the first place. To commemorate Posey's 2010 Rookie of the Year honor, Topps released this card in Series One packs and you can see the "2010 Rookie of the Year" along the bottom just above his name. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. In one of the great stories about this card, a collector once purchased an unopened five-card pack of1952 Topps baseball cardsand pulled the only Pafko to ever be graded PSA Gem Mint 10. That was the most any Houston Astros rookie had ever driven in during one month as a rookie. Centering that favors the bottom and slight angular cuts are usually the factors that prevent these cards from reaching higher grades. And come the postseason, he was on another level, leading St. Louis from a 90-win Wild Card berth to a second World Series title in six years. Larry Doyle, a second baseman, played for the New York Giants of the NL at the time so most likely that is the reason for the mix-up. Arguably the greatest hitter of all time, Williams posted some truly jaw-dropping numbers over his career: a .344 batting average, a .483 on-base average and a .634 slugging average. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. During his rookie campaign, Posey slashed .305/.357/.505 with 18 home runs, 67 RBIs and 58 runs scored in 108 games (406 at-bats). 1986 Topps Tiffany Ryne Sandberg Chicago Cubs Card 7. Not many baseball cards possess as much elaborate and ornate decoration as those of the 1909 Ramly Cigarette T204 set. But, the fact that his is the last card in the iconic 407 card set gives it an extra bump due to the inherent difficulty in collecting the card. In 2012, Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale kicked off a stunning streak of seven-straight All-Star nods and seven-straight AL Cy Young finishes of sixth or better. This is no doubt one of the most sought after cards of one of the games best pitchers of all time. 2010 and 2011 were two of the most emotionally draining years of Chipper Jones' Hall of Fame career. 26 Most Valuable 1986 Topps Baseball Cards In The World Six hits away from 3,000 in mid-June, New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter suffered a calf strain that sidelined him for 18 games. Trout exploded during his official rookie campaign the following season, earning AL Rookie of the Year honors and finishing second in the MVP race. Mike Trout made his Major League debut on July 8, 2011, when the Los Angeles Angels called him up to replace speedy centerfielder Peter Bourjos who had injured his hamstring the day before. And I attempted to estimate their current values when graded in PSA 10 condition so their "raw" or ungraded values may be wildly different. Both of theDiMaggio cards in this set feature a caricature of the Yankee legend, the only difference between the two versions is that this one features small cartoons and information in the background while the other has a blank background. This is the other, less expensive, version of this card in the 1938 Goudey set. But whats not up for debate is whether its one of his most important. Altuve went 1-5 that game, but little did he know then he had kicked off a piece of Houston Astros history. There are four different Babe Ruth cards in the 1933 Goudey set, #s 53, 144, 149 and 181. And because it features a close-up of Mantle, print defects on his face can also sometimes turn off collectors. Johnson is considered by many to be the best pitcher of all time after turning in an amazing 12 seasons of 20 or more victories, including two with more than 30. His incredible career makesStan Musial baseball cards extremely popular with collectors. You can imagine the wear and tear that children put on the cards by comparison. That production boosted his legend and popularity making him one of the most highly collected players in the hobby. , Bo Bichette, Luis Robert, Yordan Alvarez [SSP] #392, Fernando Tatis Jr. [Memorial Day Camo] #168, Fernando Tatis Jr. [Mother's Day Pink] #168, Fernando Tatis Jr. [Independence Day] #168, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. [Independence Day] #182, Fernando Tatis Jr. [Father's Day Blue] #168. The last card in the '75 Topps set, this Hank Aaron collectible won't ever be confused as the baseball legend's best-looking card. Centering issues, as well as dark print blotches in the yellow background, are usually the two key issues of this card. Martinez's career began with the Houston Astros when they drafted him in the 20th round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of Nova Southeastern University. George Close Candy cards are among the scarcer pre-WWI caramel issues and the Honus Wagner is one of the keys to the set. Just a year prior, Sale wasn't even a starter yet. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. In 11 playoff contests against the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers, he slashed a blistering .314/.489/.771 with four home runs, 12 walks, four doubles, seven runs scored, ten RBIs, and two stolen bases. After 60 years in the hobby, Topps helped celebrate their "Diamond Anniversary" by packing so much into their 2011 Topps baseball card set. 15 Most Valuable 1969 Topps Baseball Cards - Old Sports Cards 1981 Topps #302 Dodgers Future Stars Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $225 When it comes to rookie season debuts, the Dodgers have developed a reputation for some of the finest on record. The Giants were 27-19 heading into a home series with the Florida Marlins, looking every bit the contender for a repeat World Series engagement. In 49 games for Padres that season, Rizzo slashed a less-than-impressive .141/.281/.242 with one home run, nine RBIs, and nine runs scored in 128 at-bats. What's worse was that his (relative) struggles were coming at a low point for the Mariners organization. While Posey would recover and play an MVP-caliber role for San Francisco's 2012 and 2014 title teams, his injury in 2011 forced the hands of baseball's decision-makers.