He also amassed less than 200 hits (184) and posted an OPS+ under 100 (86) for the first time in eleven MLB seasons. The 1939 Play Ball #92 issue is the Splendid Splinters only recognized rookie card. 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. Altuve was hitting an incredible .423 at that point but eventually cooled to finish with a .276/.297/.357 slash line. Poor print quality and focus plague this short print card making high-grade copies nearly unachievable. In poor condition, this card would fetch hundreds of dollars but if youre lucky enough to land a copy in PSA 10 Gem Mint condition then youre talking big-time money. This instantly recognizable card is easily one of Mathewsons most popular. And it can be tough to find in high grade, too. This still ranks among the most popular baseball cards of all-time. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer finished the year at 19-6 with a career-high 220 strikeouts and his best ERA since 1998 (2.35). Unfortunately, as with most high-numbered cards in the set, Mantles rookie card often suffers from print lines, poor centering and wax stains on the back. Most Valuable Cards in 2022 Topps Series Two With nearly a month since it was released, let's take a look at some of the most valuable 2022 Series 2 cards that have been pulled to date, according to eBay. Contact him at [emailprotected]. Votto reached base in the team's first 27 games, finishing April with an eye-popping .370 batting average. The legendary Cap Anson appears on two different cards with the uniform version being the rarer of the two. Rookie Cards. 1984. So, although not as desirable as the others, the fact that it exists in such great condition brings a steep price tag. Considered to be one of the more obscure Honus Wagner type cards its value continues to remain strong. PriceIt Game | 1986 Topps Reggie Jackson Card 8. The 1969 Topps baseball card set is well-loved in this hobby by many collectors for several different reasons. Read our methodology . Its an extremely tough card to find in high grade. 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. Most Valuable. The most expensive 2022 Topps Heritage baseball cards feature the likes of Wander Franco, Shohei Ohtani, Julio Rodriguez, and even Nolan Ryan making an appearance. A record that is pretty safe to say will never be broken,Cy Youngtotaled an incredible 511 wins over his career. But what puts the Bat Off Shoulder relatively much higher on this list than the others is that you can find this card in PSA 9 Mint condition, unlike the others. The 1932 U.S. Caramel set is one of the most desirable and challenging prewar sets in the hobby. At the tender age of 22, Sale made his full-season debut with the Sox as a high-leverage reliever. Because they were distributed in packages of hot dogs, its extremely difficult to find them in high grade. Just a year prior, Sale wasn't even a starter yet. It was clear that Topps wanted to do something special for their 60th anniversary and they certainly delivered. Mathews had a prolific career as a feared power hitter and spent many years alongside Hank Aaron to form one of the greatest home run hitting duos the game has ever seen. 0% 1. Ungraded & graded values for all '20 Topps Read our methodology . Moreover, the Mathewson Portrait is one of the toughest HOF portraits in the entire set. Each of the 30 unnumbered cards in the set feature an artist rendering of players atop colored backgrounds. He was also clutch, maintaining a sub-1.00 World Series ERA and twice being named series MVP in 1963 and 1965. Big names like Albert Pujols, Ichiro, David Ortiz, Derek Jeter, Miguel Cabrera and Clayton Kershaw help round out a solid checklist. That story is enough to make any collector cringe. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! If youre a collector, just stick to what you love and collect only what you love. Most Expensive 2021 Topps Chrome card list & price guide. Collectors love the eye appeal of this beautiful pre-war set. Or, as most believe, was it because he didnt want to be involved in promoting tobacco use to children? The four Ty Cobb cards in the T206 all differ in popularity, scarcity, and appearance but they are all just as important to the hobby as the 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth quartet. 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. 2022 Topps Series 1 Wander Franco Photo Variation SP RC #215 Shortcuts: Remember, the Tiffany versions were produced in much smaller quantities and were printed on premium card stock. By 1954, printing quality had improved greatly so even though centering is still a challenge with this card, finding high-end copies is not as tough as some of the others on this list. No matter where Eddie Mathews appeared in the 1952 Topps set, his only recognized rookie card would be worth a lot. National League manager Bruce Bochy was not looped in on Pujols' condition heading into the All-Star Game selection deadline, leaving the San Francisco Giants skipper little choice but to look elsewhere to round out the depth chart. We are user supported. If you look closely at each of the double prints of this card, youll notice that one version shows better clarity and focus than the other. After seeing his batting average dip considerably in the previous three seasons, Ortiz posted the second-best full-season mark of his career thus far with a .309 finish. The last of the legendary quartet of 1933 Goudey Ruth cards on our list is the #144 Full Body Ruth. Produced in 1915 by the American Caramel Company of York, Pennsylvania, the E106 set consists of 48 different cards, including two varieties of the legendary Ty Cobb. During the offseason, the Padres traded Rizzo to the Chicago Cubs in a multi-player deal orchestrated by Jed Hoyer, the Cubs' general manager. As with any colored border, though, theyre susceptible to showing chipping and wear. Centering that favors the bottom and slight angular cuts are usually the factors that prevent these cards from reaching higher grades. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I remember seeing one of these in abaseball card shop near where I grew up and I would just stare in awe. In 2014, MLB instituted rules that prevented a runner from initiating "an avoidable collision" at home plate. However, he still put together a worthy encore to his 2010 breakthrough. It is by far the most important of allHank Aaron baseball cards. A year away from taking over the Cincinnati Reds closer role and simultaneously becoming a perennial All-Star, Aroldis Chapman showed flashes of his forthcoming game-breaking dominance in 2011. Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner also appear in this set but Jacksons card is easily the most important and most valuable card in the set. A record that is pretty safe to say will never be broken. 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. He also turned heads with his slick glove work at first, earning the only Gold Glove of his career thus far. Considered one of the toughest post-war cards to collect, Leroy Satchel Paiges rookie card is a key to this set along with rookie cards of Jackie Robinson and Stan Musial. Things changed dramatically in the second game of a three-game Marlins sweep when Florida outfielder Scott Cousins barreled into Posey at home plate after tagging up on a sacrifice fly. 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. However, the year ended on a bitter note. List by Card #, You own: 0 / 9496 items Matty was on the backside of his career in 1911 but still managed to lead the league in ERA (1.99) and put up 26 wins. The E300 issue is one of the scarcest prewar sets and had relatively been unknown until the 1960s. Possessing an explosive triple-digit fastball with electric movement, Chapman struggled to harness his high-octane stuff in his first full year with the Reds. Collectors will pay big money for either version as long as its in high grade. While not his most expensive baseball card, its arguably the most visually pleasing of them all. 1914 Cracker Jack Joe Jackson The 1914 Cracker Jack Joe Jackson has a staggering value of $200,000. Just be prepared to put up big money if you want one in high grade. 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax #123 #9. His career cut short by arthritis in his pitching arm, he went on to become the youngest player ever elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972. The error was quickly caught, though, so there arent many copies in existence. Prices are updated daily based upon 2020 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. If you look at the bottom, Sherry Magees last name is mistakenly spelled Magie. And their continued popularity and demand prove that baseball cards still do hold great value. This is true whether you're looking at the base card, the premium Tiffany variant, or even the Desert Storm version which is limited in number. This is one of them. 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. Not surprisingly, Cobbs card is the cornerstone and to the set. He ended the year with a 2.79 ERA, striking out 79 batters in 71.0 innings pitched. The Sox finished at 79-83, out of the playoffs for the third-straight year. Many baseball historians still consider Cobb the greatest all-around player that ever graced a baseball diamond. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. Like the 1997 Bowman, Donruss, Fleer, Leaf, Score and Upper Deck sets, large print runs saturated the market with these cards, driving down their values. But since we are talking about "The Home Run King" in the year after he passed Babe Ruth on the all-time list, the odd, side-view photo cannot take away from the card's historical . Like Jose Altuve, J.D. With that strategy, you can never go wrong! Seldom seen at auction, the 48 card set distributed by the American Caramel Co. of York, Pa. released some of the rarest type cards in existence. Overall, Topps did a great job with this set by balancing an excellent design with plenty of chase cards. He missed 36 games in 2011, slashing .275/.344/.470 with 18 home runs and 70 RBIs in 455 at-bats for Cox's handpicked successor, Fredi Gonzalez. And its extremely rareone of the rarest in the hobby. 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. Conditions of these cards are not very good but even a PSA 4 is expected to bring in roughly $900,000. Especially his American Caramel E90-1 rookie card on which he is shown leaning on his bat against a purple backdrop. totaled an incredible 511 wins over his career. Part of the great quartet of T206 Cobb cards, the Green Portrait version is the toughest of all of them to collect. On the surface, the 1948 Leaf card with its use of color appears to be more attractive than the 1948 Bowman card. Estimated PSA 4.5 VG-EX+ Value: $1,100,000. Their glossy obverse surface usually results in creasing and cracking issues making it tough to find these in high grade. 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). George Close Candy cards are among the scarcer pre-WWI caramel issues and the Honus Wagner is one of the keys to the set. Halladay finished with four first-place votes to Clayton Kershaws 27, finishing as the leagues Cy Young runner-up for the second time in four years. Like many 1952 Topps cards, this Mays issue is prone to tilt and centering problems. Read our methodology. Career highlights: Two-time National League Most Valuable Player (1958, 1959), 14 . 1986 Barry Bonds Topps Traded Rookie Card 6. Anthony Rizzo made his MLB debut for the San Diego Padres on June 9, 2011, against the Washington Nationals, going 1-2 at the plate with a triple and a run scored. As one of the most clutch players in Yankees history, Derek Jeter seized the moment perfectly with a dramatic introduction to baseball's 3,000-hit club. Interestingly, the same image is used on both cards. After slumping to start the season, the hulking St. Louis Cardinals first baseman returned to All-Star form before suffering a fractured left wrist in mid-June. This card has been and will likely remain the most valuable baseball card for years to come. Two great images of Banks are show atop a white border than can be notorious for showing print defects. This card can be quite challenging and is the key to the set. Track your collection for free. , 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. 1. After an impressive finish to the 2010 MLB campaign, the Los Angeles Dodgers tabbed 23-year-old lefty Clayton Kershaw as their Opening Day starter for 2011. Many collectors prefer the portrait versions of Cobbs T206 card and specifically the Green Portrait. 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. The set is one of if not the most condition sensitive of the early E class era. One of the rarest pre-WWI candy issues ever distributed is the 1912 Plows Boy Candy set that included 69 different baseball players. It's so rare that no complete set has ever been assembled. Centering issues, as well as dark print blotches in the yellow background, are usually the two key issues of this card. So, if you can get your hands on one of these cards in high grade then you are looking at some big bucks. Not many players were as consistent as Musial was over their careers as he went on to win seven batting titles and three MVP awards. Most cards in the T206 set are not rare but the Honus Wagner cards are because they were pulled from production early. Most collectors will tell you they prefer the eye appeal of his 1915 Cracker Jack card but his 1914 version is the more rare and valuable of the two. 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. Considered by most to be the greatest lefty of all-time, Sandy Koufax has one rookie card to his name and this is it.