The 2000 Topps baseball card set is considered one of the weaker regular issues of the 1990s and 2000s in terms of star power and rookie class. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some extremely valuable cards worth chasing after from a monetary standpoint for collectors and investors. While the retail price of a 2000 Topps base card wrapper in Near Mint condition is only around $0.10, a select few have appreciated greatly over the past two decades. Let’s take a look at some of the most valuable 2000 Topps cards based on recent auction prices and market demand.
Heading the list of chased and expensive cards from 2000 Topps is the Chipper Jones rookie card (#221). As the longtime Atlanta Braves third baseman nears likely induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, his rookie card has reached new heights. PSA 10 Gem Mint examples recently sold for upwards of $1,500 each. Even lower graded PSA 8 Very Fine copies can fetch over $300. What makes the Jones rookie so coveted is that 2000 was his true rookie season despite having cups of coffee in the majors the prior two years. He went on to have a stellar 19-year career, making him one of the greatest switch-hitters of all-time.
Another rookie card generating big bucks is the Bobby Abreu (#244) issue. The longtime outfielder had a breakout season in 2000 as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies and went on to hit over .300 nine times in his career. Low print runs and strong demand have pushed PSA 10 examples of the Abreu rookie above $800. Even lower graded copies still sell for $100 or more depending on condition. While not a true “star” like Jones, Abreu put together an excellent career that lasted until 2013 and saw him become a three-time All-Star.
Vladimir Guerrero’s rookie card (#132) has also blossomed into one of the set’s most expensive singles over time. The future AL MVP made his MLB debut late in the 1999 season but 2000 marked his first full year. Extremely talented but sometimes enigmatic, Guerrero generated Hall of Fame career statistics with over 400 home runs. He could do it all on both sides of the ball. High-grade copies of his rookie fetch $500-800 based on recent sales, with PSA 10s topping out even higher on occasion.
Other exciting young stars featured in 2000 Topps with costly rookie cards include Todd Helton (#169), Carlos Beltran (#164), and Alfonso Soriano (#160). Helton was already blossoming into a perennial All-Star first baseman for the Colorado Rockies early in his career. PSA 10 examples of his rookie have sold for $300-500. Beltran broke out with a huge season for the Kansas City Royals and looked like a future superstar. His rookie tops $250 PSA 10. Soriano debuted with the Seattle Mariners as a promising middle infielder before becoming a power-hitting outfield star. Low population PSA 10 Soriano rookies sell around $150-200.
Perhaps the biggest “what if” of 2000 Topps is the Troy Glaus rookie card (#321). The third baseman/first baseman smashed the cover off the ball for the St. Louis Cardinals that year en route to NL Rookie of the Year honors. Injuries prevented him from reaching his full potential. Still, pristine PSA 10 copies of his shiny image rookie, which shows potential, have sold for north of $150 given the hype that once surrounded Glaus.
Outside of rookies, star veteran cards can command big money from 2000 Topps as well. A PSA 10 Ken Griffey Jr. update insert (#US100) depicting him batting for Seattle fetched over $800 recently. The card pays homage to his 1989 Upper Deck rookie card posing in the same stance. Superstar pitcher Pedro Martinez’s base card (#121) has sold for $250+ in top grade due to his absolute dominance for the Boston Red Sox at the time. A PSA 10 Derek Jeter fan favorite insert (#US50) depicting him flipping a ball from his cap sold for $550 not long ago. Other modern era Hall of Famers like Craig Biggio, Ivan Rodriguez, and Jeff Bagwell command serious dollars in pristine condition as well, highlighted by a $250 PSA 10 Bagwell.
Perhaps the biggest sleeper card value-wise is a simple Barry Bonds base issue (#61). Though overshadowed by the stigma surrounding his later steroid era, the future home run king was already well on his way in 2000. Clean PSA 10 examples routinely go for $150-200 each given how Bonds dominated the sport for well over a decade. That’s over 20 times the card’s original retail price!
While the 2000 Topps set overall lacks the star power of other late ’90s/early 2000s issues, there remains substantial money to be made by astute collectors and flippers locking down gem mint graded copies of the select rookie cards, star veterans, and popular inserts housed within. Condition is everything when valuing these 20 year old cards, but Topps’ regular flagship release for 2000 certainly provides exciting modern era collecting and investment opportunities for savvy baseball memorabilia aficionados and sports card investors alike. The subset of truly valuable cards remains quite small, but the returns can be quite large for recognized favorites from rising future Hall of Famers like Chipper Jones, Bobby Abreu, and Vladimir Guerrero leading the way in terms of value.
