The 2001 baseball card season featured some rookie cards and memorable performances that have stood the test of time and retained respectable value in today’s market. Let’s take a closer look at some of the top 2001 cards that are still worth a decent amount of money nearly 20 years later.
Perhaps the highest profile rookie card from 2001 is Ichiro Suzuki’s Bowman Chrome Refractor. Ichiro was already a 10-time All-Star and MVP in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league when he made his major league debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2001 at age 27. He would go on to win the AL Rookie of the Year and bat .350, setting a new MLB single-season hit record with 262 hits. Due to his instant superstardom and incredible skill, Ichiro’s rookie cards from 2001 are still quite valuable today. Near mint to mint condition Bowman Chrome Refractors in a PSA 10 Gem Mint grade have sold for over $1,000. PSA 9 Excellent-Mint copies have sold in the $400-500 range.
Another extremely valuable 2001 rookie card is Baltimore Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada’s Bowman Chrome Refractor. Tejada had a stellar first MLB season, batting .310 with 34 home runs and 131 RBIs en route to winning the AL MVP award. High-grade Tejada rookies from Bowman Chrome continue to retain huge collector value. PSA 10 specimens have sold for over $800, with PSA 9s going for $250-350. Tejada went on to have a successful career, making six All-Star teams and winning another AL MVP in 2002.
Curt Schilling had one of the best seasons of his outstanding career in 2001 as the ace of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitching staff. Schilling went 22-6 with a stunning 2.98 ERA and 313 strikeouts to lead the D-Backs to a World Series championship over the Yankees. 2001 Fleer Ultra Curt Schilling base rookie cards in Near Mint-Mint condition have sold for over $100. 2001 Bowman’s Best Refractors and parallels of Schilling, showing him in a D-Backs uniform for the only time in his career, have reached $150-200 in PSA 10.
The rookie class of 2001 also featured Texas Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez. While A-Rod would not fully break out until his time with the Yankees, collectors recognized his future superstar potential early on. PSA 10 grades of his 2001 Bowman Chrome Refractor have sold for $600-800 in recent years. Near Mint PSA 9 copies can still fetch $200-300.
Several key rookies from the vaunted 2001 Draft class have maintained strong value over the years as well. Tampa Bay picked high school phenom Josh Hamilton first overall. Pristine PSA 10 Hamilton rookies from Donruss Elite Extra Edition sell in the $150-250 range today. University of Miami flamethrower Mark Prior went second to the Cubs and has PSA 10 2001 Bowman Chrome Refractors selling between $100-150. Seattle selected high school pitcher Adam Jones with the 37th pick. Jones enjoyed a long, productive career and his 2001 Bowman Chrome Refractor PSA 10s still sell for $70-100.
Among the stars who weren’t rookies in 2001 but put up huge seasons that year that are remembered, several older cards retain value. Barry Bonds smashed his single-season home run record with 73 dingers for the Giants. 2001 Topps Traded Barry Bonds cards in high grades sell for $80-120. While controversial due to alleged PED use, Bonds remains one of the game’s all-time great sluggers. Sammy Sosa also continued mashing homers for the Cubs in 2001, belting 64. Near Mint PSA 8 examples of his 2001 Topps Traded card still sell in the $50 range.
The 2001 season saw several iconic performances that spawned valuable game-used memorabilia as well. Arizona D-Backs Luis Gonzalez crushed a Game 7 walk-off hit off Mariano Rivera to win the World Series. Autographed Gonzalez 2001 World Series heroics cards featuring the famous home run snapshot image have sold for over $1000. Another Fall Classic gem, the monumental at-bat between Rivera and D-Backs batter Tony Womack resulting in a game-tying bloop single in the 9th inning of Game 7, spawned special 2001 Topps Stadium Club printing plate cards featuring the matchup that have sold for $400-600 over the past few years.
As impressive rookie seasons, Hall of Fame talents, epic postseason moments, and solid production by stars are what tend to retain long-term collector appeal for baseball cards, many key cards from the 2001 season featuring these attributes remain worthwhile investments nearly two decades later. While the boom years of the 1990s inflation may be behind us, strong Condition Census examples of the top 2001 rookie cards, stars, and memorable performances can still trade hands profitably for savvy collectors today.
