The 2021 Prizm baseball set was one of the more hyped releases of the year for sports card collectors. While 2020 saw the pandemic pause much of the sports world, 2021 saw a return to normalcy that reignited interest in the hobby. Prizm has consistently been one of the hottest brands in modern sports cards due to its flashy designs and parallel variants that give collectors plenty of chase cards to hunt. Let’s take a look at some of the top rookies and parallels from the 2021 Prizm baseball set that are worth keeping an eye on and could earn you some money down the road.
Rookies are often the best long term investments in modern card sets since early career cards of future stars tend to appreciate the most. The headliner rookie in 2021 Prizm was Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco. Considered a true five-tool player and future superstar, Franco’s prizm rookie cards have unsurprisingly been some of the set’s most sought after. The standard Franco rookie is still readily available but could be a solid hold. Low serial number parallels like white prizm, orange prizm, and especially red prizm could really take off in value if Franco lives up to the hype. Another top rookie to watch is Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez. While not as heralded as Franco coming into the season, Rodriguez’s monster season has turned him into a rising star. His prizm rookies have jumped in price and grading well could yield a nice return. Keep an eye also on rookies of Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals), Bryson Stott (Phillies), and Adley Rutschman (Orioles) as they continue to develop.
While rookies get most of the attention, stars and short prints can be very valuable as well. Anything featuring LA Dodgers star Mookie Betts, SF Giants slugger Brandon Belt, or Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. will hold value long term. Parallels like white, orange, green, and pink prizm of established stars always have collector demand. Perhaps the biggest star card in the set though is a pink prizm parallel of Shohei Ohtani numbered to /10 copies. Very few of these ultra-short printed cards of the two-way Angels phenom have hit the market. Grading a gem mint copy could yield a sale in the thousands of dollars given Ohtani’s status. Base cards of franchise legends like Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw, and Albert Pujols will also maintain value in high grades as collectors look to build sets of all-time greats.
Speaking of parallels, there are always steady gains to be had by pulling low numbered prizm variations. The odds on these can be as low as 1:3 packs for some colors. White prizms (/399), orange prizms (/249), and especially green (/99), pink (/75), and red prizms (/10) hold fantastic long term potential if they feature stars, rookies, or serial numbers under /50. Top rookies like Franco and Rodriguez in short printed colors could be true jewels. Even base stars in these ultra-short prints are very collectible. Beyond base prizm parallels, the box topper memorabilia cards also come in a wide array of colors and serial numbers. Low numbered auto or memorabilia cards of top names will retain value as authenticated game used pieces. The 1/1 printing plate parallels that come one per case are the true crown jewels though and could net you thousands depending on the player featured.
Condition is always important when evaluating the value of sports cards long term. Cards that grade gem mint 10 with PSA or BGS bring huge premiums. This is why it’s worthwhile to consider sending in higher end hits for professional grading once the market settles post-release. Properly stored in tamper-proof holders, graded cards maintain their condition verifiably. While raw ungraded cards still have collectors, graded gems hold multifold value. Anything noteworthy pulled from 2021 Prizm like the short printed parallel big rookies or stars mentioned above would be solid submissions. A PSA 10 red prizm Franco for example could net a huge profit down the line.
While 2021 Prizm Baseball hobby boxes were expensive upon release, savvy collectors who pulled the right short printed parallels, rookie gems, or memorabilia hits could have valuable long term holdings. Anything featuring superstars like Ohtani, Trout, or top prospects like Franco, Witt Jr. that grade well have great potential to appreciate nicely down the road. Continued success from the big name rookies will only drive more collector demand for their prized rookie cards in the years ahead too. By holding elite 2021 Prizm pulls in a graded collection, patient investors stand to profit handsomely.
