2022 Topps Chrome Baseball Cards Value and Investment Potential
The 2022 Topps Chrome baseball card set was released on September 7th, 2022 and contains a variety of valuable rookie cards, autographs, and parallels that collectors and investors are eagerly pursuing. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the top cards from the set and analyze their potential long-term value and investment potential.
2022 Topps Chrome is one of the flagship baseball card releases each year from Topps, known for its shiny refractors and chrome parallels. The base set contains 264 cards and features all MLB players. While the base cards may not hold huge long-term value on their own, they are integral to completing the set and some star rookie cards can appreciate nicely over time.
One of the most sought-after rookie cards in the 2022 Topps Chrome set is Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles. Rutschman is considered one of the top catching prospects in baseball and made his MLB debut in 2022. His base rookie card in the set is selling for $50-75 raw, with prizm and refractor parallels fetching $100-300 each depending on condition and parallel. As Rutschman establishes himself as an All-Star caliber player, expect his rookie cards to appreciate significantly in the coming years. Graded rookie cards could realistically reach $1,000-2,000 within 5 years if he lives up to expectations.
Another top rookie to watch is Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez. Considered a future superstar, Rodriguez had a breakout rookie season in 2022 that earned him AL Rookie of the Year honors. His base rookie card sells for $75-150 raw currently, with prizm and refractor parallels in the $150-400 range. Like Rutschman, graded Julio Rodriguez rookies have excellent long term appreciation potential if he becomes a perennial All-Star and leads Seattle deep into the playoffs. A PSA 10 Rodriguez rookie could conceivably be worth $2,000-5,000 within 3-5 years.
Beyond the top rookies, star veterans like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani always command interest from collectors. A base Aaron Judge refractor sells for around $50-75 currently, while a prizm parallel might fetch $150-300 depending on condition. As Judge continues smashing home runs and contends for MVP awards, his cards will remain hot sellers. A PSA 10 Judge refractor could reach $500-1,000 within 5 years. Shohei Ohtani, a true unicorn as a two-way star, sees his base refractors sell for $75-150 and color prizms for $200-500 based on parallel. Both Judge and Ohtani rookies from previous years also hold value.
Autograph cards are where the 2022 Topps Chrome set really shines in terms of long term investment potential. A red prizm autograph of Julio Rodriguez in PSA/DNA 10 grade would be worth $3,000-5,000 today and could realistically appreciate up to $10,000-15,000 within 5 years if Rodriguez becomes a perennial All-Star. An on-card autograph of Aaron Judge in the same grade would carry a $1,500-2,500 price tag today but has solid odds to reach the $5,000-8,000 range within a half decade as his career accolades grow.
Rookie autographs of other top prospects like Bobby Witt Jr ($1,000-2,000 PSA 10), Adley Rutschman ($800-1,500 PSA 10), and Oneil Cruz ($500-1,000 PSA 10) offer excellent long term growth potential as well if they develop into the stars they are projected to become. And the holy grail would be a 1/1 printing plate autograph card of a future Hall of Famer like Ohtani or Judge, which could realistically sell for $10,000-20,000 today and appreciate up to six figures over a 10-15 year period.
While the 2022 Topps Chrome base set cards won’t offer huge returns on their own, the rookie cards, star refractors, and autograph cards hold strong long term investment potential. Focusing on the game’s brightest young stars like Julio Rodriguez and Adley Rutschman as well as proven superstars Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani provides the best odds of seeing card values appreciate significantly over the next 5-10 years. With patience and by targeting higher end parallels and autographs graded gem mint, serious collectors can build an investment portfolio of 2022 Topps Chrome cards that grows in value for years to come.
