The 2019 Topps baseball card set was another highly popular and valuable issue from the iconic trading card company. As with any recent year, there were certain rare and highly sought after rookie cards, legendary veterans, and limited parallels that commanded a premium on the secondary market. While Topps dominated the baseball card market as usual in 2019, the competition from brands like Bowman and Leaf pushed them to focus on quality and exclusive content. Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the most valuable cards investors and collectors sought after from the 2019 Topps baseball set as values continued rising post-release.
Heading the list of most expensive 2019 Topps cards is without question the prized Pete Alonso rookie card. As the reigning NL Rookie of the Year following his record-setting 53 home run season with the Mets, Alonso’s stock skyrocketed. His patented “Polar Bear” celebration made him a fan favorite as well. The Alonso Topps Chrome Update Blue Refractor parallel numbered /99 fetched over $2000 in Near Mint condition. Even base rookies went for $100-150. Also notably pricey is his 2019 Topps Transcendent Baseball Autograph which contains a piece of his game bat. Graded gems of this ultra-rare 1/1 card crossed $10,000.
Another massive young star with a coveted rookie was Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals. Still just 21 years old at the time of issue, Soto had already solidified himself as a budding superstar and perennial MVP candidate. While not as scarce as Alonso parallels, mint condition Soto rookies from Series 1 and Update still routinely sold for $75-150. His Topps Transcendent triple jersey/relic auto 1/1 parallel reached $3000 in mint condition as well due to his enormous fanbase and talent level. Cardinals prospect Dylan Carlson and Mariners starlet Evan White also had desirable rookies in the $50-100 range.
Two legendary veterans who continued to drive hobby interest were Albert Pujols and Mariano Rivera. Both recently retired future Hall of Famers signing with new clubs created buzz around their returns. Pujols playing for the LA Angels resulted in nice popularity for his uniform change card depicting him in an Angels uniform for the first time. These sell around $50-75. Rivera’s retirement tour with the Yankees and final season kept the attention high on his 2019 issue cards. His Topps Transcendent on-card auto /5 sold for an astonishing $10,000. Even base Rivera and Pujols rookies hold steady $20-30 values.
Some of the most visually stunning parallels came in the form of Topps Sapphire and Topps Finest. The flashy blue Sapphire cards numbered /50 or less brought huge premiums. For example, a Mike Trout Sapphire auto relic numbered /10 realized over $2000. Finest with its high-end photo variations and on-card autos were equally as desirable. A Cody Bellinger Finest Spectrum Blue Wave auto /5 sold for north of $1000. Finest parallels with legends or stars frequently commanded $300-500 range. Perhaps the scarcest parallel though was Topps Tek which featured 3D player images on high-tech cards. A Christian Yelich Tek auto /5 went for an eye-popping $4500.
Hometown heroes continually are strong performers as well. In Cubs country, a Javier Baez Topps Fire refractor auto /99 fetched $650. For the Red Sox faithful, a Xander Bogaerts Topps Transcendent dual memorabilia auto 1/1 with a piece of jersey and bat sold for $2300.Stars on new teams after offseason moves like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado had increased value. A Harper Topps Finest Spectrum Green auto /5 realized $750 while a Machado Topps Transcendent quad relic auto 1/1 crossed $1700. Rookies to watch like Eloy Jimenez and Fernando Tatis Jr also saw solid early demand before fully breaking out in 2019-20.
As more time passes, the standout rookies and short print parallels from the 2019 Topps set will continue gaining in collector demand. With players like Alonso, Soto, Tatis Jr, and Acuna Jr likely to be future Hall of Famers, their premier cards may someday rival the costs of legends like Trout, Jeter and Griffey Jr. For savvy investors, locating pristine versions of the above mentioned notable 2019 Topps cards and holding for the longterm provides the potential for strong returns. Even partial PC builders love hunting for affordable issues from this popular set to enjoy the players and moments it captures from that season.
