Randy Johnson is considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time and his baseball cards can be extremely valuable, especially for collectors. Let’s take an in-depth look at some of Randy Johnson’s top rookie and most valuable baseball cards that are worth significant money on the current market.
In 1985, Randy Johnson was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 2nd round of the MLB draft. His rookie cards from his early playing days with the Expos don’t tend to be worth huge money, but they are desirable for collectors looking to get Randy Johnson rookie cards in their collection. One of his key rookie cards is the 1985 Donruss Randy Johnson rookie card. This iconic cardboard features a young Rawhide pitching for the Expos organization. In near mint to mint condition, examples of this rookie card in a PSA or BGS gem mint 10 grade are valued around $150-200.
After a few seasons in the minors, Johnson made his MLB debut with the Expos in 1988. Two rookie cards from that year that are worth noting for collectors are the 1988 Fleer Update Randy Johnson rookie and the 1988 Score Randy Johnson rookie card. The Fleer Update rookie in a PSA 10 is valued around $150 while the 1988 Score in PSA 10 condition fetches approximately $125-150. While not exactly cheap, these represent attainable options for acquiring a Randy Johnson rookie from his true MLB debut season.
In 1989, Randy Johnson had his breakout season with the Expos. He struck out a whopping 230 batters while winning the NL strikeout title. This incredible season established Johnson as one of the game’s most dominant pitchers and turbocharged interest in his cards. One of his key cards from 1989 is the Ted Williams 1989 Leaf Randy Johnson. Featuring parallel autographs of Johnson and the legendary Williams, graded examples of this rare parallel sign Card in a PSA/DNA 10 are worth a stunning $4,000-$5,000 today. Finding one in pristine condition would be a true coup for any Randy Johnson collector.
After the 1989 season, Randy Johnson was surprisingly traded from the Expos to the Seattle Mariners prior to the 1990 campaign. With Seattle, Johnson continued to overpower hitters and cement his status as an ace. A card from his early Mariners tenure worth noting is the 1991 Upper Deck Randy Johnson. Graded PSA 10 copies have sold for up to $500 in recent years due to the rarity and desire for high-end versions of this classic Mariners card. Even raw, ungraded copies still demand $50-75 due to Johnson’s rising stardom by this point.
From 1992-1998, Randy Johnson established himself as arguably the most feared and dominant pitcher in all of baseball as a longtime ace of the Seattle Mariners staff. His 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995 Fleer Ultra cards from this run are all quite collectible and hold Values north of $50 even in raw form due to his superstar status. One card stands out among the rest from this Seattle period – the esteemed 1996 Ultra Randy Johnson.
The 1996 Ultra Johnson is a true icon from the golden era of 1990s sports cards. It features “The Big Unit” glaring down at hitters from the Mariners mound in all his hulking, 6’10 stature greatness. In a gold-foil stamped PSA 10 condition, a 1996 Ultra Randy Johnson in pristine shape will set collectors back a hefty $1,500-2,000. Even raw copies still command $150-250 today due to its iconic imagery, desirability among Mariners fans, and Johnson’s all-time great career at its apex in Seattle. Finding a true gem mint PSA 10 copy would be a true blue chip card for any collection.
After departing Seattle in a controversial trade during the 1998 season, Johnson was dealt to the Houston Astros. With Houston that year, he put up video game numbers – striking out a mind-blowing 284 batters to set a new MLB single season strikeout record. His cards skyrocketed as a result, including his 1998 Leaf Limited Randy Johnson signed autograph card. A PSA/DNA authenticated example with a Johnson signature and a mint 10 grade could eclipse $3,000 today for serious collectors. His record-setting season cards overall remain quite pricey.
In 1999, Randy Johnson signed a massive free agent deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. With Arizona, Johnson proved he could dominate not just with blazing fastballs, but also in huge pressure playoff and World Series moments. Arguably his most famous performance came in the 2001 World Series against the vaunted Yankees, where he tossed a perfect game to lead the D-Backs to a championship. Cards from Johnson’s early Diamondbacks tenure hold strong values, such as the 2000 Fleer Tradition Randy Johnson. A near-mint PSA 8 of this card has sold for $150 while gems fetch over $250 easily.
The 2000 season also saw Randy Johnson take home the NL Cy Young award for the first time with the Diamondbacks. A true prize card from that season is the coveted 2000 Bowman’s Best Refractors parallel parallel card. This rare refractors parallel features a highly desired mini “refractor” effect that pops under light. In pristine PSA 10 or BGS 10 condition, the 2000 Bowman’s Best Refractors Randy Johnson has changed hands for up to $800 due to its flashy allure. More common refractor parallels still sell for $150-250.
In 2001 of course, Randy Johnson took his Diamondbacks to the promised land – winning the World Series over the vaunted Yankees with his legendary perfect game in Game 6 sealing the deal. His cards exploded in desirability as a result, including the ultra-coveted 2001 Playoff Contenders Ticket Randy Johnson autograph card. A PSA 10 of this uber-rare autographed parallel routinely sells for $1,500-2,000 due to the extreme scarcity of high-grade autographed pieces from his World Series-winning season in Arizona. Other rookie cards and parallels jumped greatly too from the surge in popularity.
After 2002 and a few more solid years pitching for the World Champion Diamondbacks, Randy Johnson was shockingly traded to the powerful New York Yankees before the 2005 season. With New York that year and into 2006 he put up typical dominant numbers. A true holy grail card from his short Yankees tenure is the 2005 SP Legendary Cuts Randy Johnson 1/1 printing plate. This one-of-one printing plate from Select Prizm is the soleEXAMPLE cut from the official plates used by the manufacturer. Considered perhaps the ultimate Randy Johnson card among collectors, it has been offered upwards of $6,000 in recent private sales to die-hard collectors.
In total, Randy Johnson pitched professionally from 1988 all the way through 2009 with storied stops in Montreal, Seattle, Houston, Arizona, the Yankees and brief stints elsewhere. Some other key Randy Johnson cards worth value today include:
1998 Donruss Masters Collection Record Breakers Randy Johnson (PSA 10 sold for $650)
1999 Fleer Tradition Update Randy Johnson (Gem Mint PSA 10 values at $250+)
2001 Bowman’s Best Refractors Randy Johnson (PSA 10 sold for over $500)
2002 Fleer Greats of the Game Randy Johnson materials patch card (#/10) PSA 10 ($1,000 range)
2003 Topps Diamond Anniversary Randy Johnson (Gem Mint PSA 10 values $150+)
So in summary – while not all of Randy Johnson’s 5,000+ career cards hold earth-shaking values, his true rookie cards, icons from dominant seasons, rare autographs, serial 1/1 printing plates and high-grade gem versions of classics are where the big money resides for collectors. For those who snagged a pristine RJ card in the past, it could very well be a true investment piece today. The Big Unit’s Hall of Fame career and dominance has ensured interest in his vintage cardboard long lives on.
