The baseball card market continues to skyrocket in value year after year. As collectors scramble to find the rarest and most coveted cards from decades past, today’s modern issues also hold tremendous potential to gain value over time. 2021 saw several highly sought-after rookie cards emerge that could end up appreciating exponentially in the decades to come. Let’s take a look at some of the most valuable baseball cards printed in 2021 based on their current secondary market prices.
Heading the list is without question the Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps card. Always a hallmark of the hobby, the Mantle rookie card remains the undisputed king of sports memorabilia. Graded mint examples can sell for well over $5 million, making it significantly more valuable than any other trading card in existence. While the 1952 issue was obviously not printed this past year, several high-dollar Mantle cards from later in his career that were pulled fresh from 2021 packs make the headlines.
Some examples include his superbly centered 1956 Topps card, which has sold for as much as $400,000 in top-grade. Also his 1969 Topps card, considered one of his final iconic cardboard images before retirement, which achieved $250,000 for a pristine copy. With Mantle’s legend and on-field feats cemented in baseball immortality, condition sensitive editions of his classic cards will hold elite status and value for collectors eternally.
From the current crop of players hitting the big leagues, Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani’s rookie cards set record prices. His 2018 Topps Chrome Yellow Refractor auto fetched over $900,000, making it one of the priciest baseball cards ever. Other high-dollar Ohtani rookies include an elegant on-card autograph from 2018 Bowman Draft Superfractor Patch that sold for $412,000. With his unique ability to dominate as both a pitcher and hitter, Ohtani is one of the biggest crossover stars in sports today. As long as he stays healthy and productive, expect his early cards to become some of the costliest modern issues around.
Another player whose star is rising incredibly fast is Seattle Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodriguez. The 21-year old wunderkind cleaned up Rookie of the Year honors in 2022 and looks destined for superstardom. His flagship 2021 Topps Chrome Red Refractor auto /99 pulled in an astronomical $350,000 sale. Even more intriguing is a green shimmer parallel version numbered to /10 that hammered for a mind-blowing $640,000, setting a new record price for any Rodriguez card. There’s little doubt this 5-tool talent will crack many all-time Mariners records when it’s all said and done, locking in his early editions as premier Northwest sports collectibles.
The San Diego Padres farm system vaulted them onto the big stage in 2021 thanks to emerging superstars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto. While not true rookies anymore, their heritage and prospect years hold tremendous nostalgia and allure. A gold label Fernando Tatis Jr. Topps Chrome RC auto /50 from 2018 brought $240,000. Even more, his 2018 Bowman Chrome International Superfractor BGS 9.5 gem mint netted a cool $400,000. For Juan Soto, considered one of the game’s best pure hitters, his finest card is the rare 2015 Bowman Chrome Superfractor auto BGS 9.5 that commanded $450,000. Both Tatis and Soto are locked in long term with the Friars, guaranteeing their Padres RC’s will rise to the top of that franchise’s collecting food chain.
We’d be remiss not to mention rookie cards of other soon-to-be superstars who jumped onto the scene in 2021 like Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, and Blue Jays standout Bo Bichette. While still early in the recognition cycle for these players, graded versions of their Topps Chrome RCs (Judge /2013, Alcantara /2014, Bichette /2019) are pushing four figures across the board with more upside still ahead as their careers progress. And who could forget super-prospects like Cardinals’ Jordan Walker and Cardinals’ Jack Leiter who tantalized collectors with their 2021 Bowman Chrome autos primed to skyrocket if they live up to expectations on the field.
While 1952 Mantle and Ohtani era cards reign supreme for now, the 2021 season unearthed a new class of future collecting royalty headlined by Rodriguez, Tatis Jr., and Soto who are poised to carry torch for what’s hottest and most costly on the market for years to come. Condition sensitive, low-serial numbered rookies and prospects from modern issues still hold the keys to six and seven figure scores with the right player and grades. The card values above illustrate just how much stardom and career success can elevate cardboard from any given year into the monetary stratosphere.
