Baseball cards have long been a staple of the sport, documenting players, teams, statistics and more in a collectible format dating back over 130 years. While individual cards can be bought, sold and traded on their own merits, some cards have become especially notable for their rarity, condition or historical significance. Here we’ll take an in-depth look at 42 iconic baseball cards that help tell the story of America’s pastime.

We’ll start with one of the earliest and most valuable baseball cards in existence – the 1888 Old Judge tobacco card featuring Clarence Beaumont of the Louisville Eclipse. Produced during the infancy of baseball cards as a promotional item inserted in tobacco products, only five examples are known to exist today in various states of preservation. The card captures an early period of professional baseball and its players. In mint condition, an Old Judge Beaumont card could fetch over $1 million at auction.

Jump ahead several years to the 1909-11 T206 set, one of the most iconic non-sport issues in card collecting history. Highlights include the rare Honus Wagner, considered the “Mona Lisa” of trading cards with less than 50 known to exist. Grading a gem mint, it has sold for over $3 million. Other notable T206s are the Eddie Plank and Joe Jackson with their rarity and ties to early baseball legends. Plank’s card has a record price tag of $586,750.

The 1933 Goudey Baseball Cards release reintroduced the sport to the collecting scene and included some of the game’s biggest stars of the 1930s. Babe Ruth’s iconic image from the set in near-mint condition would be worth over $200,000 today. Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx are other Hall of Famers featured. Foxx’s card holds the record as the most valuable Goudey at $92,000 in a PSA 8 grade.

Moving into the post-World War II era, the 1952 Topps set became the first true “modern” design that would influence Topps for decades. Iconic rookies like Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and Sandy Koufax had their first cards in the set. A Mays in near-mint condition would be valued around $30,000 today. The ’52 Topps introduced many production aspects still used by card companies.

The 1959 Topps set is legendary for introducing the first cards of baseball legends like Hank Aaron, Willie McCovey and Bob Gibson among its rookie class. High-grade examples of Aaron’s iconic first card can fetch over $10,000. McCovey and Gibson also debuted that year and their cards remain highly sought after by collectors. The ’59 Topps set the standard for the post-war boom in the hobby.

In the 1960s, Topps continued to be the dominant baseball card producer but competitors like Fleer began to emerge. The 1961 Fleer set made history by featuring the first cards of Nolan Ryan and Dick Allen. Graded examples of their incredibly rare rookie cards can sell for over $100,000. Allen has the highest valued at $198,000 in one PSA 8 auction. The ’61 Fleer blazed a trail as the first successful non-Topps set.

Topps’ 1965 and ’67 issues are legendary for their action photography and capturing icons of the era like Sandy Koufax’s perfect game pose and Roberto Clemente’s signature stance. High-grade Koufax and Clemente ’65s can fetch over $10,000 each. The ’67 set is especially iconic for its revolutionary design changes like color photos and player information on the back. Mint examples remain quite valuable.

The 1968 Topps set holds extra significance as the final cards produced before Major League Baseball players went on strike. As a result, the ’68s capture the last images of the “Original 16” franchises before expansion changed the sport’s landscape. Stars like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Juan Marichal had some of their best and most identifiable cards in this set before the strike impacted the ’69s.

In the early 1970s, Topps faced new competition from Fleer and the exciting Kellogg’s 3-D baseball card set. The 1971 Topps set is especially iconic for its post-strike design changes like team logos on the fronts. Meanwhile, the ultra-rare ’71 Kellogg’s 3-D cards are some of the most visually stunning ever made with holograms and lenticular images. Top examples can sell for over $10,000. The innovative 3-D issue pushed collectible design boundaries.

The 1973 Topps set became famous for its “Award” parallel subset featuring star sluggers like Hank Aaron, Willie Stargell and Reggie Jackson with dazzling blue borders. High-grade examples of the parallels are valued around $1,000 each. The ’73s also captured the rise of future Hall of Famers like Johnny Bench. The parallel subset made ’73 Topps a true collector favorite.

In the mid-1970s, Mike Schmidt began his Hall of Fame career and his iconic rookie card appeared in the 1975 Topps set. High-grade examples remain pricy at $1,500+. His follow-up ’76 rookie card is even more coveted by collectors. The ’76s also featured rookie cards for Hall of Famers like Andre Dawson and Dave Winfield. The era captured the emergence of stars that would dominate for decades.

The 1977 Topps set became famous for its innovative design changes like team-colored borders and action photos extending off the sides of the cards. This highly creative set gave collectors some of their most visually exciting cards ever featuring the likes of George Brett and Reggie Jackson. Near-mint ’77s remain quite valuable in the $50-100 range. The design pushed the boundaries.

The early 1980s saw the card industry boom to new heights. Rookie cards of future stars like Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn appeared in the 1981 issue while Donruss debuted as a competitor with its ’81 set as well. Gwynn’s Donruss rookie is the pricier of his ’81s at $500+ in high grade. Ripken and Gwynn would become defining players of the decade and their early cards captured the beginning.

In 1982, the sport was rocked by a players’ strike but Topps released its set featuring the last cards of the pre-strike season. This included Fernando Valenzuela’s iconic rookie after his sensational debut that captured the country’s imagination. High grades of his ’82 Topps RC remain around $500. The set had a unique place in documenting a pivotal time before the work stoppage impacted ’83s.

The 1983 Topps Traded set is legendary for introducing the first cards of Hall of Famers like Ryne Sandberg and Darryl Strawberry among its rookie class. Near-mint examples of Sandberg and Strawberry’s coveted Traded rookie cards can sell for over $1,000 each. The innovative Traded set captured the next generation of stars.

The 1987 Topps set is one of the most iconic issues of the 1980s. It featured rookie cards for future Hall of Famers like Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas. Near-mint copies of their legendary rookie cards remain in the $100-300 range. The ’87s perfectly captured one of the most talented rookie classes in baseball history who would dominate for decades.

In 1989, Upper Deck stunned the hobby by debuting as a competitor and producing the most elaborately designed cards the industry had ever seen with state-of-the-art production techniques. The ’89 UD set included the premier rookies of Ken Griffey Jr. and Chipper Jones. High grades of their rookie RCs can reach $1,000 each. Upper Deck changed the game.

The 1990 Topps Traded set made history by introducing the first cards of Bryce Harper among its rookie class before he ever played a Major League game. Near-mint copies of his unprecedented pre- MLB rookie card sell for around $200 today. The ’90 Traded set pushed boundaries by featuring players so early in their careers.

The 1991 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card became one of the most iconic and valuable modern issues ever produced. High grades of his perfectly captured rookie UD RC remain around $3,000-5,000. Meanwhile, the ’91 Topps set featured rookie cards for Derek Jeter and Chipper Jones among its stellar class. Near-mint Jeter and Jones RCs are $100-300. The ’91s captured stars who would define the decade.

The 1992 Bowman set made headlines by introducing the very first professional cards featuring future legends like Jeter, Chipper Jones, Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez. High grades of their ultra-rare ’92 Bowman rookie cards can reach $1,000-5,000 each depending on the player. Bowman blazed a trail by being the first to sign prospects pre-MLB.

In the mid-1990s, collectors went wild for inserts featuring retired legends. The 1995 Finest set featured “Refinest” parallels of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner. Near-mint examples remain around $1,000 each. Insert sets brought back icons of the past. Meanwhile, the ’95 Ultra set debuted the first Ken Griffey Jr. autograph card that still fetches over $1,000 in high grade today.

The 1996 Ultra set made headlines by introducing the first pro cards of future stars like Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra and Todd Helton.