The year 2012 was another strong year for the baseball card hobby, with high prices continuing to be paid for some of the games’ all-time stars and top rookie cards. While vintage cards from the 1950s and 1960s typically top annual sales charts due to their historical significance and extremely low print runs, modern-day stars also pulled in big money at auction due to high levels of popularity and on-field success.
One of the most expensive cards sold in 2012 was a 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner card, arguably the most coveted sports card of all-time. In January, auction house SCP sold a PSA NM-MT 8 example of the legendary Wagner for an astounding $2.8 million, setting a new record for the highest price ever paid for a baseball card. While high-grade examples regularly trade for over $1 million, this example stands out as the only Wagner to crack the $2 million mark to date.
Staying in the pre-war tobacco era, a near-perfect 1933 Goudey #53 Babe Ruth exchanged hands privately for $756,000. The Ruth, considered the second most valuable card after Honus Wagner, received a PSA grading of SGC NM-MT 8. Though not setting a new record, it marked another 7-figure transaction for one of the earliest and most iconic cards featuring MLB’s all-time home run king.
Modern stars also achieved impressive sale prices. A 2009 Bowman Sterling prospect card of Los Angeles Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw sold for $65,100 in May. As one of Kershaw’s earliest rookie cards, it captured his breakout 2011 season that saw him win the NL CY Young Award. With 2 Cy Youngs already and perennial contention for the award, Kershaw mania hasn’t slowed and this card showed why he is one of the games most in-demand young stars.
Staying in Los Angeles, a 2008 Topps Update rookie card of Angels star Mike Trout sold for $46,770 in April. The card captured Trout on the verge of his recall to the Angels after dominating the minors in 2011. He would go on to have one of the finest rookie seasons in baseball history, taking home the AL Rookie of the Year award and foreshadowing a future all-time great career that continues today. As one of the only widespread Trout rookies available, it traded hands at a massive premium over other 2008 cards.
Fans of the Atlanta Braves enjoyed strong prices for Chipper Jones cards in 2012 as the longtime star third baseman played his final MLB season. A 1995 Finest Refractor #149 of Jones, one of the more coveted refractors from the set that started the insert craze, sold for $36,000 in July. The card captured Jones early in his Hall of Fame career and remains a must-have for any collection.
Another Brave, Andruw Jones, whose 51 home runs in 2005 propelled him to an 11th place finish on the all-time single season home run list, saw a 2005 Topps Rookie Cup parallel sell for $27,250 in June. The parallel featured a 1/1 print run and captured Jones during the prime of his career patrolling centerfield in Atlanta alongside Chipper.
Mantle mania was also alive and well in 2012. A 1953 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle in PSA NM-MT 8 condition sold privately for a whopping $366,000 in April, tying for the 17th highest price ever paid for a Mantle card. It marked the first time that particular serial number Mantle had crossed the $200,000 threshold.
Other notable sales included Derek Jeter’s iconic 1996 Upper Deck SP Autography selling for $31,250, a 2001 Bowman Chrome Mike Trout rookie parallel fetching $29,000, and a 1914 Cracker Jack Lou Gehrig rookie card achieving $17,200 despite heavy condition issues. Rookies of future stars also stayed hot, with cards like a 2009 Bowman Draft Auto-Patch Mike Trout (#19/25) selling for $15,000 and a 2010 Bowman Chrome Bryce Harper parallel fetching $13,500.
Vintage rookies from decades past also received strong bids. A 1933 Goudey #110 Jimmie Foxx rookie traded privately for $95,000. In August, a PSA 2 1932 Diamond Stars #8 Babe Ruth rookie blasted its owners into the money by selling for $43,850. A 1960 Topps #311 Ken Boyer, considered among the most aesthetically pleasing designs ever, sold for $26,750 despite low-end centering.
As evidenced by these sales, the baseball card market not only continues to value cards chronicling MLB’s all-time great players in the pre-war era like Wagner, Ruth, and Gehrig. Modern stars from Kershaw and Trout to Harper and Jones continue to ascend price-wise, buoyed by on-field performance and popularity. Rookie cards remain the most prized, but vintage stars achieve top dollar too as Mantle continues to hold cache. With a robust vintage scene and booming modern segment alike, the baseball card hobby shows no signs of slowing.
