The year 2013 saw some truly noteworthy rookie cards emerge and past legends grow increasingly valuable. While sports card values constantly fluctuate based on the latest sales reports and industry experts’ evaluations, here are some of the baseball cards that stood out as particularly valuable during the 2013 calendar year.
One of the most coveted rookie cards of 2013 was Mike Trout’s 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Superfractors card. Featuring the then-prospect and now two-time American League MVP, only five of these ultra-rare Trout cards were produced. They contain the lowest print run of any modern baseball card. With Trout quickly cementing himself as one of the greatest players of his generation, these cards sold for astronomical prices whenever one became available. Some reports had individual Trout Superfractors trading hands for over $200,000 in 2013, making them comfortably the most valuable baseball card of that year.
AnotherTrout rookie that demand grew markedly for was his 2009 Bowman Sterling card, the condition-sensitive version of his base Bowman rookie. High-grade examples graded Gem Mint 10 by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) or BGS sold for $15,000-$20,000 last year. With Trout’s all-world talent on full display by this point, interest in these rookie cards expanded well beyond just diehard collectors. Plenty of average fans started taking an interest simply because Trout seemed destined for the Hall of Fame someday.
One other relatively modern baseball card to see a explosion in value was the 2009 Topps Update Blue Refractor Parallel of Bryce Harper. Featuring the uber-hyped Nationals prospect, graded examples reached prices of $3,000-$5,000 in 2013. Harper’s combination of prodigious power and hype positioned him as potentially the next Trout and Babe Ruth rolled into one, creating demand for his early cards. While Harper has yet to quite live up to those sky-high expectations, his cards remain highly sought after.
For cards from a bit earlier, Ken Griffey Jr. rookies remained coveted investment pieces into the new decade. The 1989 Upper Deck Kevin Griffey Jr was particularly prestigious, with PSA 10 examples hitting $5,000 price tags in some 2013 auction sales. The 1990 Score Griffey rookie traded hands for similar amounts among serious collectors. With Griffey’s career home run total and highlights cemented him among the greatest ever, interest in revisiting his rookie cardboard continued growing. Whether raw or encapsulated by a third party grading service, Griffey rookies stayed popular.
For true icons of the game, Mickey Mantle’s 1952 Topps card in top condition remained one of 2013’s most valuable collectibles across all of sports. Mantle is considered the finest switch hitter ever and one of the game’s early superstars. A single mint PSA 8 copy went for a staggering $100,000 at a Goldin Auctions event, while a solitary graded PSA 6.5 example still fetched $50,000. The raw 1952 Topps cards attracted a little less money but remained intensely sought after museum-quality pieces. Mantle fever showed no signs of ending even six decades after his legendary career.
Perhaps surprisingly, the 1949 Bowman Pee Wee Reese rookie card also emerged as a highly-prized find for collectors in 2013, trading hands in the $12,000-$18,000 range whenever one crossed the auction block. This was despite Reese’s career statistics not matching the all-time greats. His role as longtime captain of the great Brooklyn Dodgers teams made his early cardboard hugely appealing to both vintage and team collectors alike. With few surviving examples in solid condition, the scarcity alone created sizeable demand.
The 1956 Topps Hank Aaron rookie was also elevated to new heights of valuation in 2013 from its previously lofty status. Always a six-figure card in pristine condition, a lone PSA 8 speciment rose as high as $150,000 at Goldin’s Orlando winter show. “Hammerin’ Hank’s” title as home run king and his landmark career made any card featuring his early playing days coveted trophies for the most well-heeled collectors. The Hammer remained a source of inspiration long after his retirement as well.
In summary, 2013 brought both established stars and promising young players to new heights in the memorabilia market. Icons like Mantle and Aaron saw their earliest representations climb to never-before-seen prices. Meanwhile, modern greats like Trout started accruing legendary status themselves, at rates scarcely imaginable in years past. With the sports card industry’s financial strength growing annually, the potential for rookie cards to gain immense value in just a few short years became readily apparent. 2013 reinforced the notion that, in the memorabilia world, stars are born anew as rapidly as the cards are printed and pedigrees are achieved.
