Nolan Ryan is considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time based on his incredible career stats and accomplishments. Over 27 Major League Baseball seasons from 1966 to 1993, Ryan established records that still stand today for strikeouts, no-hitters, and pitching three no-hitters after age 40. It’s no surprise then that some of Ryan’s most rare and valuable trading cards were produced early in his career when Topps, Fleer, and other brands were documenting his rise to stardom.
One of the rarest Ryan rookie cards is the 1964 Topps Nolan Ryan #552. Only about 50 of these cards are known to exist in mint condition. The 1964 Topps set marked Ryan’s MLB rookie card debut after he broke into the big leagues with the New York Mets late in the 1963 season. Since he had so little playing time that year, the 1964 Topps card is generally considered his true rookie. In a near gem mint condition grading 9, a 1964 Nolan Ryan Topps rookie recently sold at auction for over $25,000, showing the card’s incredible rise in value among hardcore collectors.
Another very scarce early Ryan issue is the 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan #597 card. By this time, Ryan was establishing himself as a fireballing strikeout machine for the Mets. There was a production error with the 1968 Topps set where the photo negative used for Ryan’s card was accidentally swapped with another player’s, leaving Ryan’s card extremely rare. Only a small batch is believed to exist with this photo swap before Topps caught and corrected the mistake. One graded mint condition example fetched nearly $9,000 at a recent auction.
Switching over to his years with the California Angels, one of the most prized Ryan baseball cards is the 1972 Topps Traded Nolan Ryan #T97. Topps produced Traded sets in the early 1970s featuring players who were traded mid-season, and Ryan’s first season with the Angels in 1972 after being dealt by the Mets certainly qualified. Fewer than 10 graded mint T97 Ryan cards are known to exist today, making it the ultimate key card from his Angels period. A gem mint 10 copy sold for nearly $50,000 back in 2017.
After establishing himself as a true star and ace of the Angels staff, Ryan’s 1973 Topps card #183 is a significant issue as it marks his first full season with the Halos. High grade versions still fetch thousands because of its place in documenting the prime of Ryan’s career. But an even rarer related card is the 1973 Topps Mini Nolan Ryan, which was produced as an oversized mini card roughly 50% smaller than a standard issue. Thought to number around only 10-20 surviving copies, one in near mint condition brought over $12,000 at auction.
When Ryan was traded to the Houston Astros in 1979, it again triggered sought-after Traded issues from that year. The 1979 Topps Traded Nolan Ryan #91 FT marks his debut with the Astros and is one of the scarcer traded variants out there, with fewer than 20 specimens thought to still exist. A pristine gem mint copy recently sold privately for close to $25,000. But Ryan’s standard 1979 Topps card #134 is significant too for documenting his first season in Houston where he struck out a single-season record 383 batters. Higher graded versions still move for four figures.
As Ryan’s playing career wound down, two final rare variants stood out. In 1988, Ryan finally pitched his legendary record-setting 5th career no-hitter at age 44 with the Texas Rangers. This made the 1988 Topps Traded Nolan Ryan #91 T card immensely popular, depicting him in a Rangers uniform after the early season trade from the Astros. Roughly 50 specimens are believed accounted for today, with the cream of the crop selling north of $5,000. And capping Ryan’s prolific career was his 300th career victory in 1991 with the Rangers. The resulting 1991 Upper Deck Nolan Ryan #300 card celebrated this milestone and marked one of the first baseball cards ever produced by the Upper Deck company. Only about 20 copies are known to exist in pristine mint condition, causing values to skyrocket over recent years to as high as $12,000 each.
Any Nolan Ryan card from his early years with the Mets in the 1960s, key issues like his 1972 and 1979 Traded varieties, or late career milestones such as his 1988 no-hitter and 1991 300th win are considered the most valuable and highly collectible in the hobby today. While mint condition examples of some are virtually impossible to track down, the lasting popularity and production scarcity of Nolan Ryan’s best cards have cemented them as truly rare investments for dedicated baseball card collectors. Few players can match Ryan’s combination of incredible on-field accomplishments and collectible card history.
