The hobby of collecting baseball cards exploded in the 1970s and the 1977 Topps set is considered one of the most iconic of the era. While many of the commons cards from that year can still be found relatively cheaply, there are some extremely rare and valuable rookie and star player cards that have sold for astonishing sums. Let’s take a look at some of the most expensive 1977 Topps baseball cards that have been sold.
Perhaps the most noteworthy card from the set is the Hank Aaron rookie card. Aaron is considered one of the greatest hitters of all time and finished his career with 755 home runs, which stood as the MLB record for over 30 years until it was broken by Barry Bonds in 2007. Aaron’s rookie card with the Milwaukee Braves is the true Holy Grail for collectors because Topps only produced a very small number of them in the 1955 set when Aaron was just starting out. Given the rarity and significance of owning the rookie card of baseball’s home run king, a PSA 8 graded copy sold for $299,999 back in 2016, making it one of the costliest baseball cards ever sold at that point.
Staying with rookie cards from the 1977 Topps set, another incredibly expensive card is the George Brett rookie. Brett went on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Kansas City Royals primarily as a third baseman but also spent time in the outfield and first base. He was an offensive force who won 3 batting titles and helped lead KC to a World Series title in 1985. The scarcity of his rookie card combined with his legendary status has pushed PSA 8 and 9 graded versions all the way up to $60,000-$80,000 at recent auctions.
Robin Yount’s rookie card from 1977 Topps also fetches enormous sums in high grades due to his excellent 20 year career entirely spent with the Milwaukee Brewers. A shortstop who later switched to center field, Yount was a 14-time All-Star, 2-time AL MVP and key member of the 1982 Brewers World Series winning team. Highly graded PSA 9 copies have gone for $42,000, showing that collectors recognize the importance of owning a Hall of Famer’s first issued card while they were establishing themselves as a big league regular.
Craig Reynolds had one of the briefest MLB careers of any player whose rookie card became exceptionally valuable. An outfielder for the San Diego Padres in 1977, Reynolds appeared in just 14 games and had 23 total at-bats before his playing time was taken by better players. This extremely limited major league exposure makes his 1977 Topps card extremely rare in high grades. An uncirculated PSA 9 copy achieved the astronomical price of $36,900 back in 2013. Collectors love flash-in-the-pan careers that led to scarce rookie cards regardless of the actual on-field career.
Another star whose rookie appears in the 1977 set is pitcher Dave Righetti of the New York Yankees. Righetti broke in as a starter but transitioned to becoming the game’s premier relief specialist, saving over 200 games while being named an All-Star twice. His rookie fetched $30,000 in PSA 8 condition. Righetti’s career statistics alone earned him consideration for Cooperstown, and paired with the classic Topps design, his earliest card remains a sought-after piece for serious collectors.
Switch-hitting catcher Terry Kennedy had a lengthy career primarily with the San Francisco Giants and Montreal Expos. Not a true superstar but a solid player for over a decade in the bigs. Kennedy’s rookie card though has become incredibly scarce to find in high grade. One example recently sold in PSA 9 condition for a tremendous $24,000, driven purely by condition rarity in the competitive third-string catcher market. This serves as an example of how demand from collectors can elevate the price of even lesser known players.
While the Yankees’ Ron Guidry is best remembered for his Cy Young winning and near perfect 1978 season which propelled him to stardom, his rookie card from 1977 Topps starts the journey for collectors. Guidry toed the rubber for the Bronx Bombers for his entire career mostly as a dominant starting pitcher. Despite the availability of Guidry’s earlier cards in other sets, collectors covet his Topps rookie. High end PSA/SGC 9 examples are approaching $10,000 with the potential for future growth as Guidry’s already legendary career and history with the most famous franchise continues to be celebrated.
While most 1977 Topps baseball cards can be acquired relatively affordably still, the true gem rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like George Brett along with extremely scarce early issues of stars like Robin Yount and Terry Kennedy have proven to be appreciating investments that provide a tangible connection to some of the greatest players in MLB history for wealthy collectors. As the vintage card market has grown exponentially, these iconic rookies from that classic design year of 1977 will likely remain at the very top in demand and value for the foreseeable future.
