While some of the most valuable baseball cards are rookies of all-time great players like Mickey Mantle, even random cards from random sets can be worth a lot of money. With over a century of baseball card history, there are countless oddball cards that would be surprises to find in your collection. Here are some examples of random baseball cards that could end up being worth significant money:

1914 Baltimore Terrapins Benny Kauff (PSA NM-MT 8): Benny Kauff was a speedster player/manager for the Terrapins minor league team in 1914 and later made it to the majors. The card itself is quite iconic looking making it a highly sought after oddball issue. High grade examples have sold for over $13,000 due to the rarity and historical significance of the Terrapins franchise and Kauff’s career.

1933 Goudey Hughie Jennings (PSA Excellent 4): This card features Hall of Fame manager Hughie Jennings but because it comes from a seemingly standard 1933 Goudey set released during the Deadball Era, it often gets overlooked. Its high grades can sell for over $4,000 since the set is quite tough to find in top condition due to the paper quality used at the time.

1933 Butter Cream Frank Shellenback (PSA NM-MT 8): This bizarre oddball card was likely included in tubs of Butter Cream Topping as a sales promotional item. Very few are believed to exist today and one in excellent centering and surfaces sold for nearly $10,000. Any pre-WWII oddball issues are highly sought by advanced collectors.

1939 Play Ball Johnny Antonelli (PSA NM-MT 8): Johnny Antonelli had a solid 14 year MLB career but is mostly forgotten today. His very rare 1939 Play Ball card, only the 2nd year the set was issued and with striking artwork, has realized prices up to $4,200 when high graded. Condition is everything for pre-war oddballs.

1948 Bowman Rip Sewell (PSA NM-MT 8): Sewell had a long successful career as a knuckleballing pitcher but his 1948 Bowman rookie is quite overlooked. Higher grades though have still sold for around $4,000 since the set has beautiful artwork and color and high grade 1948’s are challenging to acquire.

1951 Bowman Roy McMillan (PSA Gem Mint 10): McMillan had a good career as a second baseman but played in the 1950s when many stars overshadowed him. Extremely high graded examples though of this classic 1951 Bowman design have pushed $7,500 at auction given the rarity of GEM 10s from the vintage.

1955 Topps Warren Spahn (PSA NM-MT 8): Spahn is recognized as a Hall of Fame pitcher but outside the condition sensitive 1960 rookie, his other vintage cards can be found for reasonable prices. His 1955 Topps which has a very distinct photo and design has seen even higher graded common versions push close to $5,000.

1956 Topps Bob Friend (PSA Gem Mint 10): Friend had a good career winning over 200 games but is a largely forgotten name today. In a PSA 10 though, this beautiful 1956 design has pushed above $12,000 at auction for the sheer rarity of any 1956 in pristine grade. Condition rules the values for vintage.

1960 Topps Norm Cash (PSA Gem Mint 10): Cash’s 1961 rookie is his marquee card but high grades of even his earlier 1960 Topps card have pushed $7,500. The 1960 design is arguably Topps finest and a Gem Mint 10 example, while obviously incredibly rare, found a willing buyer at that price point.

1969 Topps Willie Mays (PSA Gem Mint 10): Considered one of the most attractive card designs of all-time, Mays’ 1969 is always in high demand. But even in the past, common parallel versions have pushed $4,200 for the sheer rarity of a PSA 10 quality card from over 50 years ago. Condition is paramount to value.

1972 Topps N.L. Rookie Stars (PSA Gem Mint 10 set): This unique “team” style set features a who’s who of future Hall of Famers. Complete pristine PSA 10 graded sets though have realized over $12,000. The condition sensitive ’72 design makes high graded examples extraordinarily rare to find.

1982 Fleer Update Kirk Gibson (PSA Gem Mint 10): While Gibson’s 1984 Donruss rookie gets all the acclaim, his incredibly rare 1982 Fleer Update rookie which was only available as an insert in factory sets has hit $5,000 in Gem Mint condition. Condition defines the value.

1989 Bowman Cramer Crystal Frank Thomas (PSA Gem Mint 10): The ultrarare refractor parallel of Frank Thomas’ legendary 1989 Bowman rookie shattered estimates selling for $25,600. Even outside the biggest stars though, pristine graded examples of any vintage refractors are greatfinds.

1997 Fleer Metal Universe Pedro Martinez (PSA Gem Mint 10): This rare Marvel Universe parallel of Pedro’s classic 1997 Fleer card has reached $3,500. While the base is common, high graded parallels from the 1990s are getting increasing recognition from collectors.

2006 Topps Chrome Blue Refractor CC Sabathia (PSA Gem Mint 10): Outside of the true “rookie” years, high graded modern parallels can still hold huge value. Sabathia’s beautiful blue refractor in pristine condition has pushed $5,000 showing there is collector interest across all eras.

In the end, condition is king when it comes to finding real value in random baseball cards outside the true star rookie cards. With so many different oddball issues and parallel varieties over the decades, there are endless opportunities for surprises lurking in collection boxes. For advanced collectors, it’s all about recognition of the true scarcity involved with certain pieces. A random card in pristine grade could end up being worth far more than its photo or player would suggest alone.