Atlanta has a rich history with baseball and as a result, there is no shortage of valuable baseball cards from Atlanta teams and players available for collectors. Whether you are looking to build your own collection or find rare cards to potentially resell, the Atlanta area continues to be a hot market for baseball cards of all vintages.
The Atlanta Braves franchise dates back to 1876 in Boston as the Red Stockings before eventually moving to Atlanta in 1966. This long history means there are baseball cards spanning over a century featuring Braves players. Some of the most valuable pre-1960 Braves cards that can potentially be found for sale in and around Atlanta include:
1954 Topps Warren Spahn PSA 8 – Spahn is considered one of the greatest left-handed pitchers ever and his 1954 Topps card in high grade could fetch $10,000+
1951 Bowman Bobby Thomson PSA 5 – Thomson’s legendary “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” home run gets this generally tough to find vintage card into 4 figure territory even in lower grades.
1948 Leaf Ted Williams PSA 5 – While with the Boston Braves, finding high grade Williams rookie or early career Braves cards are keys to any collection.
1933 Goudey Lew Burdette PSA 5 – One of the few vintage Braves cards featuring a Hall of Famer, Burdette won 3 World Series with the Milwaukee Braves in the 1950s.
1909-11 T206 Old Mill Ty Cobb PSA 5 – One of the rarest T206 baseball cards featuring the Georgia-born Cobb in his early Detroit Tigers playing days. Near mint examples can sell for over $100,000.
Stepping into the 1960s and beyond, the move to Atlanta opened the doors for countless stars to be featured on modern era cards including Hank Aaron, Dale Murphy, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Chipper Jones and others. Here are some valuable post-1960 Atlanta Braves cards that collectors look to acquire:
1974 Topps Hank Aaron PSA 10 – Arguably the most desirable Braves card outside the super vintage era, a perfect Aaron card could bring $25,000+ at auction.
1988 Fleer Update Greg Maddux PSA 10 – Maddux’s first Cardinals/Braves card which marks his transition from Chicago to Atlanta. Keys on his Hall of Fame career.
1992 Bowman’s Best Chipper Jones PSA 10 – One of Jones’ earliest mainstream rookie cards captures his early career before ascending to Braves icon status.
2003 Topps Tom Glavine PSA 10 – Glavine’s last Braves card before moving to the Mets captures the 300-game winner and 2-time Cy Young Award winner.
2009 Topps Update Jason Heyward PSA 10 – Heyward’s rookie debut for the Braves highlights the five-tool potential that made him a rising star early in his career.
While the Atlanta Braves have the longest and richest baseball history locally, the city has also seen other teams come and go including the minor league Atlanta Crackers from the early 1900s. Their vintage cards can also attract collectors. The Atlanta Flames played in the city from 1972-1980 before relocating to Calgary. Rosters included future Hall of Famers like Guy Lafleur and Lanny McDonald. Their 1970s-era hockey cards featuring Atlanta uniforms are of interest to collectors in the Southeast region.
For those looking to sell cards from these various Atlanta-related teams and players, there are several local shops that are great consignment options. Some of the top shops for assessing value and selling high-end Atlanta cards include:
Champions Sports Cards (Roswell, GA) – One of the largest and most established shops in metro Atlanta perfect for getting professional grading/authentication and market valuation help. They sell thousands of cards annually online and through their store.
Baseball Card Exchange (Marietta, GA) – A consignment favorite for over 25 years, their experienced staff knows the Atlanta-area card market very well to maximize sales prices. They sell both common and high-dollar cards.
AJ’s Sportscards (Smyrna, GA) – While smaller than the above two, AJ’s is well-connected to serious Atlanta-based collectors looking to add to their Braves/Crackers/Flames collections.
Lelands (Online Auctions) – For truly rare Atlanta cards valued over $1,000, a consignment to an established national auction house like Lelands provides worldwide exposure to serious bidders.
With over a century of baseball history and the longtime presence of iconic franchises and players, the Atlanta area continues to be a hotbed for collecting and trading cards from its local teams. For collectors and sellers alike, knowledge of what cards hold value and where to assess/sell cards is key to engaging in the Atlanta sports card market.
