The 2007 Topps baseball card set featured some of the biggest names in the sport at the time and included several cards that have grown to become extremely valuable in the years since they were released. While sets from the late 1980s and early 1990s are usually considered the golden era of baseball cards in terms of collectability and long term value growth, some modern issues like the 2007 Topps set contain rookie and memorable cards that card collectors are willing to pay top dollar for today.
Leading the way as one of the most valuable cards from the 2007 Topps baseball set is the Alex Rodriguez gold refractor parallel card. Labeled as card #146 in the standard base set, Topps inserted ultra-short print gold parallel versions of select cards without any announcement of the parallel’s existence beforehand. It’s estimated fewer than 10 copies of the A-Rod gold refractor made it into circulation, making it one of the true short print holy grail cards ever produced. In top gem mint condition, it’s not uncommon to see the 2007 Topps Alex Rodriguez gold refractor listed for over $10,000 online or sell for upwards of $12,000 at major card shows and auctions.
Another big money 2007 Topps card that has exploded in value is the Evan Longoria rookie card. Labeled #422 in the standard set, Longoria’s impressive career that has included 3 All-Star appearances and a Rookie of the Year award has driven collectors wild for his rookie issue. High grade PSA 10 or BGS Black Label examples now sell for over $1,000 each, with averagegraded copies still fetching $300-400 in the current market. While not quite as scarce or desirable as other higher end parallels, the Longoria gold refractor parallel from 2007 Topps is still a very collectible and valuable parallel itself, grading around $800-1000 in top condition.
Staying with rookies, the 2007 Topps baseball set also marked the cards for superstars like Clayton Kershaw, Ryan Braun, and Troy Tulowitzki. Kershaw’s rookie card #338 has grown significantly in value as the future Hall of Famer cemented himself as one of the games’ truly elite left-handed pitchers. High grade PSA 10 or BGS Black Label examples of Kershaw’s rookie now sell for $300-500 each. Ryan Braun’s #198 was a hot rookie at the time as well and remains quite collectible today grading $75-150 in top shape. And Tulo’s #321 is steadily rising in value as his career wraps up, with top pop report copies reaching $150-250 each.
Some key star player base cards from 2007 Topps have also shown impressive price growth over the past decade plus. Cards like Derek Jeter’s #142 has sustained strong collector interest, with pristine PSA 10 or BGS Gem Mint 10 copies reach over $100. Albert Pujols #226 has grown in value as well, grading $75-125 across the top certification services. And Cards #1 Ken Griffey Jr. routinely hits $50-75 each in top condition showing his iconic playing days and ’90s rookie season reignited collecting passion for Griffey’s cardboard.
Parallels and inserts from 2007 Topps have also allowed certain cards to achieve valuable “relic” status sought after by many collectors. The Hudson Auto parallel subset featured jersey swatches of notable players autographed and numbered to only 50 copies. Of these, auto parallels of stars like Chipper Jones #HA6 and Todd Helton #HA14 have grown to over $500 each in top condition. On the even more exclusive side, the Red Hot parallel insert depicted players profiles in red foil and were extraordinarily short printed. Copies of the JD Drew #RH17 and Alfonso Soriano #RH20 parallels are true needle in a haystack finds that could reach $1,000+ for collectors lucky enough to acquire one.
While it may lack the true vintage cache of sets produced during baseball’s boom periods in the late 80s and early 90s, the 2007 Topps issue has aged very well in terms collector demand and long term appreciation potential for its key rookie, star, and parallel cards. Featuring some of the game’s biggest contemporary names like Rodriguez, Longoria, Kershaw and others, high grade copies of selections cards from the 2007 Topps baseball set should continue growing in price as collectibles as the careers of these all-time talents progress further. Between its superstar veterans, impact rookies, and ulta-short printed parallels, the 2007 Topps release has proven to produce many cards that hold significant financial value for savvy collectors today.
