When it comes to collecting and investing in baseball cards, there are certain cards that have proven to be better candidates for professional grading than others. Getting cards graded provides authentication and assurance of the card’s condition, which can significantly increase its value. The grading process comes with costs that only make sense for the most valuable cards. In this article, we will explore some of the best baseball cards to consider grading based on their history, rarity, and potential for future appreciation.
One of the most iconic and valuable baseball cards that is almost always worth grading is the 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner. The Wagner is arguably the most famous and coveted card in the hobby. In pristine condition, examples have sold for over $3 million at auction. Even in lower grades, Wagners still command six-figure prices due to their incredible rarity and significance in the early history of baseball cards. As one of the sport’s first true superstars, Wagner’s popularity helped drive interest in the fledgling card collecting hobby in the early 20th century. Only around 60 are known to exist today in all conditions. The combination of rarity, history, and Wagner’s playing career make this one of the best long-term investments in the hobby.
Another pre-war gem that is highly recommended to grade is the 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth. Like the Wagner, the ’33 Goudey Ruth captures one of the most iconic players in an early and important release that helped popularize baseball cards. Examples that grade PSA/SGC 8 or above have sold for over $500,000. Even in lower grades, Ruths trade in the five-figure range. Their relatively low population compared to modern issues, iconic subject, and solid historical performance make high-grade ’33 Goudeys excellent cards to authenticate and slab.
For vintage rookie cards, two of the best options for grading are the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle and the 1954 Topps Hank Aaron. Mantle is widely considered the most valuable baseball card of all time when it comes to raw, ungraded examples in pristine condition. A PSA 10 sold for over $2.88 million in 2021. But even in lower grades, Mantle rookies have brought six figures at auction. The Aaron rookie has also performed very well in recent years, with PSA 10s now worth over $500,000. Both capture all-time great players in their first baseball card issues, which are key attributes for long-term blue chip status. Authenticating and grading these iconic rookie cards can unlock tremendous value.
For modern cards, one of the best choices for grading is the 1991 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey was one of the most exciting young players of the early ’90s and his Upper Deck rookie has become one of the most iconic and valuable modern issues. PSA 10 copies are now worth over $10,000 according to recent sales data. But Griffey rookies in all grades have appreciated significantly, with even PSA 8s now worth over $1,000. The card’s universal appeal, Griffey’s Hall of Fame career, and strong performance history make it an outstanding modern candidate to authenticate and potentially unlock substantial upside through a high grade.
Other popular modern rookie cards that often make sense to grade include the 1999 Bowman Chrome Miguel Cabrera, the 2003 Topps Freddie Freeman, the 2007 Bowman Chrome Evan Longoria, the 2009 Topps Update Mike Trout, the 2012 Topps Chrome Mike Trout, the 2015 Topps Update Kris Bryant, and the 2016 Topps Update Juan Soto. Each of these captures a superstar player early in their career in a desirable parallel or insert set that has shown solid gains in value across all grades in recent years. With their subjects still in the primes of excellent careers, these rookies have strong chances to appreciate further and benefit from authentication and grading.
In addition to the above iconic rookie cards, other single-player cards that are often excellent grading candidates include high-grade examples of valuable vintage stars like Ty Cobb, Cy Young, Stan Musial, and Ted Williams. PSA/BGS/SGC 9+ examples of their early 20th century Tobacco or Goudey issues have proven to be sound long-term investments. Post-war stars like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Roberto Clemente also have numerous graded cards that have held value well over time based on the players’ sustained popularity and performances.
For team and league sets, the two most acclaimed issues that are routinely strong grading candidates are the 1909-11 T206 and the 1933 Goudey sets. Populating a high-grade example of either of these sets is a tremendous accomplishment that will hold tremendous long-term value given their historical significance. Individual high-number or star player cards from these sets are also excellent grading targets due to their rarity and association. More modern team sets like the 1987 Topps, 1989 Bowman, and 1992 Bowman are also very popular graded sets whose rosters feature numerous Hall of Famers and stars from that era.
In terms of factors to consider when determining the best cards to grade, the most important attributes are the card’s historical significance, the subject player’s career accomplishments and enduring popularity, the issue’s production numbers and your example’s relative scarcity grade, and the set or card’s established record of appreciation in the marketplace over many years when authentic and preserved in top condition. Vintage stars, iconic rookies, and low-population parallels from acclaimed older sets tend to be the safest long-term graded investments in the hobby. With care taken in the grading process, these types of elite cards offer collectors strong chances to not only preserve but increase a card’s value for decades to come.
