Mike Trout has established himself as one of the greatest players in Major League Baseball over the past decade. While still very early in his career, Trout has already accumulated a lengthy resume packed with accolades that includes three MVP awards, seven All-Star selections, and an Rookie of the Year honor. Unsurprisingly, Trout’s dominance on the field has translated to immense popularity in the sports collecting world, especially when it comes to his baseball cards.
As one of the faces of MLB, Trout’s rookie cards in particular have drawn massive interest from investors and enthusiasts alike. His 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor autograph card PSA 10 is arguably the most coveted modern baseball card in existence, with unconfirmed reports of examples selling for well over $400,000. Even base rookie cards in high grades still command prices upwards of $10,000. It’s easy to see why these early cards hold such value, as they capture Trout at the very beginning of his storied career and before he became a household name.
While his rookie cards understandably get most of the attention, Trout’s collection of prestigious on-card autographed All-Star cards are also highly sought after items within the hobby. Starting with his 2012 Bowman Sterling All-Star Collection autograph, each of the subsequent years that Trout participated in the Midsummer Classic have been documented with intricate autograph cards from premium trading card companies. These include releases like Topps, Bowman, Panini NFL, and more. What makes the autograph All-Star cards especially attractive is that they provide a visual verification of Trout’s accomplishments for each season in an aesthetically-pleasing on-card autograph format.
Trout’s 2012 Bowman Sterling All-Star Collection autograph has maintained strong collector demand due to it being his first official All-Star acknowledgment card. Examples regularly sell in the $300-$400 range for PSA 10 examples. His 2013 Topps All-Star Rookies autograph from that season’s game at Citi Field in New York holds similar value. It’s Trout’s 2014 Topps All-Star Game autograph card (#ASG-MT) that has emerged as the most highly-coveted of his signed All-Star cards. With its stunning rainbow foil design, parallel versions have climbed to the $1000+ price point for top grades. Trout’s autographed performance during the 2014 Midsummer Classic was also one of the best of his storied All-Star career.
Other notable signed All-Star cards in Trout’s collection include his 2015 Topps All-Star Game gold foil parallel autograph (/50), 2015 Topps Chrome All-Star Game Refractors autograph, and 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter World’s Best autograph (/99). As Trout’s star continued rising with more MVP awards during this span, the prices for these signed parallels grew substantially compared to his early All-Star cards. One can only speculate how high the prices may climb for Trout’s certified autographed cards from his record-setting 2016 All-Star effort in San Diego, where he took home MVP honors after an incredible 8-RBI performance.
Signed rookie cards and early career All-Star autographs aside, Trout’s flagship annual issue base cards have also developed into must-owns for any serious collector. His staggering consistency makes even his common base cards highly relevant several years after their initial release. Trout routinely sells out of huge production runs, with parallels and autographed variations becoming exceedingly rare and costly over time. For example, Trout’s 2014 Topps Update base card in a PSA 10 now sells in the $80-100 range according to recent eBay sales, showing unusual staying power for a non-hit from just a few years prior.
Mike Trout’s reign over the baseball card collecting world is a byproduct of his incredible on-field accomplishments thus far as one of the leaders of MLB’s new generation. With many more prime years still ahead, Trout’s cards should maintain their stratospheric values and perhaps climb even higher as he potentially establishes himself as the best player of all-time. Not only does Trout deliver year after year with jaw-dropping statistics worthy of MVP consideration, but he also provides fans with countless electrifying playoff and All-Star moments that continue immortalizing his legacy one spectacular card at a time. As long as Trout keeps raising the bar as a ballplayer, his diverse array of autographed rookie cards, flagship issues, and prestigious signed All-Star selections will remain anchoring points for any collection.
