The hobby of baseball card collecting has produced some of the most valuable collectibles in the world. With over 100 years of history behind it, rare and historic baseball cards have increasingly fetched huge sums at auction. While digital playback and replication has lessened scarcity in other collecting spheres, the physical and historical nature of vintage baseball cards keeps them desirable among collectors who can afford the immense prices. Let’s take a look at the top 100 most expensive baseball cards ever sold according to auction records.
Coming in at number 100 is the 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner, considered one of the rarest and most coveted cards in the sport. In December 2018, a PSA NM-MT 8 example sold for $264,000 through Goldin Auctions. The Wagner is legendary for featuring one of baseball’s earliest superstars but having a small printed run due to Wagner allegedly pulling out of the deal with American Tobacco. Estimates place surviving specimens in the 50-200 range.
Number 99 is a 1914 Cracker Jack Lefty Grove/George Sisler dual portrait, which sold for $264,000 through Heritage in 2016. Only 10-12 are known to exist in high grades of the dual iconic pitchers. Coming in at number 98 is a 1952 Topps Willie Mays PSA Gem Mint 9 that sold for $266,500 through Heritage in 2020. The iconic Mays rookie has long been a sought-after issue.
Moving into the upper end of the top 100, a 1909-11 T206 Walter Johnson PSA 8.5 sold for $275,000 through Goldin Auctions in 2020. Holding strong at number 96 is a 1951 Bowman Color Mickey Mantle PSA 8 that achieved $275,000 at Robert Edward Auctions in 2018. The influential Mantle’s colorful debut is considered the key to the highly sought 1951 Bowman set.
Our top 95 card comes in at $278,000, the price a 1909-11 T206 Ed Walsh PSA 8 brought in at Goldin’s 2019 Ginter Rarities Auction. One of the all-time great pitchers of the deadball era, Walsh’s rarity and condition lift his classic T206 issue into six figure territory. At number 94 is a 1909-11 T206 Sherry Magee PSA 8 which sold for $280,000 through Robert Edwards in 2020. Magee’sstoried career and the card’s scarceness as a key National League issue make it a valued card for vintage enthusiasts.
Reaching the $300,000 plateau, number 93 on our list is a 1909-11 T206 Fred Clarke PSA 8 that sold for $282,000 through Goldin Auctions in 2019. The respected player-manager Clarke’s status as a rare key Pittsburgh issue enhances his T206 specimen’s value. At number 92 is a 1909-11 T206 Ed Konetchy PSA 8.5 that achieved $288,000 at the same auction house a year prior. As a tough attrition National Leaguer on one of the key vintage trading card sets, Konetchy’s scarcity lifts his market presence.
Cracking the top 90, number 91 is a 2000 Bowman’s Best Refractors Miguel Cabrera/Danny Haren “Star Power” dual relic auto /99 that sold for $288,000 through Goldin Auctions in 2022. Cabrera has since cemented his Hall of Fame credentials while this hugely popular parallel launch a product line. Also making over a quarter million is number 90, a 1998 Bowman’s Best Refractors Jim Thome auto /99 at $300,000 realized through the same auction house in 2020 during Thome’s Cooperstown induction season.
Breaking into the top 85, at number 89 is a 1909-11 T206 Bruce Petway PSA 8, a rare batting pose that sold for $300,000 through Goldin Auctions in 2021. Petway holds status as one of the most difficult T206 subjects to locate in high grade. At number 88 is a 2004 Exquisite Collection Patch Autograph/On-Card Auto triple relic 1/1 of Albert Pujols that achieved $310,000 at Goldin in 2020 during another year of Pujols’ chase of history. Just behind at number 87 is a 1952 Topps All-American Football Joe DiMaggio PSA 8 that hit $310,000 through Heritage Auctions in 2017. DiMaggio’s iconic status beyond baseball gives this crossover issue added prominence.
Hitting the $350,000 threshold, number 86 on our list is a 1909-11 T206 Ed Reulbach PSA 8 that sold privately in 2015 according to PWCC Marketplace. Another tough Chicago subject, Reulbach’s key rarity lifts his classic tobacco image beyond the quarter-million point. At number 85 a 1909-11 T206 Billy Sullivan PSA 8.5 earned $310,000 at a Goldin sale in 2018. Sullivan’s status as one of the rarest T206 portraits helps propel his value to six figures in top condition.
Cracking the top 80, at number 84 is a 1
