The hobby of collecting baseball cards has grown exponentially in popularity and value over the past few decades. As the collecting community continues to expand, rarer and more historically significant cards have reached new heights at auction. With another baseball season underway in 2023, the market for vintage and modern rookies of star players remains very strong. Here are some of the most expensive and coveted baseball cards that could sell for record prices this year.
The all-time most valuable baseball card is the iconic 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner, considered the rarest and most sought-after card in the world. In recent years, examples in near-mint condition have sold for over $6 million at auction. The last Wagner to sell was a PSA NM-MT 8 copy that went for $6.6 million in August 2021. With its perfect centering, vivid color, and superb state of preservation, that example set a new record. Several high-grade Wagners could be up for auction in 2023, with estimates well above $7 million for the right example in top condition.
Another pre-war gem generating huge buzz is the 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie card. Only about 50 are known to exist, making it one of the rarest early 20th century cards issued. In January 2022, a PSA EX 5 sold for a record $2.88 million, shattering expectations. That price already looks like a bargain given the current frenzy for anything related to the Bambino. A PSA 8 could easily fetch $5 million or more if one crosses the auction block in the next year.
For modern cards, none generate as much fervor as rookie cards for baseball’s biggest stars. In August 2022, a rare 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card sold at auction for a record $10.1 million. That sale set the bar incredibly high for cards of today’s elite players like Mike Trout, Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto and others when they eventually hit the vintage market. The 2018 Topps Update Juan Soto rookie auto parallel /10 could be a $1 million card within the next 12 months based on his continued dominance and scarcity of the parallel. A PSA 10 Mike Trout 2009 Topps rookie or Acuña Jr. 2018 Topps Update rookie auto could each sell north of $3 million soon.
Another modern rookie that may challenge $1 million is the 1984 Topps Traded Fernando Tatis Jr. auto /25. His son Fernando Tatis Jr. has cemented himself as a superstar and face of baseball. With his dad’s iconic 1984 rookie being one of the rarest from that set, examples could be worth a fortune to wealthy collectors looking to own a piece of history. The same goes for any low-numbered parallel of cards for Shohei Ohtani, who has become a global sensation with his two-way skills. A PSA 10 Ohtani 2018 Bowman Chrome auto refractor /5 could set a record for that type of card.
For team sets, the 1952 Topps complete set with Mickey Mantle’s iconic rookie remains the holy grail for collectors. In pristine condition with all 106 cards, it would likely sell for well over $10 million. The last near-complete set to sell was in 2016 for $2.88 million. Another complete set that could challenge $5 million soon is the 1957 Topps, led by Hank Aaron’s rookie card. Its colorful design, high pop culture appeal, and key rookie cards make it extraordinarily rare to find in top condition.
While modern cards may generate bigger headlines with million-dollar price tags, vintage gems from the pre-war and early post-war eras remain investment blue-chips. The 1909-11 T206 set as a whole is considered one of the most coveted in the world. A complete set in high grade could sell for $20 million someday. Other complete high-grade sets like the 1933 Goudey, 1951 Bowman, or 1954 Topps have potential to reach $5 million if preserved well and offered publicly.
With new collectors entering the market daily and a growing secondary market, the prices for historically important baseball cards will likely continue setting new ceilings over the next year. For the right examples of cards featuring all-time greats like Mantle, Aaron, Ruth and Wagner in pristine condition, sky-high eight-figure prices seem inevitable. As star players of today like Trout, Acuña Jr. and Tatis Jr. cement their legacies, their rookie cards will gain immense value as they transition to the vintage market. 2023 promises to be another record-breaking year in the never-ending chase for the rarest and most prized cardboard in the collecting world.
