Baseball cards have been around since the late 1800s and early 1900s, with some of the very first and rarest cards fetching hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars at auction today. While it may seem like any old baseball card in your collection could be worth a small fortune, in reality only a very small percentage of cards hold significant monetary value. Let’s take a look at some of the most expensive and valuable baseball cards that could be worth lots of money if you happen to have one tucked away in a shoebox or old album.
One of the true holy grails of the hobby is the 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner card. Produced between 1909-1911 as part of the iconic T206 series, it is widely considered the rarest and most valuable baseball card of all time. The Wagner card has consistently broken auction records, with one in near-mint condition selling for $3.12 million in 2016. Only around 60 are known to exist today in all grades. What makes the Wagner so rare is that the star shortstop demanded that his card be pulled from production for unknown reasons, making it one of the most elusive cards ever printed.
Another early 20th century gem is the 1913 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie card. As one of the first cards featuring the legendary “Bambino”, it remains among the most iconic in the hobby. Just a handful are known to exist, and one in good condition was purchased for $5.2 million in 2016. Like the Wagner, its rarity and significance to baseball history make it exceptionally valuable. The 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth is also enormously valuable as one of his earliest issued cards, with high graded examples going for over $1 million.
For Mantle cards, one of his earliest and most valuable is the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card. As one of the first Topps cards to feature one of the game’s all-time greats, it remains a supremely important issue. High graded versions regularly sell for six figures, with a PSA 8 copy selling for $275,000 in early 2022. Another hugely valuable Mantle rookie is the 1951 Bowman card. Graded examples in the 7-9 range have reached $500,000 at auction in recent years.
For cards produced within the last 50 years, the most expensive remains the 1957 Topps Hank Aaron rookie card. Only an estimated 50 copies are known to exist in high grades. In 2021, a PSA 9 copy sold for an astounding $2.88 million, making it one of the priciest post-war cards ever sold. The 1975 Topps Cal Ripken Jr. rookie is also hugely sought after, with PSA 10 examples reaching $200,000+.
Some other legendary pre-war singles that could make you a millionaire include the 1914 Cracker Jack Eddie Plank card (>$500,000 PSA 5), the 1916 Sporting News Walter Johnson rookie (>$250,000 PSA 6), and the 1933 Goudey Jimmie Foxx rookie (>$150,000 PSA 8). High graded examples of these rare early 20th century issues consistently shatter records.
When it comes to complete sets, the most valuable remains the 1909-11 T206 set. Graded PSA 8 examples have sold for over $2.8 million. The 1952 Topps set is also enormously expensive for a post-war issue, with a PSA 8 copy reaching $750,000 in a 2017 auction. The 1933 Goudey set is considered the “Holy Grail” of pre-war sets – a PSA 8 brought $480,000 in early 2022.
Beyond individual cards and sets, errors and variations can also make otherwise ordinary issues extraordinarily valuable. The 1909-11 T206 variation cards like the rare “pie-cut” Honus Wagner are worth five figures even in low grades. The 1939 Play Ball PSA Joe DiMaggio “no period” error card reached $96,000 in 2016. And the 1972 Topps Pete Rose “reverse negative” error sold for $80,000 in 2017.
While it’s true that most baseball cards aren’t worth a significant monetary amount, there are still plenty of valuable gems that could be hiding in collections. Take the time to properly research your vintage cards, look for signs of errors or variations, and don’t overlook even common issues from the early 20th century or rookie cards from the 1950s-1970s. You never know when you might discover a six or even seven figure card without realizing it. With some diligence and luck, that old shoebox of cards could end up making you a small fortune.
