The hobby of collecting baseball cards has grown exponentially over the past several decades. As the collectibles market has boomed, so too have the prices people are willing to pay for the rarest and most desirable baseball cards. eBay has become the preeminent online marketplace for selling collectibles of all kinds, including vintage baseball cards. Through eBay sales we have seen record prices paid for some of the most iconic cards from the early days of the sport. Below is an in-depth look at some of the highest selling baseball cards that have been auctioned off on eBay over the years.
One of the earliest and most expensive baseball cards ever sold on eBay was a 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner card that was graded Mint 9 by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). This iconic Wagner card is considered the holy grail of baseball cards due to its rarity—it is estimated only 50-200 were originally printed. In 2016, this near perfect example of the elusive T206 Wagner smashed expectations when it sold for $3.12 million, making it not only the highest selling baseball card ever sold on eBay but one of the costliest collectibles of any kind. What makes the price even more impressive is that the previous eBay record for a T206 Wagner was $657,250 set back in 2007.
Another T206 Wagner card would set the second highest price paid for a baseball card on eBay. In 2016, a PSA Authentic specimen graded Fair 2 fetched an astounding $911,500. While heavily played, this example still brought an eye-popping eight figures due to the extreme scarcity of the T206 Wagner in any grade. Just one year later, in 2017, yet another PSA-graded T206 Wagner, this one earning an overall grade of Good 2.5, would break the $1 million threshold when it closed at $1,320,000. The skyrocketing prices cemented the T206 Honus Wagner as officially the most valuable baseball card—and arguably the most valuable collectible card—in the world.
While the T206 Wagners reign supreme as the highest selling cards on eBay ever, some more modern rookie cards have also broken records. In 2007, a 1963 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie PSA Gem Mint 10 sold for a then-record $100,100. The iconic Mick’s first Topps issue remains one of the most sought-after rookies in the hobby even decades after his playing days. A few years later, in 2011, a 1952 Topps Willie Mays rookie PSA 9 would surpass the Mantle when it sold for an astonishing $450,000. Mays’ brilliant career and the superlative condition of this example helped it become the first post-war baseball card to break the $400k price barrier.
Two legendary rookie cards from the 1970s would explode on the scene in the mid-2010s, setting new standards for modern era cards. In 2016, a 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie PSA 9 sold for an incredible $465,000. Considered the best hockey player of all-time, interest in Gretzky’s first issued card had grown substantially in previous years. Then in 2017, a 1976 Topps Cal Ripken Jr. rookie PSA 9 achieved the highest public sale price for any card not featuring Honus Wagner when it closed at $521,000. Ripken’s iconic Iron Man streak and the condition of the card wowed bidders. Both sales highlighted how rookie cards of select all-time greats from the ’70s and ’80s era had begun seriously competing with their older counterparts in value.
Two more modern rookies joined the seven-figure club on eBay in 2021. A 1979 O-Pee-Chee Gretzky rookie PSA 9.5 shattered expectations when it sold for a whopping $1.29 million in January of that year. Remarkably pristine for its age and from a short printed Canadian set, it became the new most valuable hockey card overall. Meanwhile in August 2021, a 1998 Bowman’s Best Refractors Frank Thomas rookie PSA Gem Mint 10 set the record for highest price paid for any card from the 1990s at $1.447 million. The condition and appeal of Thomas’ first ever “refractor” parallel helped it beat out even the great vintage cards for the second highest baseball card sale on eBay at the time.
While the Honus Wagner T206s will likely remain the highest selling cards on the platform in perpetuity, eBay sales have demonstrated the rising values of star rookie cards from more recent generations. Products from the 1970s, such as the Gretzky and Ripken rookies, have broken into the five and six figure range. Meanwhile a select few modern issues like the 1998 Thomas refractor and 1979 Gretzky have achieved previously unthinkable million dollar price points. As star players of today like Juan Soto, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Shohei Ohtani start their respective careers, will their rookie cards from the 2010s someday compete with even the all-time greats? Only time will tell, but based on the escalating prices seen on eBay, the collectibles market will surely continue rewarding exceptionally preserved cards of certified future Hall of Famers for generations to come.
