The hobby of collecting vintage and modern baseball cards has surged in popularity in recent years, leading to skyrocketing prices for some of the most coveted pieces of cardboard from years past. As we near the midpoint of 2022, let’s take a look at some of the hottest baseball cards on the market right now based on recent sales data and enthusiastic collector demand.
2022 Bowman 1st Chrome Auto Refractors
The latest crop of rookie cards featuring prospects and freshly minted MLB stars from Topps’ seminal Bowman brand have unsurprisingly generated a ton of buzz. Headlining the 2022 Bowman collection are the coveted “Chrome” parallel autograph refractors that feature the bust-out rookies of the year inked onto the shimmering refractors. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson’s chrome auto refractor sits atop the pile after a scorching ascent through the minors so far in 2022. His cards have brought in over $1000 each on the open market. Outfielder Elijah Green’s tools-filled game and powerful contact ability have made him one of the most hyped prospects in baseball – his 1st Bowman chrome autos regularly exceed $500 each. Keep an eye on Druw Jones’ cards as well – the son of MLB legend Andruw Jones has wowed scouts and could be one of the top picks in the 2023 MLB Draft.
1956 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 8
One of the most iconic cards in baseball history, Mantle’s striking 1956 Topps rookie is still in high demand even at price points well into the five figures. On May 20th, a PSA 8-graded example of this legendary piece of cardboard sold for a whopping $312,000 through Goldin Auctions, setting a new record price for the Hall of Famer’s rookie. Mantle remains one of the most popular athletes ever featured on a baseball card and his rookie is a true “holy grail” collector item over 65 years after its original release. Even in lower, but still scarce, grades like PSA 6 this card reliably sells in the low five-figure range. Its place among the costliest collectors’ items in the entire hobby seems cemented for the foreseeable future.
1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner PSA 1
While nowhere near the coveted high grades that can bring millions, even the lowest-graded examples of the most iconic card of all – the Ultra Rare 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner – demand huge prices. A non-focus PSA 1 sold in January for $264,000, highlighting both the intense demand for any extant copy of “The Ferrari” and an overall robust vintage market. Over $100,000 separates a PSA 1 from a PSA 2, underscoring the card’s mythic status. As with other icon cards, even heavily impaired Wagners find willing buyers purely due to their historic significance in the collecting world. Amazingly, only 50-200 are known to exist in any condition.
2018 Bowman Chrome Luis Robert RC Auto Refractor PSA 10
One of the best young hitters in baseball exploded onto the scene last season and now his rookie cards are among the most expensive on the modern market. The 2018 Bowman Chrome Auto Refractor of White Sox star Luis Robert is the crown jewel, routinely bringing over $15,000 each for pristine PSA 10 copies. The flashy foil design combined with Robert’s tantalizing 5-tool talents and huge breakout season in 2021 have made this one of the hottest RC chase cards around. Even PSA 9s still run $4000-5000 as Robert looks like a perennial All-Star in the making to collectors. With a likely AL MVP season under his belt, the Robert RC may climb even higher in value if his ascent continues.
1969 Topps Nolan Ryan PSA 8
One of the most influential pitchers ever continues to see strong demand for his iconic 1969 Topps rookie card, which sports one of the most visually striking designs in the hobby’s history. High grades remain challenging to track down but prices have recently gone “Ryan-esque” – on March 5th, a PSA 8 example sold for $99,999 on eBay, more than doubling the previous record public sale price for the card. With over 5700 career strikeouts, Ryan’s golden era RC retains heavyweight status in the classic vintage arena as one of baseball’s all-time dominant hurlers continue to generate passionate fandom many decades after their final pitches. Few pitchers truly shaped the sport’s development like Ryan and collectors are paying top dollar to own a piece of that layered history.
1988 Fleer Ken Griffey Jr. RC PSA 9
Junior’s rookie card has aged like a fine wine, gaining steadily in prestige and price through the years as more fans recognize Griffey as one of the game’s greatest ever players. Clean high-grade ’88 Fleers don’t come around too often but remain in high demand. In March a PSA 9 sold for over $35,000 on PWCC – among the costliest prices ever for the iconic design that launched thousands of collections. With that perfect blend of prodigious talent, trademark smile, and ’90s aesthetic, Griffey’s first card is a certified classic immortalizing one of baseball’s most electric stars in his early Seattle Mariners heyday. Even after all these years, young fans new to the hobby are eager to own a piece of Griffey’s brilliance.
A combination of elite talent, iconic rookie card designs, and nostalgia for stars of years past will ensure trading cards remain both collectibles and investments for enthusiasts of the great American pastime. As MLB’s rising stars cement their place in the sport and the profiles of all-time greats are passed down through generations, their flagship cards from Topps, Fleer, and Bowman releases of decades past will stay beloved reliocs prized by collectors worldwide. With pristine examples growing increasingly scarce, condition-graded copies of these pieces of baseball memorabilia will likely retain and potentially increase their significance, rarity and corresponding prices for dedicated fans and astute speculators alike in the years ahead.
