Matt Olson is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. Since making his MLB debut in 2017, Olson has established himself as one of the top power hitters in baseball. As a result, Olson’s baseball cards have gained value as collectors seek his rookie cards and top prospect cards.
Olson was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the first round of the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Parkview High School in Lilburn, Georgia. As one of Oakland’s top prospects, Olson garnered attention from baseball card manufacturers. One of Olson’s earliest cards is his 2012 Bowman Draft Prospects card. These prospect cards were issued prior to Olson signing with the Athletics and featured photos of him in his Parkview High School uniform. The 2012 Bowman Draft Prospects base card of Olson in high school sells for around $5-10 in near mint condition.
In 2014, Olson’s prospect status grew as he moved up Oakland’s minor league system. That year, Topps issued Olson’s first chrome prospect card as part of their 2014 Bowman Sterling set. The chrome parallel version of this card features Olson’s name and team emblazoned in a shiny silver foil. These early Topps chrome cards are highly sought after by collectors and Olson’s has increased in value to around $15-25 over the past few years. Also that year, Olson was included in Panini’s Triple Play set highlighting top minor leaguers. The Triple Play rookie card parallels autographed by Olson have sold for over $100 given his emergence as a star player.
Olson broke out offensively in 2015 while playing for the Midland RockHounds, Oakland’s Double-A affiliate. That season, he batted .295 with 42 home runs and 121 runs batted in. Olson’s powerful performance elevated him to become one of the top overall prospects in baseball. His growing hype led to increased card production from the major manufacturers. In 2015, Topps issued Olson’s first base cards in their Series 1, Series 2, and Topps Chrome sets as he continued rising through the Athletics’ minor league system. While these base rookie cards hold value, they typically sell in the $5-10 range.
Olson made his MLB debut for the Athletics in 2017 after being called up from Triple-A Nashville. In his first full season in the majors, Olson impressed by hitting .259 with 24 home runs and and 72 RBI in just 110 games. His breakout rookie campaign resulted in several memorable Olson rookie cards. Topps issued an Olson rookie card in their flagship 2017 Series 1 set as well as in Topps Chrome. Those Standard Olson rookie cards typically sell in the $10-15 range. Panini also included Olson in their 2017 Prizm baseball set featuring highly sought after “prism” parallels of rookie cards. Low serial number Olson rookies from that Prizm set have sold for over $100.
The 2018 season was a breakout year for Olson’s burgeoning power numbers. He smashed 29 home runs and drove in over 90 runs in just 123 games. Upper Deck recognized Olson’s continuing ascension by including him in their exclusive 2018 Elite Extra Edition set. These chase cards, of which only 50 were printed for each player, have sold for $50-75 graded mint condition. Also in 2018, Topps issued an impressive Olson negative-photo parallel card that stands out from the standard photos used. That negative parallel routinely fetches over $30 from collectors infatuated with Olson’s star potential.
An injury limited Olson to just 50 games in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but he maintained his elite power by hitting 6 home runs in just 94 at-bats. Panini featured Olson in their 2020 Heritage Minor League set highlighting his former prospect pedigree. This popular Heritage brand parallels autographed by Olson have brought over $150 due to the continued buzz surrounding his impressive big league track record despite the injury setback.
Olson rebounded with a vengeance in 2021 by establishing career-highs in home runs (39), RBI’s (111), and batting average (.271). The standout season cemented his status within the vanguard of MLB’s most feared power hitters. Topps issued a Gallery of Heroes parallel card highlighting Olson’s 2021 star turn. The incredibly rare parallel numbering around 10 copies each quickly sold for $300-500 among hardcore Olson collectors. Upper Deck also noted Olson’s All-Star caliber season by giving him a prized spot in their posh 2021 Black Gold set. Low serial Black Gold Olson rookies have exceeded $1000 at auction.
Midway through the 2022 season, Olson was surprisingly traded from Oakland to the Atlanta Braves. In Atlanta, Olson remained one of baseball’s preeminent sluggers with a .248 average and 26 home runs at the time of the trade. His move to a new franchise generated interest in parallel cards combining his Athletics and Braves uniforms. Garnering considerable attention, Panini produced a dual-team “Closers” parallel showing Olson in both Oakland and Atlanta uniforms. Available only as on-card autographs, a single copy resold for $1400 shortly after the trade.
As Olson has developed into one of the elite power hitters in baseball over the past five years, his burgeoning baseball card portfolio has ballooned in scope and value. Collectors seek out his earliest Bowman prospect issues showing his potential as well as his top rookie cards cementing his arrival in the majors. Meanwhile, parallel and autograph cards accentuating Olson’s recent All-Star campaigns and trade to Atlanta break new ground price-wise. With Olson still only 27-years old and positioned on a perennial contender, his cards stand to gain more notoriety if he maintains brilliance at the plate for years to come.
