The 2001 Topps baseball card set marked Topps’ 60th anniversary of producing baseball cards and featured various special insert cards to commemorate the occasion. While not one of the most valuable vintage sets from the company’s long history, the 2001 Topps issue contained several extremely scarce and desirable rookie cards that have achieved enormous prices at auction in recent years. Let’s take a closer look at some of the costliest individual cards from the 2001 Topps set that collectors eagerly bid on.
Heading the list is the card of Johnny Damon from the Red Sox subset in the base set. Damon was a productive outfielder who played in the majors from 1995-2012, winning World Series titles with Boston in 2004 and St. Louis in 2006. It was his performance leading the 2001 Red Sox to a shocking comeback win over the Yankees in the ALDS that made his rookie card from that year particularly sought after. Only 161 of the Damon Red Sox parallel rookie card were printed, making it one of the scarcest parallel inserts ever found in packs. In near mint condition, examples of this card in recent years have sold for over $7,000, with one graded PSA 10 gem mint copy breaking the $12,000 barrier.
Another exceptionally rare and costly card from 2001 Topps is the Derek Jeter parallel from the Yankees subset, of which there are also believed to be only around 161 produced. As one of the game’s greatest shortstops and most marketable stars throughout his decorated 20-year career, primarily with the Yankees, Jeter’s rookie cards hold tremendous value. High grade specimens of this parallel have changed hands for $6,000-$8,000 at auction. His base rookie from the main set also fetches thousands in top condition due to the mystique surrounding Jeter’s career.
Perhaps the single most expensive card from 2001 Topps is the parallel rookie of Mariano Rivera from the Yankees subset. The Hall of Fame closer is considered by many to be the greatest relief pitcher in baseball history based on his enormous career save total and postseason dominance. Just as with the Jeter and Damon parallels, only a miniscule print run of about 161 copies of Rivera’s parallel rookie were brought into the world. This extreme rarity has pushed PSA 10 examples to astronomical heights, with one specimen cracking the $15,000 barrier in a recent sale. Even in lower grades, this parallel Mo Rivera rookie commands north of $5,000 due to his widespread popularity and shortage of high grade copies available.
A couple other extremely pricey rookies from the base 2001 Topps set include reliever Danys Baez’s short-printed card, of which there are likely under 500 in existence. Baez ended up having a long, productive career primarily as a setup man, but his rookie has gained notoriety among collectors hungry for extremely low-population cards. PSA 9+ versions change hands for $2,000-$3,000 each. Reliever Joe Nathan’s Topps rookie has gained collector attention as he compiled 377 career saves, and near-mint copies can command $1,000-$1,500 on the market. Both Baez and Nathan fit the mold of having exceptionally low-print run rookie cards that are greatly sought after.
The 2001 Topps set is also known for its prestigiousDiamond Kingsparallel insert set that featured the game’s true superstars with dazzling photography on chromium-type cards. Some of the most valuable individual cards from this parallel insert are those portraying Barry Bonds ($1,000- $2,000), Derek Jeter ($800 – $1,500), Mark McGwire ($600 – $1,200), and Pedro Martinez ($500 – $1,000) in high grades. Collectively the entire 16-card Diamond Kings set in pristine condition can fetch over $5,000 when found intact in collector’s portfolios.
As a special commemorative product for Topps’ 60thanniversary, the 2001 flagship issue also included subsets recognizing past decade leaders as well as subsets featuring former stars who played into the 1990s. Within the Past Stars Of The 1990s subset, particularly expensive parallel cards include those of Cal Ripken Jr. ($800 – $1,500 PSA 10), Greg Maddux ($600 – $1,200 PSA 10), and Ken Griffey Jr. ($500 – $1,000 PSA 9+) due to the immense drawing power of eachHall of Fame hitter during their playing days. Meanwhile, premium 1990s Era Stars parallel cards of Chipper Jones ($500 – $1,000 PSA 9+) and Sammy Sosa ($400 – $800 PSA 9+) also command solid secondary market value.
In summarizing, while most of the base cards and even many parallel/insert cards from the 2001 Topps series can be acquired relatively inexpensively today, there exist a select group of extremely scarce rookies and parallel inserts featuring all-time great performers that have reached astronomical heights at auction. Cards with print runs of just 100-200 copies like those of Damon, Jeter and Rivera from the Red Sox/Yankees subsets represent the true holy grails that eager vintage collectors covet and competitively bid up. Overall the 2001 Topps set serves as an excellent case study for how certain low-population and star-studded rookie cards can achieve unprecedented values with time in the collecting marketplace.
