The year 2017 saw some highly sought after baseball cards enter the hobby. New star rookies, beloved franchise legends, and award winners all had cards that gained immense value within just a few short years. Let’s take a look at some of the most valuable baseball cards issued in 2017 based on recent sales data and auction prices.
Perhaps the single most valuable card from 2017 is the Aaron JudgeTopps Chrome refractors. As a rookie in 2017, Judge set the all-time rookie home run record with 52 home runs while leading the Yankees to the ALCS. The enthusiasm around Judge’s breakout season was matched by card collectors. His Topps Chrome rookie refractors, especially the colored parallels, skyrocketed in value. Pristine mint condition Judge refractors routinely sell for well over $1,000 today on the secondary market. The elusive red refractor parallel has sold for over $6,000 in gem mint condition. While gold and black parallels don’t match the red’s rarity, they still sell for $2,000-$4,000 on average based on recent eBay sales. Judge’s popularity and on-field production helped drive these already scarce refractors to the top of most 2017 rookie card value lists.
Another standout rookie to have an extremely valuable card is Cody Bellinger. Like Judge, Bellinger burst onto the scene by setting the NL rookie home run record with 39 dingers for the Dodgers in 2017. Bellinger’s Topps Chrome rookie refractors, specifically the red parallel, command prices close to Judge’s. High-grade Bellinger reds have sold in the $5,000 range. His other refracted parallels also excel in value, with golds going for $2,000-$3,000. Bellinger was a dominant offensive force right out of the gates and captured the NL Rookie of the Year award, giving collectors strong reason to invest in his top rookie cards from 2017’s flagship Topps Chrome set.
For franchise iconic players, few can match Mike Trout in card value. The 2017 Topps Update Mike Trout autograph cards ranked highly all year. As one of the best players of all time and a surefire Hall of Famer still in his prime, Trout memorabilia holds immense collector value. The Update set featured Trout’s on-card autograph signed in silver ink on the standard base card and additional parallels. His base autos regularly sell for $500-800 while silver parallels have moved for $1,500 with demand only continuing to increase over time. Getting Trout’s elusive 1-of-1 Printing Plate autograph from 2017 Update would set collectors back well over $5,000 today. Such one-of-one Trout hits exemplify his superstar cachet extending fully to the sports card world.
Staying in Los Angeles, the 2017 Topps Five Star Clayton Kershaw parallels become tremendously expensive cards. Five Star is one of the hobby’s most prestigious insert sets known for its low print runs and stunning refractors. Clayton Kershaw, a career Dodger and three-time Cy Young winner, was naturally one of the big short prints in 2017 Five Star. His colored refractors like Mint 9 golds or reds pull in $2,000-$3,000 prices. But the true holy grails were the 1-of-1 printing plate autograph parallels signed by Kershaw, which reached auction prices of $20,000 for the orange refractor example. With Kershaw’s lauded career still in progress and Five Star’s incredible rarity, these singular Kershaw cards will likely appreciate further.
Moving to 2017 Update, Stars of MLB relic cards with major HOF inductions drove values up. The Ivan Rodriguez rookie triple jersey card shot up after his Hall of Fame enshrinement. Numbered to 299 copies, Pudge’s three-patch relic sold consistently for $800 before but quickly surged past $2,000 following his August 2017 Cooperstown induction. Also from Update, the Jeff Bagwell triple bat relic parallels saw similar boosts after Bagwell’s nod into the Hall that year. The standard Bagwell relics were $200 cards pre-announcement but multiplied to $500-700 afterwards. Bagwell’s low numbered parallels climbed much higher, showing how newly-minted Hall of Famers greatly increase demand for their available memorabilia cards from recent sets.
The combination of new great rookies like Judge and Bellinger with legends like Trout, Kershaw, and fresh HOFers led to some incredible price surges for 2017 baseball cards. Top rookie refractors, numbered memorabilia hits, 1-of-1 autographs and Five Star parallels attained the highest values. As these players’ careers continue unfolding, associated cards from their early seasons will likely remain widely collectible for years to come. 2017 saw emerging stars and all-time greats drive certain baseball cards to new heights in desirability and secondary market value.
