Ever since 1909 when Cracker Jack started including a cheap novelty prize in their caramel-coated popcorn treats, young baseball fans have been rummaging through their bags hoping to find a rare and valuable baseball card. While most cards were common varieties featuring current players, there have been a select few Cracker Jack cards through the decades that have become hugely valuable due to their scarcity, condition, and historical significance. If you’re looking to strike it rich from your old baseball card collection, here are some of the most valuable Cracker Jack cards to keep an eye out for.
Honus Wagner (1909-1911) – The rarest and most famous baseball card of all, the Honus Wagner card has become the holy grail for collectors. Only about 50-200 are known to exist in various conditions. The finest example ever to be graded sold at auction in 2016 for $3.12 million. Even poorly-conditioned examples can sell for well over $100,000. What makes this card so rare is that Wagner famously asked the American Tobacco Company (who produced Cracker Jack from 1909-1916) to stop printing his image on cards as he didn’t want to promote tobacco to kids. Only a small run was printed before they were pulled from production, leaving very few survivors over a century later.
Eddie Plank (1909) – One of the true “non-sport” pioneer era cards, the Eddie Plank is the second most valuable Cracker Jack issue after Wagner. Fewer than 10 are known to exist today in various states of preservation. In 2013, a Plank card that was graded Poor 1.5 just barely holding its shape sold for $108,000. High grade specimens in the 5.0-7.0 range would easily break the $250,000 mark. Like Wagner, Plank’s rarity is due to the small print run of this early baseball issue before players fully embraced endorsements.
Joe Jackson (1915) – A more commonly pulled card than the ultra-rare Wagner and Plank, the 1915 Joe Jackson is still one of the most expensive Cracker Jack issues as a key early “deadball era” card. In gem mint condition it has sold as high as $91,600. Even well-worn examples still fetch four-figure sums. Jackson’s playing career and personal life have taken on almost mythical status since being banned from the sport in the infamous “Black Sox” scandal of 1919, adding to the nostalgia and intrigue of his issued cards.
Ty Cobb (1915) – Along with Joe Jackson, the 1915 Ty Cobb is one of the most iconic early Cracker Jack issues printed during baseball’s deadball period. High grade specimens have sold in the $50,000-$70,000 range reflecting Cobb’s status as one of the game’s earliest superstars and most legendary figures. Unlike Honus Wagner which was only released during the early tobacco era, Cobb had cardboard produced during the deadball and live ball eras making his cards overall more obtainable, if still highly valuable in top condition.
Lefty Grove (1933) – One of the most significant post-deadball Cracker Jack issues is the 1933 subset featuring young A’s star Lefty Grove. Only about 50 are believed to exist today in all grades. Examples that have sold at auction include a 4.0 that brought $38,400 in 2016 and a true gem mint 7.0 specimen that realized $72,000 in 2019. Grove would go on to become one of the most dominating pitchers of the 1930’s giving added notoriety to his rare early Cracker Jack tribute.
Jimmie Foxx (1933) – Like teammate Lefty Grove, Jimmie Foxx benefited from exposure in the 1933 Cracker Jack subset which prominently featured stars of Connie Mack’s young powerhouse A’s teams. Already emerging as one of the game’s best power hitters, specimens of Foxx’s cardboard portrait have topped $20,000 in top grades reflecting their scarcity and his eventual Hall of Fame playing career. Fewer than 50 are believed extant today.
Hank Greenberg (1934) – As one of the premier sluggers of the 1930’s, Hank Greenberg’s cardboard likeness holds tremendous value, especially in the scarce early 1934 Cracker Jack issue. While a few hundred are thought to exist compared to the sub-100 population estimates for cards like Wagner and Plank, examples have sold as high as $15,000 for truly pristine examples displaying the Detroit slugger. Greenberg’s accomplishments on and off the field as one of baseball’s first Jewish superstars adds to his heroic legacy.
Mel Ott (1934) – Along with Greenberg, the 1934 Cracker Jack card of Giants legend Mel Ott is one of the most important and valuable early issues from the 1930’s “lively ball era.” Ott was well on his way to hitting over 500 home runs for his career when depicted for Cracker Jack. Fewer than 200 are believed accounted for, and high grades have sold in the $8,000-$12,000 range. For a New York superstar of Ott’s stature, this remains a highly significant cardboard collectible over 85 years later.
Bob Feller (1938) – One of the rarest of the 20th century Cracker Jack issues, Bob Feller’s 1938 debut card is legendary among collectors for its extreme scarcity. It’s believed fewer than 50 survive today, and in 2014 a true 7.0 mint specimen sold at public auction for $67,200, at the time setting a record. Feller would go on to strike out a then-record 348 batters in one season and toss three no-hitters as one of baseball’s hardest-throwing fireballers. The 1938 perfectly captures “Rapid Robert” as a teenage phenom.
Ted Williams (1939) – As one of the greatest hitters in history with a career .344 average and 521 home runs, Ted Williams has numerous valuable baseball cards. But the 1939 Cracker Jack stands out above others for its scarcity and significance as his first mass-produced portrayal. Graded examples have sold in the $30,000 range, marking it as the most expensive post-1930’s Cracker Jack card obtainable. Fewer than 250 are believed left in existence some 80 years later.
Yogi Berra (1946) – We have Yogi Berra’s rookie card produced for Cracker Jack in 1946 while still with the MLB Nurses. Along with fellow Yankee greats Williams, DiMaggio and Mantle, Berra transcended the sport and became a national celebrity. This puts added demand on one of the scarcest post-WWII Cracker Jacks with estimates as low as 50 surviving copies. Even low-grade specimens can sell for $5,000+, a true indicator of its legendary place in cardboard history.
While Cracker Jack cards were produced across multiple decades and featured hundreds of ballplayers, a select handful have emerged among collectors as true crown jewels worth five or even six figures to today’s aficionados due to their astounding rarity, representation of all-time great players, and irreplaceable heritage as pieces of baseball’s earliest years captured in cardboard form. For investors or collectors looking to strike it rich from their old collections, these historic Cracker Jack cards should be the most closely inspected for. A single mint example can pay off big and provide a remarkable link back over a century to America’s favorite pastime unfolding each summer.
