Pete Alonso made his Major League Baseball debut in 2019 with the New York Mets and immediately established himself as one of the top young stars in baseball. As a rookie, Alonso led the National League in home runs with 53, which set a new rookie record. His prolific home run hitting right out of the gate as a newcomer to “The Show” created a strong demand for Pete Alonso rookie cards on the collectors’ market. On eBay, Alonso rookie cards quickly became some of the hottest MLB trading cards being sold.
Alonso’s rookie card debut came in 2019 with Topps Series 1 cards. The standard Topps Alonso rookie is arguably the flagship Pete Alonso card. For the first couple years after its release, raw Alonso Topps rookie cards could regularly be found selling on eBay in the $20-30 range. As Alonso’s star power grew and his MLB success continued, so too did the price of his rookie card. By the middle part of the 2021 season, average eBay sales prices for a PSA Graded 9 Alonso Topps rookie card had increased to around $200-250. Meanwhile, raw examples that are in near-gem mint to gem mint condition routinely sell for $75-100+ on eBay.
Aside from the standard Topps base card, a number of short printed Alonso rookie variations carry premiums over the base card as well. Two of the most coveted Alonso rookie variations are the Topps Heritage Minors card and the Topps Big League card. The Topps Heritage Minors Alonso shows him as a prospect in the New York Mets organization prior to his MLB call up. Given its short printed status compared to the standard Topps Series 1 issue, the Heritage Minors rookie has steadily increased in secondary market value since 2019. On eBay today, a PSA 9 sells around $350-400 while a high-grade PSA/BGS 10 can bring upwards of $500-600.
Alonso’s Topps Big League card from 2019 also carries a significant premium relative to his Series 1 rookie. Printed with an issue of just 99 copies in its original hobby box release, the Topps Big League rookie has long been one of the most valuable and desired Pete Alonso cards available. On eBay, PSA 9’s for the ultra-short printed Topps Big League Alonso have consistently sold in the $800-1,000 range throughout 2021. As one of the lowest mintage Alonso cards out there, a PSA/BGS 10 Topps Big League rookie in a recent eBay auction sold for an astounding $4,200.
In addition to standard and short printed rookies, autographed Pete Alonso rookie cards represent some of the absolute highest priced examples of his early career cardboard. On eBay, Alonso’s 2019 Topps Series 1 autographed rookie card frequently trades hands for $400-600 in PSA/BGS DNA certified slabs. Meanwhile, scarcer autographed variations such as the Topps Big League auto carry price tags upwards of $1,500-2,000 for a PSA/BGS 9.5 or 10 grading. When it comes to one-of-one Alonso autographs, consignments to Goldin Auctions have seen examples from encased memorabilia cards sell for $3,000+.
As Alonso has continued producing at an All-Star level each season since his record-setting 2019 rookie campaign, the values of his early career cards have remained strong – and in many cases have appreciated. For example, Alonso had another huge year in 2021 when he slugged his 100th career home run. To celebrate the milestone, Topps produced a limited print run “100 HR” parallel card that features Alonso rounding the bases after homer #100. These short printed parallel cards regularly sell for $75-100 on eBay since their release midway through last season.
Looking beyond just his rookie cards, other popular Pete Alonso MLB cards that attract buyers on eBay include prestigious hobby box short prints, autograph memorabilia cards, rare parallel variations, and rookie cups or prospect cards from earlier in his career prior to reaching the Majors. For example, Alonso’s 2016 Bowman Chrome Auto Orange Refractor /150 recently sold for $300 on eBay while his 2019 Topps Chrome Rainbow Foil Refractor fetched $150. Whether it’s a raw card or high grade gem, virtually any Alonso issue from 2016 up to the present holds value in today’s trading card market when put up for sale through eBay’s popular marketplace.
As Alonso continues powering the Mets lineup and remains one of the top home run threats in the National League, the long term outlook for his baseball card investments also remains strong. With Alonso still only 26 years old as he heads into 2022, most experts predict he has many big seasons yet ahead of him. As such, his earlier cards – particularly the autos and short prints – have great potential to appreciate even more in value over the long run. For savvy collectors and investors, snatching up desirable Pete Alonso cards on eBay during periods of reasonable pricing could prove to be shrewd financial moves given Alonso’s ongoing superstar production on the diamond and youth that give him an extremely high ceiling. As long as Alonso stays healthy and performs at an All-Star caliber, his chase for 60+ home run seasons and stints in the Home Run Derby should maintain collector enthusiasm for his trading card portfolio for years to come on the active secondary market hosted by eBay.
