Sandy Koufax is widely considered one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time. Over his 12-year Major League Baseball career from 1955 to 1966 spent entirely with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, Koufax established himself as a true pitching icon known for his blazing fastball and devastating curveball. He won three Cy Young Awards, was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1963, and pitched four no-hitters including a perfect game. Koufax’s incredible talent and early retirement at just 30 years old due to arthritis in his pitching arm only added to his legend and mystique among baseball fans and collectors.
Unsurprisingly, Koufax rookie and early career baseball cards from the late 1950s and early 1960s are some of the most desirable and valuable in the hobby. Some of the prized Koufax rookie and early issue cards include:
1955 Topps #118 – Considered Koufax’s true rookie card, it carries an average PSA 10 graded gem mint price tag of over $15,000 due to its scarcity and significance as capturing the start of Koufax’s storied career. High grade examples in PSA 8 or 9 condition still fetch thousands.
1956 Topps #349 – One of Koufax’s earliest mainstream issued cards, it highlights his breakout 1955 season stats and marks the start of his rise. PSA 10s sell for $2,000-3,000 with PSA 8s around $500-700.
1957 Topps #277 – Shows Koufax as a rising young star pitcher. PSA 10s trade hands for $1,000-2,000 and PSA 8s go for $300-500. Still very affordable for a key 1950s Koufax card.
1960 Topps #500 – Captures Koufax’s breakout 1959 season when he won the NL strikeout title. PSA 10 examples sell for $3,000-5,000 and PSA 8s bring around $800-1,200.
1961 Topps #306 – Highlights Koufax’s dominance leading the league in strikeouts in back-to-back seasons. PSA 10 condition cards trade for $4,000-6,000 and PSA 8s go for $1,000-1,500.
1962 Topps #522 – Features stats from Koufax’s first Cy Young winning season. PSA 10 mint copies surpass $10,000 with PSA 8s around $3,500. A true key issue.
1963 Topps #316 – Commemorates Koufax’s second consecutive Cy Young and first MVP award. PSA 10s exceed $15,000 due to rarity with PSA 8s around $5,000-6,000.
1964 Topps #234 – Marks Koufax’s third Cy Young season. PSA 10 specimens bring $12,000-18,000 given the historical enormity of his accomplishments that year. PSA 8s sell for $4,000-6,000.
1965 Topps #122 – Highlights Koufax’s fourth Cy Young and record four no-hitters through 1965. PSA 10s easily top $30,000 as one of the rarest modern cards. PSA 8s still fetch $10,000-12,000.
1966 Topps #375 – Captures Koufax’s final season before retiring at age 30. PSA 10s go for $25,000-35,000 due to the card’s exclusivity while PSA 8s sell around $6,000-8,000.
Outside of Topps, there are several other notable Koufax baseball cards worth reviewing. His 1957 Bowman card (#B7) in PSA 10 condition exceeds $5,000. Koufax’s 1960 Bazooka baseball card #B2 carries a PSA 10 value over $3,000 as well. His 1956 Topps red back card sells for thousands graded high too. And low-numbered parallel printing plate/auto relic cards of later Koufax issues from the 2000s upward sell for thousands.
Any card showing Sandy Koufax’s playing career has significant dollar value to dedicated collectors. Given his peerless accomplishments on the field and short time in the game, early Koufax rookie and star run cards ranging from the 1955 Topps through 1966 commands collector interest and prices rivaling the most storied Hall of Famers. High grade specimens are tough to find but represent sound long term investments for patient collectors able to afford such condition census rarities from one of baseball’s true pitching icons.
