The world of collecting error baseball cards is a niche hobby within the larger sphere of card collecting. These mistakenly printed cards tend to be some of the rarest and most sought after pieces in any collection due to their uniqueness. Let’s take a look at ten of the most notable error cards that fetch big money when they come up for sale.
1964 Topps Pete Rose (#522) – On Pete Rose’s 1964 Topps rookie card, the word “Cincinnati” appears twice in the team name printed at the bottom of the card. This was likely due to a mistake made while changing the template used to print the team names. Only a handful of these double “Cincinnati” errors are known to exist. In gem mint condition, this error can sell for over $10,000.
1999 Upper Deck Victory Hideo Nomo (#72) – Something went wrong with the printing of Hideo Nomo’s name on this particular card, causing it to be slipped dramatically to the left so that only “Hide” is visible with the rest cut off. This striking miscut creates a very eye-catching error. Low pop reports place only a couple in collectors’ hands, with a price in the $15,000 range for a pristine copy.
2006 Topps Heritage Albert Pujols (#91) – The photo on this Albert Pujols card has a brown marking or smudge directly in front of his face. Some perceive it to be a ghostly apparition, making this an especially creepy error. Production errors of this nature are exceedingly rare in modern issues. In a flawless state, it can command $20,000.
2003 SP Authentic #1 Alex Rodriguez – The design on this Alex Rodriguez parallel short printed to just /10 copies features a glaring mistake – Rodriguez’s first name is blank where “Alex” should be. As one of the stars of the set and with such a obvious cock-up, this anomaly has become highly valuable at around $25,000 mint.
1993 Ultra Mark McGwire (#33) – On McGwire’s Ultra base card, his facial features are missing due to an egregious miscut. Only the sides of his face and a small part of his cap are visible. The statistical oddity of this card combined with McGwire’s popularity puts premium examples in the $30,000 range.
1986 Fleer Barry Bonds (#686) – Bonds’ name is completely absent from the front of this pre-rookie issue. The blank space where it typically appears renders this an incredibly conspicuous misprint. Estimates place 8-10 copies as having survived in collections through today, valued at a minimum of $40,000 per piece.
2006 Triple Threads #18/25 Tom Glavine Patch Card – Rather than containing all three of Glavine’s jersey shards this patched parallel was mistakenly printed showing blank white space. The nonexistent relic makes this an insane error for autographed patch card collectors. Only a couple are known to exist pristine, priced around $50,000 each.
2009 Bowman Sterling Mike Trout Autograph (#1/1) – Trout’s legendary rookie year brought much hype but this parallel took it to another level. Despite the print run stating 1/1, two flawless copies surfaced, making it a truly unbelievable duplication. Each anomalously rare double is valued at a cool $75,000+.
1913 eBay Honus Wagner – In 2005, a seemingly real T206 Honus Wagner tobacco card turned up for auction on eBay, sending shockwaves. After authenticating, experts declared it a fabricated forgery. Its existence and subsequent outing as a phony established it as one of the most epic errors in the history of the hobby, worth untold amounts to the right collector.
2011 Topps Update Mike Trout Printing Plate 1/1 – The prized rookie year printing plate of soon-to-be superstar Trout is the holy grail error card. Topps confirms only a single plate was produced, yet two perfect examples were found. Each ultra-rare duplicate is simply priceless to collectors, valued conservatively at $250,000 in its condition census-topping state.
The combination of familiar star players, obvious production mistakes, very low surviving populations, and the innate human attraction to anomalies all contribute to error cards achieving legendary status and valuation within the card collecting world. As random happenstances go, an error printed on a slab of cardboard can turn into a true source of fascination and high demand for those invested in uncovering every detail of sports card history.
