The hobby of collecting vintage baseball cards has seen tremendous growth and interest in recent years. Fueled by the collecting frenzy of the late 1980s and early 1990s, as well as increased nostalgia and wealth among Gen Xers and older Millennials, mint condition vintage baseball cards from the 1960s have skyrocketed in value. With the rise of online auction sites like eBay making it easier to assess real-time market values, the rarest and most coveted vintage baseball cards now command prices in the hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars.

Here’s a look at the current top 10 most expensive baseball cards of 2023 based on recent confirmed auction sales prices:

1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner – $2.1 Million
The classic Honus Wagner card has long been the crown jewel of the baseball card collecting world. The legendary shortstop of the Pittsburgh Pirates appeared on one of the most iconic early baseball cards from the 1909-11 American Tobacco Company’s famous T206 series – though it’s believed Wagner asked for his card to be pulled from production since he disliked his likeness being used to promote tobacco. The extreme rarity of this card – with perhaps only 50-200 known to exist in varying conditions – keeps its price stratospherically high. In August 2022, a PSA NM-MT 8 example sold for $2.1 million, maintaining its place among the most valuable cards ever sold.

1952 Topps Mickey Mantle – $2.88 Million
In December 2021, aMint 9 Mickey Mantle rookie card from Topps’ landmark 1952 set became the most valuable post-war baseball card ever sold when it went for $2.88 million at auction. Mantle is one of the most popular players in baseball history and his rookie card is the true “holy grail” for collectors from the 1950s onward. The card set a new benchmark for post-WWII sports cards. It came from the same collector who owned the record-setting T206 Wagner.

1933 Goudey #153 Babe Ruth – $2.8 Million
From the early decades of the 20th century before the modern era of Topps, Babe Ruth dominated baseball as arguably its first superstar. His iconic slugging image resonated hugely with fans and collectors. In October 2016, a PSA EX 5 example of Ruth’s scarce 1933 Goudey gum card sold for $2.8 million, then a record price for a Ruth card. It showed “The Bambino” in-game without a bat in his hands for perhaps the first time on cardboard.

1909-11 T206 Frank Chance – $2.88 Million
Though not a true “superstar” like Ruth or Mantle, Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees legend Frank Chance starred in the deadball era before World War I. His scarce T206 tobacco card skyrocketed in value when a PSA NM-MT 8 copy became just the second pre-war card to break $3 million at auction in October 2013, selling for $2.88 million. It highlighted the strong prices that can be achieved by cards showing accomplished players from baseball’s early decades.

1909-11 T206 Napoleon Lajoie – $3.12 Million
Deemed the “second most valuable” T206 after Wagner, the tobacco card of Naps (as he was known) second baseman Napoleon Lajoie broke new ground in August 2021 when a PSA AU 50 example sold for $3.12 million. Lajoie was a true star of the deadball era and his elegant image remains one of the most aesthetically appealing in the entire T206 set over a century later. It reinforced the top prices that can be paid for the highest graded specimens from that pioneering cardboard series.

1909-11 T206 Christy Mathewson – $3.24 Million
Another of the true legends from the game’s earliest prominent era, New York Giants hurler Christy Mathewson achieved career immortality on the mound before his untimely death in 1925 at age 45. In January 2022, the great pitcher’s scarce T206 card set a new record for any Mathewson issued when a PSA NM-MT 8 copy earned a final bid of $3.24 million at auction. It highlighted the strong ongoing demand for the cleanest examples depicting superseded players.

1909-11 T206 Walter Johnson – $3.36 Million
Alongside Mathewson, Washington Senators flamethrower Walter Johnson might have been the most talented pitcher ever to play before the 1960s. “The Big Train” steamrolled batters for over 20 years and still holds the all-time record for career strikeouts. The extreme rarity and condition of his magnificent smiling T206 image resulted in a PSA NM-MT 8 example raking in $3.36 million in August 2018, then the highest price ever achieved for a Johnson issued card.

1909-11 T206 Eddie Plank – $3.72 Million
Not a true “star” of the caliber of Wagner or Johnson, Philadelphia A’s Southpaw Eddie Plank nevertheless had a long and productive career spanning the deadball era into the 1920s. But it was the unbelievable state of preservation of his 1909-11 T206 card that caused it to obliterate expectations when a PSA NM-MT 8 copy sold in October 2021 for a staggering $3.72 million. It set fresh records as both the most lucrative Plank card and the third-priciest T206 sportscard in history.

1909-11 T206 Sherry Magee – $3.93 Million
Sherry Magee was a talented if oft-injured outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1910s who once narrowly lost a batting title to Honus Wagner. His iconic T206 tobacco card took collectors’ breath away in August 2022 when a single-known PSA NM-MT 8 specimen went to auction. The phenomenal condition and scarcity propelled it to a new ceiling for the set by selling for $3.93 million, more than any previous Magee issue.

1909-11 T206 J. BE. Wagner – $6.6 Million
Topping the list is quite simply the most famous and iconic baseball card of all – the ultra-rare 1909-11 American Tobacco Honus Wagner. long considered the “Mona Lisa” of trading cards due to Wagner’s apparent attempts to suppress his likeness on cigarettes. In October 2021, a PSA NM-MT 8 copy that may be the finest graded example shocked the hobby by achieving the highest auction price in trading card history when it hammered for $6.6 million. It cemented the Wagner’s status as the undisputed king of collectibles.

The jaw-dropping prices realized for pristine examples from the earliest decades of the 1900s like the fabled T206 tobacco issue show there is still strong, even escalating demand for the best of the best vintage cards depicting baseball’s earliest stars. As more Gen X collectors reach their peak earning years and look to allocate funds to rare collectibles, the sky continues to be the limit for truly exceptional vintage cardboard in gem mint condition from over a century ago. The elite cards topping over $3 million today were unfathomable just 5-10 years ago.