Roger Clemens is widely considered one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history. Over a 24-year career spent primarily with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, Clemens won 7 Cy Young Awards and struck out over 4,000 batters. His iconic pitching dominance in the late 1980s through early 2000s made him one of the most collectible players for baseball card enthusiasts. While Clemens has many valuable and rare baseball cards in his collection, here are some of the most noteworthy and expensive Roger Clemens cards:
1984 Fleer #206 Rookie Card: Clemens’ rookie card from his debut 1984 season with the Boston Red Sox is arguably the crown jewel of his baseball card collection. Despite being fairly common as a standard issue card in 1984 Fleer packs, mint condition copies have skyrocketed in value in recent years now that Clemens has retired. Near-mint copies routinely sell for over $1,000 today on the secondary market. High-grade gem mint 10 cards have even sold for upwards of $15,000 due to their extreme rarity. The 1984 Fleer card captured Clemens at the very beginning of his Hall of Fame career and remains one of the most iconic rookie cards for any pitcher.
1986 Fleer Update #U1 Update Variation: Clemens’ breakout 1985 season with the Red Sox, when he won the American League Cy Young award for the first time, spawned several valuable update and high series cards in 1986. One of the rarest is the Fleer Update #U1 card, which features a different photo and design than the standard 1986 Fleer issue. Only about 10 are known to exist in gem mint 10 condition, making high grade copies worth over $25,000 to dedicated collectors. Even well-centered near-mint 8 copies still sell for $3,000-5,000 for this ultra-rare Clemens variation card.
1988 Score #46 All-Star: Clemens’ inclusion in the 1988 All-Star Game at Riverfront Stadium helped spawn several premium insert cards from Score and other manufacturers. The 1988 Score #46 is one of the most iconic from that year’s Midsummer Classic. Copies in pristine mint condition have changed hands for up to $7,000 due to the card’s iconic design highlighting Clemens’ outstanding 1988 season. Near-mint copies still sell in the $1,500 range.
1989 Upper Deck #1: The hugely popular 1989 Upper Deck set is perhaps the most well-known and highest quality baseball card issue of all-time. Clemens’ flagship #1 card has become extremely valuable for big HOF collectors. PSA/BGS 10 “Gem Mint” slabs have sold at auction for over $20,000. Even well-centered near-mint copies still sell for $3,000-$5,000 today due to the immense quality and nostalgia associated with 1989 Upper Deck.
1992 Donruss Elite #68 Gold Refractor: Donruss Elite is best remembered as the original issuer of “refractor” parallel cards in the early 1990s. Clemens’ already rare #68 base card gained immense value when pulled as one of the strictly limited “Gold Refractor” parallel versions numbered to only 10 copies. One Gold Refractor recently sold at auction for a staggering $67,500, making it one of the priciest Clemens cards in existence due to its extreme scarcity and coveted refractor technology.
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Pick Refractor Auto #BCP99: Many view Clemens’ post-active playing career auto cards as potentially undervalued long term holdings. The 2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Pick Refractor parallel autographed card is a case in point – numbered to only 5 copies pulled from packs globally. Low pop rookies like this with a true “1/1” pedigree could net over $10,000 for top-grade specimens once Clemens’ generation of collectors ages.
Through cards like these defining issues from his rookie year through prime years with Boston and New York, Clemens established himself as one of the most collectible and valuable pitchers in the baseball card hobbies. As one of the game’s truest legends, his cards – especially premium rookies, autographed parallels, and rare insert variations – have become highly sought trophies for dedicated HOF collectors and remain solid long term investments.
