Aaron Judge has quickly become one of the most popular and collectible players in Major League Baseball thanks to his gigantic home run feats for the New York Yankees. As a result, Aaron Judge rookie cards and other early career cards have surged tremendously in value since his breakout 2017 season. No company produces more baseball cards than Topps, who holds the exclusive MLB license. Thus, Topps is the primary producer of Aaron Judge cards that collectors seek.

Topps distributed Judge’s rookie card in their 2017 baseball card products. As a rookie, Judge’s primary card was the standard base card in Series 1, Series 2, and Update Series packs that year. While these cards flooded the initial market and remained relatively inexpensive, savvy collectors realized Judge’s star power early on and snapped up as many rookie cards as possible. Within a couple years, even the common Judge rookie cards gained immense value after he cemented himself as one of MLB’s top sluggers. PSA 10 Gem Mint examples of the 2017 Topps Series 1 Judge rookie now sell for thousands of dollars.

Other key early Aaron Judge cards released by Topps include his rookie cup parallel cards. Topps inserts special parallel card designs into their set each year that are rare pulls. Judge received prestigious rookie cup parallels in 2017 Topps Series 1 and Update that marked him as a future star. These scarce parallel cards quickly became highly valuable for collectors. Another coveted early Judge insert was his Mother’s Day pink parallel from 2017 Topps Series 2, pulled at an extremely low rate. Even outside of rookie issues, Judge’s regular base cards from his early Topps series remain highly sought after.

Following Judge’s record-breaking rookie season and continued success, Topps increased the product focus on him in future releases. His sophomore Season 2018 cards gained much more prominence in Topps sets. Paramount was the Aaron Judge autograph card from 2018 Topps Series 1, one of Judge’s first certified autograph cards inserted at an ultra-low ratio. This exclusive, on-card autograph skyrocketed in secondary market value. Judge also received prestigious inserts in 2018 Topps like his 5-tool parallel and Home Run Challenge insert spotlighting his mammoth blasts. Each new issue of Judge cards from Topps was met with fervor from collectors chasing his rising star power.

Judge’s monster offensive campaign in 2019 with close to 60 home runs brought another surge of dedicated Topps cards. From flagship 2019 Topps Series 1 & 2 to Update Series, Judge’s base rookie and current issue cards were showered with new parallels and serial numbered variations inserted randomly. Popular inserts included Judge’s Diamond Kings and Transcendent Talent SP card highlighting his achievements. Topps even did a special Home Run Challenge insert recognizing his quest to break Roger Maris’ American League home run record that year (which he narrowly missed). Error versions of Judge’s 2019 Topps cards also became highly-valued anomalies.

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Topps released exclusive Aaron Judge autographed memorabilia cards through their partnership with Panini America for the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. This presented a new avenue for collectors to acquire on-card signed swatches and patches of the Yankees slugger. Judge fans eagerly snapped up these unique memorabilia cards showcasing relics from his incredible career thus far. Topps/Panini plan continued special Judge autographed memorabilia releases moving forward as well.

As Aaron Judge continues demolishing baseballs at an epic rate for the Yankees, Topps will undoubtedly pump out many more luxury versions and rare parallels of his cards in upcoming years. Any time Judge reaches a new career milestone offensively, expect Topps to memorialize it. After his 2017 MVP-caliber season, Topps inserted a “Rookie of the Year” stamp variation which skyrocketed in secondary market value. With each new Topps release, the demand from collectors to own a piece of the Aaron Judge collecting juggernaut only intensifies further. For fans chasing the best of the best in Judge’s coveted rookie issues and career cards, Topps will remain the go-to producer as the MLBPA license holder.

Thanks to Aaron Judge’s breakout legendary rookie season with the New York Yankees and sustained success thereafter, Topps found themselves with one of the premiere modern superstars to feature. From flagship rookie cards in 2017 all the way to current releases chronicling Judge’s ongoing dominance, Topps has cornerstoned their baseball sets around one of the true elites in the game today. Any time Judge makes Topps cardboard, collectors take notice due to his rapid rise in iconic status. For those seeking to complete a full Aaron Judge collection or simply gain exposure to his Topps rookie cards, there will be no shortage of opportunities or interest level for years to come.