Mark David McGwire, better known simply as Mark McGwire, enjoyed a memorable MLB career playing for both the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals from 1986 to 2001. McGwire electrified Major League Baseball fans throughout the 1990s, setting then-records for home runs in a single season with 70 in 1998. His incredible home run feats during baseball’s ‘steroid era’ made him one of the most famous players of his generation and his rookie cards and home run chase memorabilia remain some of the most highly sought after and valuable baseball cards on the market.

McGwire was drafted in the 10th round of the 1984 amateur draft by the Athletics directly out of high school. He made his MLB debut with Oakland in 1987 after rising steadily through their farm system. That season, he blasted 49 home runs, still the rookie record, and took home the American League Rookie of the Home Runs in a season and his powerful left-handed swing immediately made him a fan favorite in Oakland. One of the most iconic and valuable McGwire rookie cards is his 1987 Fleer rookie card. This iconic issued is one of the most collected and recognizable cards in the Fleer brand’s history. Graded gem mint 10 examples regularly sell for well over $10,000 given McGwire’s historic rookie season power numbers, the card’s scarcity, and nostalgia for baseball in the late 1980s. Similarly, PSA 10 and BGS 9.5 examples of his 1987 Topps rookie card often trade hands for $3,000-$5,000.

After establishing himself as one of baseball’s premier power hitters in Oakland, McGwire was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997. It was with the Cardinals where McGwire cemented his legacy, partnering with Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa in an epic 1998 home run chase. That historic season, McGwire and Sosa dueled down the stretch, with Big Mac eventually winning the home run crown by smashing a then single-season record 70 home runs. His mammoth blasts captured the hearts and minds of baseball fans nationwide hungry to be distracted from other controversies at the time. Naturally, cards from McGwire’s record-setting 1998 campaign, when he led the Cardinals to the National League wild card berth, are among his most coveted. Pristine mint condition copies of his Upper Deck 1998 commemorative home run records parallel insert card, depicting him mid-swing with “70” in the background, often sell for $1,500-$2,000. Similarly, PSA/BGS graded gem mint versions of his 1998 Upper Deck MVP Baseball Card routinely demand $800-1,200.

There are also several McGwire rookie variation cards that increase in value due to their scarcity. One such example is his 1987 Topps Traded rookie card variation, featuring a photo of McGwire crouched in the on deck circle wearing an Oakland A’s batting practice jersey. Only 10,000 of these scarce traded variants were printed, compared to the millions of base 1987 Topps McGwire rookies. High-grade preserved copies in a PSA/BGS 10 slab can be worth over $2,000 due to their limited print run. Another valuable McGwire variation is his 1990 Fleer sticker parallel rookie card. Fleer issued sets with traditional cardboard cards as well as peel-and-stick style sticker sheet variants in 1990. The sticker rookie cards are notoriously hard to keep intact and undamaged, making high grade preserved examples extremely rare and collectible. Graded PSA/BGS 10 stickered McGwire rookies consistently sell for well over $1,000.

While McGwire’s career totals were cut short due to injuries, his legacy as one of the game’s most prolific sluggers remains sealed. More than just a power hitter, McGwire also displayed a keen batting eye, walk discipline, and incredible muscle control at the plate few others possessed. These attributes made him must-watch TV any night he batted. His steroid ties unfortunately tainted some of his records later on, but the home run race with Sosa did much to reinvigorate fan interest in baseball during a rebuilding period in the late 90s. As one of the faces of that era and a definitive star of the ‘juiced ball’ period, pristine examples of McGwire’s iconic rookie cards and commemorative pieces chronicling his prodigious home run seasons continue to be some of the most prized investments in the vintage sports card market. Whether it’s his record-setting 1987 Fleer rookie or 1998 home run chase parallels, well-kept specimens often command thousands due to the nostalgia and power McGwire brought to the diamond during baseball’s renaissance period on the heels of the 1994 player’s strike. His name remains synonymous with the long ball 25 years later and collectors who can afford examples from his heyday in mint condition stand to see returns commensurate with Big Mac’s legendary slugging prowess.