The 23-year-old left walked a career-worst 41 batters in 50 innings pitched, issuing a ghastly 7.4 walks per 9 innings. Some argue that this is Mickey Mantles most beautiful card. This card can be quite challenging and is the key to the set. Not many players were as consistent as Musial was over their careers as he went on to win seven batting titles and three MVP awards. And I attempted to estimate their current values when graded in PSA 10 condition so their "raw" or ungraded values may be wildly different. Anthony Rizzo made his MLB debut for the San Diego Padres on June 9, 2011, against the Washington Nationals, going 1-2 at the plate with a triple and a run scored. Then they went 9-18 in the campaign's final month, losing out on a playoff spot by a game to St. Louis with a season-ending five-game losing streak. Posey was one of the biggest young names in the game at that point so seeing Topps issue multiple cards for him in this set should be no surprise. This is the first Topps card to feature Willie Mays, putting it high on Mays collectors wish lists and making it a key card in the hobby overall. The 1915 version was part of a redemption program, however, thus better preserving their condition. Try finding something to not like about this card! The second toughest of the four 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth cards, the #149 Red Ruth is every bit as appealing as the #53 Yellow Ruth. Its an extremely tough card to find in high grade. PSA 10s in the card have commanded more than $40,000, but since '78 Topps has a notorious history of off-centered printing, there are so few gem mints out there. Most Valuable Baseball Cards of All Time - msn.com His .250 batting average reflected the lack of discipline and experience but his .474 slugging percentage hinted at the kind of power he could bring to the Arizona Diamondbacks. By 2012, Chapman had it down, fine-tuning his electric pitch repertoire en route to becoming a legit Cy Young candidate. Ryans rookie card appears in the 1968 O-Pee-Chee, Topps Milton Bradleyand Venezuela Topps sets as well but its the regular ToppsNolan Ryan rookie cardthat stands apart in value from the rest. His legendary career and life were cut short on December 31, 1972, when he died in a plane crash while en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. To commemorate Posey's 2010 Rookie of the Year honor, Topps released this card in Series One packs and you can see the "2010 Rookie of the Year" along the bottom just above his name. Caramel cards are usually more scarce than tobacco cards since they were sold to children rather than adults. Collectors got a glimpse of what it was like to be a pitcher in that era with Cobb intensely staring them down before the pitch. totaled an incredible 511 wins over his career. His 3.60 ERA and not-so-great 1.300 WHIP only told part of the story because when Chapman was locked in, he was virtually unhittable. If you look closely at each of the double prints of this card, youll notice that one version shows better clarity and focus than the other. With approximately 22 or less known to exist, all in low grades, the Ty Cobb back is the rarest of them all. Theres just something about this card that makes it visually stunning. His 1951 Bowman issue is his only recognized rookie card and along with the Mantle rookie is the key to the entire set. With their one-two finish in the NLs Rookie of the Year vote, Kimbrel and Freeman became the first teammates to do so since Chicago Cubs rookies Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith in 1989. Prices are updated daily based upon 2020 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Read our methodology . Most Expensive 2020 Topps card list & price guide. Top 100 Most Valuable Baseball Cards - BaseballLoveClub.com No More Secrets Puzzle Game, Ungraded 25 Most Valuable 1981 Topps Baseball Cards - Old Sports Cards And with those five prime seasons back, he quite possibly couldve added enough home runs to his career 521 total to challenge Ruths record of 714 before Aaron did. If you asked collectors, most would probably say they prefer the portrait poses with the green portrait more preferred to the red due to its scarcity. Greatest Topps Baseball Cards of All-Time Most Expensive of All-Time #10. Possessing an explosive triple-digit fastball with electric movement, Chapman struggled to harness his high-octane stuff in his first full year with the Reds. Collectors go wild for it. As with most early candy or tobacco issues, this card with the image of the Georgia Peach ready to swing is the most valuable and sought after in the set. Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. Considered the Holy Grail of all trading cards, the 1909 American Tobacco CompanyT206 Honus Wagner cardremains the symbol of trading card collecting today. At the tender age of 22, Sale made his full-season debut with the Sox as a high-leverage reliever. Big names like Albert Pujols, Ichiro, David Ortiz, Derek Jeter, Miguel Cabrera and Clayton Kershaw help round out a solid checklist. In fact, with PSA 10s in such short supply for the set's top cards, we elected to go with PSA 9 prices for this list. 10 Most Valuable Sammy Sosa Baseball Cards This is true whether you're looking at the base card, the premium Tiffany variant, or even the Desert Storm version which is limited in number. This isBanks only recognized rookie cardin the hobby and along with the Hank Aaron and Al Kaline rookies, a key to the 1954 Topps set. This is no doubt one of the most sought after cards of one of the games best pitchers of all time. The last card in the '75 Topps set, this Hank Aaron collectible won't ever be confused as the baseball legend's best-looking card. That card was later sold for $250,000 in 2007. The Reds' fall from contention cost Votto at the ballot box, though, as he followed up his 2010 MVP triumph with a sixth-place finish in 2011. There are 11 different backside variations in total each with The George Close Co. printed on them. The famous Pittsburg Pirate shortstop is shown ready at the bat with his name Hans along the bottom border of the card. The Iron Horseappears twice in the 1933 Goudey setwith card #s 92 and 160 to his credit. From Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Honus Wagner to Los Angeles Angels standout Mike Trout, here are nine iconic cards of star players that were sold or auctioned for significant sums: 1. So, whoever says that baseball cards are no longer valuable simply doesn't know what he or she is talking about Sure, the massive print runs during the late 80's and early 90's killed the value of most post-1980's cards. The question is: where do you start on this list? Although kind of normal for Gehrig, his offensive production was extraordinary in 1934. Financial problems would cause Dunn to sell Ruths contract to the Boston Red Sox later that year, however. Over time, the Freddie Freeman rookie has remained the key card from the 2011 Topps base run, while rookie cards of Mike Trout, Jose Altuve, Paul Goldschmidt, Anthony Rizzo and J.D. So, to build this list, I only focused on the base cards from 2011 Topps and included some from 2011 Topps Update as well. For some reason, collectors had to send in for the card a year later in 1934 by contacting Goudey if they wanted to complete this set. Things changed dramatically in the second game of a three-game Marlins sweep when Florida outfielder Scott Cousins barreled into Posey at home plate after tagging up on a sacrifice fly. 1986 Topps Tiffany Rickey Henderson 2. 2011 was the year that Ichiro finally looked mortal at the plate. In fact, his 1986 Topps Traded Tiffany card can be worth over $2,000 in PSA condition. Trout didn't exactly raise any eyebrows in his first game, finishing 0-3 at the plate. Prices are updated daily based upon 2006 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Most Expensive 2022 Topps 1st Edition card list & price guide. The card features a great image of Ruth and it remains one of his most desirable cards. Average ungraded base card value (excludes parallels) for 2020 Topps And like Altuve, Martinez started with the Greeneville Astros and worked his way up to the Class AA Corpus Christi Hooks. Honus. Because they were distributed in packages of hot dogs, its extremely difficult to find them in high grade. Of all theWillie Mays baseball cards out there, this is his most important. He received 20 first place votes in the NL Rookie of the Year vote and his 129 vote points outpaced Atlanta's Jason Heyward who 107 vote points for his impressive debut performance. It should come as no surprise that the rookie card of the greatest player who ever lived would be on this list. However, as with any colored borders, the surrounding red borders of this card are susceptible to wear making it very condition sensitive. Whether you can find one in high grade or not, though, its a superb card for any collector to own. The E106 cards feature identical artwork on their fronts as the E90-1 and E92 caramel issues but differ by the advertising on their backs. Read our methodology . It was a brutal way for the season to end for the 90-win Red Sox. Ortiz's 29 home runs and 96 RBIs were pretty on-brand compared to recent years. The 48-card 1915 American Caramel E106 shows some nice artistic renderings of players of the National, American and Federal Leagues. From autographs and relics to silk cards, glove leather cards and exclusive online cards, there was so much variety for collectors to chase. Altuve went 1-5 that game, but little did he know then he had kicked off a piece of Houston Astros history. A mixture of bad timing, poor communication, and an always-controversial roster rule kept Albert Pujols out of the 2011 MLB All-Star Game, ending his streak of consecutive Midsummer Classics at eight. With Mays, the opposite is true: his Bowman rookie card is worth more than his 1952 Topps card. Whenever manager Ozzie Guillen needed him to get a few outs, Sale performed. The E106 American Caramel cards are some of the scarcest Honus Wagner cards in the hobby (but obviously not his most expensive if you look at the top of this list). The eye appeal is top-notch, as with most 1914 Cracker Jack cards. Most Expensive [2022 Topps] Baseball Cards - SportsCardsPro National League manager Bruce Bochy was not looped in on Pujols' condition heading into the All-Star Game selection deadline, leaving the San Francisco Giants skipper little choice but to look elsewhere to round out the depth chart. 100 Most Valuable Baseball Cards: The All-Time Dream List After signing a three-year, $38 million deal in the offseason to remain in Cincy, the 27-year-old first baseman busted out of the gates in a full sprint in 2011. While the Dodgers failed to make the playoffs at 83-78, Kershaw made a second-straight playoff miss easier to stomach in Chavez Ravine. Like many 1952 Topps cards, this Mays issue is prone to tilt and centering problems. Their glossy obverse surface usually results in creasing and cracking issues making it tough to find these in high grade. Together with the Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb (Ty Cobb back), and Eddie Plank the T206 Sherry Magie error card is one of the rarest of the entire set. The cream of the crop. He also led the Majors in on-base percentage (.448) and doubles (48) while logging a career-best 7.6 bWAR for Detroit's first division championship squad since 1987. 2020 Topps card list & price guide. Read our methodology . And, unfortunately, Goudey mailed the card with a paper clip on it that left indentations on the card. Its pretty much identical to his 1915 Cracker Jack issue except for the fact that the back of the 1915 version is turned upside down and was printed on thicker paper stock. Prices are updated daily based upon 2005 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. (Note: The following sections contain affiliate links to current eBay and Amazon listings for the cards being discussed.) Goldschmidt also scored 106 runs and led the National League in slugging percentage (.578), OPS (.981), and OPS+ (180), solidifying himself as one of the greatest hitters in the game. Collectors who take on the challenge of completing this set are no doubt in for an extremely tough challenge. 3)Many high number cards were famously dumped into the ocean leaving even less of them in existence. This is the second most desirable card in the famed T206 set and the only pose of the HOF pitcher. However, the gold borders of the T205 cards leave them vulnerable to chipping and wear. In PSA 8 condition, this card would likely sell for $1 million or more. Most Expensive The 1963 ToppsPete Rose rookie cardshows the all-time hit king along with Pedro Gonzalez, Ken McMullen, and Al Weis as one of 1963s most promising youngsters. It should be no surprise that Ty Cobb's 1915 Cracker Jack card carries an enormous price tag with it, given his iconic status in baseball history. Most Expensive 2021 Topps Chrome card list & price guide. Martinez turned out to be the big winners from 2011 Topps Update. Prices continue to climb on them, so keep your eye out for these baseball cards! Its amazing to think of the stats that Williams could have produced had he not missed nearly five full seasons of his prime to military service. Ten days after the Houston Astros called up Altuve from the Hooks, the team called up Martinez to make his MLB debut on July 30, 2011, replacing the recently-traded Hunter Pence. It was clear that Topps wanted to do something special for their 60th anniversary and they certainly delivered. His five complete games and epic, generation-defining showdowns with San Francisco's Tim Lincecum were jolts of electricity for a Dodgers fan base desperate for a winner. While his 1952 Topps card is more popular and more expensive, some collectors forget that this is the only recognizedMantle rookie card. The set is one of if not the most condition sensitive of the early E class era.