Milwaukee's Prince Fielder earned the first base start for the Senior Circuit, and Cincinnati's Joey Votto was a no-doubt pick as a backup. By 2014, Rizzo had settled into his role as the Chicago Cubs' everyday first baseman and earned his first trip to the All-Star Game that season. 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. After seeing his batting average dip considerably in the previous three seasons, Ortiz posted the second-best full-season mark of his career thus far with a .309 finish. You could argue the imagery isn't the nicest in the hobby but it makes for an unforgettable card design. 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. Cheapest, Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. The number of chase cards available to collectors may have seemed overwhelming at the time but, in retrospect, it was great to see Topps offer so much variety. Exact prices are available to subscribers. 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. It's so rare that no complete set has ever been assembled. Because Mantle was exclusively signed with Bowman in 1954 and 1955, you won't find him on any of Topps' cards in either of those two sets. For example, one easy way to tell if youve got an M101-4 Ruth rookie is if the Sporting News ad is on the back of the card as no M101-5 Ruths featured that ad. Over his remarkable career, Aaron made 24 All-Star appearances, a record shared with Mays and Musial and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. Mathews had a prolific career as a feared power hitter and spent many years alongside Hank Aaron to form one of the greatest home run hitting duos the game has ever seen. 2020 Topps card list & price guide. 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. Shortcuts: In 11 playoff contests against the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers, he slashed a blistering .314/.489/.771 with four home runs, 12 walks, four doubles, seven runs scored, ten RBIs, and two stolen bases. An SGC 9.5 Example Sold in August 2022 for $12,600,000. In 2014, MLB instituted rules that prevented a runner from initiating "an avoidable collision" at home plate. Martinez's career began with the Houston Astros when they drafted him in the 20th round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of Nova Southeastern University. He ultimately fell short of the incredible feat but still finished the season batting .317 with 35 home runs and 115 RBIs. In Game 1, the Phillies picked Doc up after he gave up a three-run shot to Lance Berkman in the 1st inning, scoring 11 unanswered runs as Halladay settled in to retire 21 straight in a convincing Philly win. Each of the 30 unnumbered cards in the set feature an artist rendering of players atop colored backgrounds. It's still a very unusual-looking card but is one that many collectors dream of owning. Young appears three times in the epic T206 set with this being the most desired and priciest of them all. Theres only one single PSA 10 copy currently in circulation, however, which makes it extremely difficult to find even if you have that kind of money to spend. Johnson is considered by many to be the best pitcher of all time after turning in an amazing 12 seasons of 20 or more victories, including two with more than 30. The sale smashed the record for most valuable baseball card at the time, beating the then-highest sale of a Honus Wagner T206 White Border card at $3.1 million. After 60 years in the hobby, Topps helped celebrate their "Diamond Anniversary" by packing so much into their 2011 Topps baseball card set. We believe the following 10 cards will be tops in short-term return on investment over the next 1 to 2 years. Cobb turned in an absolute monster of a season in 1911 as he set career highs in batting (.420), hits (248), doubles (47), triples (24), RBI (127), runs (147) and slugging percentage (.621). 2022 Topps Series 1 Wander Franco Photo Variation SP RC #215 What's worse was that his (relative) struggles were coming at a low point for the Mariners organization. Wagner, Ruth, Cobb, Mantle and Mays are just several of the baseball greats that reside on this list of cardboard rarities. 1954 Topps #128 Hank Aaron RC #7. Baseball Cards. Those that have been found in high grade are thought to have never been packaged and instead left the factory by hand. Mantle is easily one of the most widely collected players in the hobby. 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. The Big Train is a true legend of the game and this card is a great tribute to him. In 2012, Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale kicked off a stunning streak of seven-straight All-Star nods and seven-straight AL Cy Young finishes of sixth or better. He was also clutch, maintaining a sub-1.00 World Series ERA and twice being named series MVP in 1963 and 1965. Unlike the other example that features cartoons in the background, DiMaggio is shown all by himself atop a blank background. This incredibly important card is beautiful in design, depicting nice artwork of Mantle ready at the bat. Most Valuable. Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? Walter Johnson appears twice in the T206 set, one in a pitching pose and then again in this portrait layout. But, Joe Jackson is instantly recognizable on this card depicting him as a member of the Cleveland Naps minor league team, the New Orleans Pelicans. The cards design is beautiful and easily distinguished from others of the 1950s. Though he may not have been MLB's hottest rookie in 1990, he certainly turned into one of the biggest superstars of his era. By 2008, Altuve moved from Venezuela to Tennessee to play for the Greeneville Astros, who were the Houston Astros' Rookie-level Appalachian League affiliate until 2017. The T210 Old Mill set features hundreds of minor league ballplayers that most people have never heard of before. There are 30 cards in total and each includes seven different possible color backs. No matter where Eddie Mathews appeared in the 1952 Topps set, his only recognized rookie card would be worth a lot. The most prevalent theory is that the card suffered from a poor printing plate, resulting in many of the cards being destroyed since they could not pass quality control. 30 Most Valuable Topps Tiffany Cards Rankings are based on the online Beckett Price Guide and Database. But it wouldn't take Goldschmidt much longer to mold into the incredible talent he is today. Many believe the 1887 N172 Old Judge set to be the most important 19th Century set in existence. Rizzo soon earned a reputation as a guy capable of smacking 30 home runs and driving in 100 runs to become a fan favorite at Wrigley. Ungraded & graded values for all '05 Topps Baseball Cards. and one of the best-looking cards of the 1950s in my opinion. Nevertheless, the annual award for the best pitcher in the Majors does bear his name. 1981 Topps #302 Dodgers Future Stars Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $225 When it comes to rookie season debuts, the Dodgers have developed a reputation for some of the finest on record. 1978 Topps Andre Dawson 72 PSA 10 Rookie Cup PSA 10 Image Credit: ebay While most of these newer A&G Topps cards were baseball players, you can also find other sports represented (wrestling, soccer, MMA, basketball, softball, beach volleyball, boxing, and car racing). And in this guide, we'll take a look at the 15 most valuable. Read our methodology. By his third season in 2013, Goldschmidt had developed into a perennial All-Star and MVP candidate. 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth: $4.212 million Since its not his rookie card or his most scarce, the1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 isnt his most expensive card but it is arguably one of his most beautiful cards. Prices are updated daily based upon 2021 Topps Chrome listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Arguably the greatest hitter of all time, Williams posted some truly jaw-dropping numbers over his career: a .344 batting average, a .483 on-base average and a .634 slugging average. Caramel cards are usually more scarce than tobacco cards since they were sold to children rather than adults. On July 18th, he became the quickest Atlanta rookie to 50 RBIs since Hank Aaron in 1954. The fancy gold borders that surround Walter Johnsons black and white portrait are a thing of beauty. 1986 Topps Tiffany Ryne Sandberg Chicago Cubs Card 7. But the value between the two isnt affected. 2011 was the year that Ichiro finally looked mortal at the plate. 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. But, the Great Bambino is the number one card to own out of all of them. Freeman finished second in the NLs Rookie of the Year balloting, slashing .282/.346/.448 with 21 home runs, 32 doubles, and 76 RBIs. While he cooled off from that torrid pace, the now two-time All-Star was still one of the game's most feared hitters. Since starting his professional baseball journey with the Orix Blue Wave of the Nippon Baseball League in 1992, the legendary outfielder posted a .300 batting average or better for 19 straight seasons through the 2010 campaign. The card features a great image of the Sultan of Swat seated in pinstripes looking over his right shoulder atop a green background. With five Silver Sluggers and three batting titles to his name in twelve MLB seasons, Altuve continues to be one of the best hitters in the game. He also topped 100 runs scored (111) and 100 RBIs (105) while playing in an AL-best 161 of 162 regular-season games. Hoyer had originally drafted Rizzo in the sixth round of the 2007 MLB Draft while he was an assistant general manager for the Boston Red Sox and knew that Rizzo's performance in San Diego didn't reflect his true talent and abilities. Again, the biggest condition issues with this card will arise from the glossy coating on the obverse that usually ends up cracking or creasing. The 35-year-old slugger posted an OPS over .900 for the first time since 2008 (.953), exhibiting a much more discerning eye at the dish. Identical in imagery to the 1933 Goudey #160 Lou Gehrig that you saw earlier on this list, this card does usually present whiter borders and lighter blue backgrounds than its #92 counterpart. With so many greats, how do you choose between them? Trout didn't exactly raise any eyebrows in his first game, finishing 0-3 at the plate. And he pitched with a tenacious on-mound presence in the toughest of game situations. Some collectors go for the base set. And it can be tough to find in high grade, too. Interestingly, the same image is used on both cards. Not many people outside of the baseball card hobby know who Joe Doyle is. Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Cy Young were also featured in the set but Cobbs issue is undoubtedly the most desired. Whenever manager Ozzie Guillen needed him to get a few outs, Sale performed. Read our methodology. 1952 Topps #1 Andy Pafko #8. Whos the most desired player in the set? On the surface, the 1948 Leaf card with its use of color appears to be more attractive than the 1948 Bowman card. The 1986 Topps Traded Bo Jackson rookie card is his most desirable and most expensive card you can find. And I attempted to estimate their current values when graded in PSA 10 condition so their "raw" or ungraded values may be wildly different. Gehrig again appeared on two different cards, #37 and #61, in the 1934 Goudey set. The 1917 Collins-McCarthy candy cards are some of the few card issues that were printed during the mid-teens of the 20th century. Centering can also be a challenge as with most cards of the era. Its an extremely tough card to find in high grade. And yes, that includes those famously priceless Mickey Mantles. Five Hall of Famers made their rookie card debut in the T206 set and Walter Johnson is one of them, a fact that makes this card even more interesting. So, if you can get your hands on one of these cards in high grade then you are looking at some big bucks. Also, many of the known examples are found with poor centering from top to bottom. 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. However, Bochy picked Florida Marlins standout Gaby Sanchez as the final first base pick to ensure Florida had a representative in Arizona. Any collector lucky enough to get his hands on Mathewsons card is sure to be ecstatic. The price would certainly be astronomical. That is unless youre talking about the Red Portrait with the Ty Cobb back that was showcased earlier on this list. 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. Cabrera was consistently brilliant from start to finish in 2011, posting an MLB-best .344 batting average for his first of three-straight AL batting titles. While his 1952 Topps card is more popular and more expensive, some collectors forget that this is the only recognizedMantle rookie card. And with cameras rolling from every angle, Jeter made sure to give HBO a show worth airing. One of the bright spots for Boston was the re-emergence of designated hitter David Ortiz as an elite hitting threat. And by 2016, he'd solidified his place as a Cubs legend when he helped the franchise win its first World Series title since 1980, finally breaking the "curse" that had haunted them for over 100 years. Theyre undoubtedly very condition sensitive. During his rookie campaign, Posey slashed .305/.357/.505 with 18 home runs, 67 RBIs and 58 runs scored in 108 games (406 at-bats). As with pretty much any pre-war set that features Cobb, his card is the heart and soul of this legendary set. These 5 by 8 cards were part of a redemption program where collectors sent in coupons in exchange for them. Jose Altuve's relationship with the Houston Astros began in 2007 when the club evaluated him at a camp in Maracay, Venezuela, when he was just a teenager. Nadja was a brand name of the Blake-Wenneker Candy Co. of St Louis and the set features 62 cards in total. 1986 Topps Traded Bo Jackson Rookie Card 4. Natl along the bottom before the error was corrected. By Ryan Cracknell. Kimbrel led all NL relievers with 46 saves, pitching to a 2.10 ERA with 127 strikeouts in 77.0 innings. Centering and chipping along the red bottom border are usually obstacles to achieving a higher grade. Many collectors prefer the portrait versions of Cobbs T206 card and specifically the Green Portrait. Only 7 of the Ty Cobb cards have ever been submitted to PSA for grading which speaks to the rarity of them. So, to build this list, I only focused on the base cards from 2011 Topps and included some from 2011 Topps Update as well. This card is often thought to be Jacksons most attractive and popular baseball card. And with a 20-game hit streak late in the year, Freeman joined Dan Uggla as the first Braves teammates in modern history to have simultaneous hitting streaks of twenty or more. 1986 Topps Pete Rose Card 3. Collectors go wild for it. 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. Not many baseball cards possess as much elaborate and ornate decoration as those of the 1909 Ramly Cigarette T204 set. This card has been and will likely remain the most valuable baseball card for years to come. buy stuff after clicking links on our site 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. Martinez turned out to be the big winners from 2011 Topps Update. In true Jeter fashion, the Yankees shortstop went above and beyond the moment at hand. The Yellow Ruth, #53, is considered to be the toughest, closely followed by the #149 Red Ruth that shows the legendary slugger in an identical pose. Estimated PSA 4.5 VG-EX+ Value: $1,100,000. In fact, his 1986 Topps Traded Tiffany card can be worth over $2,000 in PSA condition. 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. That means there are also many fakes out there, so considerPSA grading services or other reputable third party graders before buying or selling one of these. With that strategy, you can never go wrong! Neither makes a difference when it comes to value, though. 1952 Topps Willie Mays RC #261 #5. Key to the 1953 Topps set is the #244 Willie Mays baseball card. Mathewson is the only player in both the 1914 and 1915 sets whose poses are entirely different. He also amassed less than 200 hits (184) and posted an OPS+ under 100 (86) for the first time in eleven MLB seasons. Most Expensive 2020 Topps card list & price guide. Jackson dominated the minors that year and the Naps called him up late in the 1910 season. This one was double-printed meaning there were more of them in circulation but its still surprisingly tougher to find in high grade than the #181 Green Ruth. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. The 1915 version was part of a redemption program, however, thus better preserving their condition. This card is a key classic in the hobby and is Aarons only recognized rookie card. 1. 1914 Cracker Jack Joe Jackson The 1914 Cracker Jack Joe Jackson has a staggering value of $200,000. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! But there was plenty to like about their accomplishments before the season's heartbreaking finale.