Learn how to find out if your old baseball cards are worth anything
Collecting baseball cards has been a popular hobby since the first cards began to be mass-produced by tobacco companies in the mid-1880s. The baseball card craze really peaked in the 1980s, but it’s seeing a resurgence today. Whether you’re trying to get a sense of what your collection is worth or you’re just starting out as a collector, we have everything you need to know about which baseball cards are actually worth money.
5 Most Valuable Baseball Cards
- 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311: $12.6 million
- 1909 American Tobacco Company Honus Wagner (White Border) T206: $7.5 million
- 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth #9: $7.2 million
- 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #43: $4.2 million
- 2009 Bowman Draft Mike Trout Superfractor BDPP89: $3.9 million
Steps
Section 1 of 7:
The Most Valuable Baseball Cards of All Time
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1952 Topps - Mickey Mantle #311 ($12,600,000) Mickey Mantle is considered the best switch-hitter in baseball history, scoring 536 home runs in his 17-year career. Although it’s often referred to as Mantle’s rookie card, the 1952 card is actually from his sophomore year. It features a close-up of Mantle against a blue sky, and his signature is printed on the bottom. [1] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? This card is particularly rare (and therefore valuable) because the owner of Topps cards threw away as many as 500 cases of unsold cards in 1960, including these Mantle cards. In 2022, a card graded 9.5 sold for $12.6 million. [2] X Research source
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21909 American Tobacco Company - Honus Wagner T206 (White Border) ($7,500,000) This card from 1911 features “The Flying Dutchman” Honus Wagner wearing a collared, button-down Pittsburgh Pirates jersey on a yellow background. Wagner was in the first group of players admitted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. [3] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? This card is very rare—it’s believed that there are only around 60 in circulation today. Some people believe the limited run was due to Wagner’s objection to his image being used to sell tobacco, although others think it was because Wagner wanted to be paid in return for being featured on the card.
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31914 Baltimore News - Babe Ruth #9 ($7,200,000) This card features Babe Ruth for the Baltimore Orioles. On the card, Ruth stands against a plain background. It’s ringed with a thick border in either blue or red. Ruth—also known as “The Great Bambino” and “The Sultan of Swat”—was in the first class admitted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. [4] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? This is considered a “pre-rookie” card—Ruth was originally signed to the Baltimore Orioles, but his contract was sold to the Boston Red Sox. There are only 10 known copies of the card, one of which sold for over $7 million in 1914.
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41933 Goudey - Babe Ruth #53 ($4,212,000) This card, produced in 1933 by the Goudey Gum Company, features Babe Ruth with a bat on his shoulder against a yellow background. Ruth held the MLB’s home run record until it was broken by Hank Aaron in 1974. [5] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? This is an iconic card. Its colorful design is eye-catching, making it the gold standard for collectors. A mint-condition card sold for over $4.2 million at auction in 2021. Other versions of the card, including the Red Ruth #149, are also valuable.
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52009 Bowman Draft - Mike Trout BDPP89 Superfractor ($3,936,000) Mike Trout is an outfielder who has been an all-star 9 times and still plays for the Los Angeles Angels today. This is an autographed copy of his rookie card—it’s a Superfractor card, meaning it has a shimmery surface with a gold spiral design in the background. [6] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? Only one copy of this card was produced, and it was graded as a 9.5 Gem Mint. In 2020, it sold for $3.9 million, which at the time was the record for the most expensive baseball card ever sold.
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61951 Bowman - Mickey Mantle #253 ($3,192,000) Although not quite as valuable as the 1952 Topps card, Mickey Mantle’s 1951 rookie card is still highly collectible. It features Mantle in his batting stance against a cloud-filled blue sky. [7] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? As we mentioned before, Mantle was a hugely successful player, so it’s only natural that his rookie card would be desirable to collectors. A PSA 9 version of this card sold for $750,000 in 2018.
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71916 Sporting News - Babe Ruth M101-4 ($2,400,000) The 1916 Babe Ruth card was considered a “collectible business card.” It was printed with a blank reverse, so businesses could add advertisements to the back. Over a dozen businesses used the cards, but the version with “Sporting News” on the back is considered the most desirable. [8] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? Not only is this Babe Ruth’s rookie card, but the advertisements on the back make this a really unique collector’s item. In 2016, a Sporting News version rated PSA 7 was sold for $717,000.
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81933 Goudey - Babe Ruth #181 ($1,272,000) This is a similar version to the yellow Goudey Babe Ruth card that appeared earlier in the list. But this one shows Ruth looking over his shoulder against a green background. [9] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? Any of the 4 cards included in the 1933 Goudey set are considered valuable.
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91925 Goudey - Lou Gehrig #160 ($1,032,000) Lou Gehrig’s rookie card shows a black-and-white picture of the first baseman in pinstripes with a bat over his shoulder. Gehrig played for 17 seasons with the Yankees. He played for 2,130 consecutive games, setting a record that he held until 1995. [10] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? Despite Gehrig’s legendary status, this card didn’t become valuable until 2018. In 2012, a copy rated PSA 5 sold for only $7,000, but in 2021, another card also rated PSA sold for over $1 million. [11] X Research source
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101955 Topps - Roberto Clemente #164 ($960,000) Roberto Clemente played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 to 1972. His card features both a close-up and a full-body shot of the outfielder, along with an elaborate signature and the Pirates’ mascot. Clemente was unfortunately killed in a plane crash in 1972 while on a mission to help earthquake victims in Nicaragua. [12] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? Clemente is admired for his accomplishments both on and off the field. Over the years, his popularity has only grown—and the value of his cards has continued to increase.
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111909–1911 American Tobacco Company - Ty Cobb T206 ($894,250) This card features Ty Cobb in a Detroit jersey against a red background. The text reads, “Ty Cobb, King of the Smoking Tobacco World.” [13] X Research source Cobb was an excellent all-around player, and he received the most votes out of the players in the first class of Baseball Hall of Fame nominees. [14] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? This is a very rare card, with only 22 known copies in existence. The most expensive sold for nearly $900,000, and it’s estimated that a copy in PSA 4.5 condition would be worth over $1 million.
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121909 American Tobacco Company - Eddie Plank T206 ($850,000) This card features early Hall of Fame Pitcher Eddie Plank (who was nicknamed “Gettysburg Eddie”). He wears a Philadelphia Athletics jersey and is silhouetted against a blue background. [15] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? Like Wagner’s 1909 T206 card, this is a very valuable card, and there’s some speculation as to why. No matter the reason, there are only about 75 known copies of this card around today.
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131963 Topps - Pete Rose #537 ($717,000) Although “The Hit King” Pete Rose was banned from baseball because he was caught gambling, his cards are still very collectible. His rookie card also features fellow rookies Pedro Gonzalez, Ken McMullen, and Al Weis. [16] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? The condition matters a lot here—over 3,700 of Rose’s rookie cards have been graded, but only one Gem Mint card has been found. In 2016, that card sold for $717,000.
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141933 Goudey - Lou Gehrig #92 ($672,000) The 1933 Lou Gehrig #92 Goudey card is identical to the 1933 Lou Gehrig #160 Goudey card earlier on the list. However, the #160 tends to have a slightly brighter blue background and brighter white border, which may be why it usually fetches a higher premium. [17] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? Like the #160 version of this card, the Gehrig cards are highly collectible, and they’re only increasing in popularity.
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151909–1911 American Tobacco Company - Sherry Magie T206 ($660,000) The Sherry Magie card is another highly collectible option from the T206 set. This one is notable because it contains an error—Sherwood “Sherry” Magee’s name was mistakenly misspelled as Sherry Magie. [18] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? While all of the T206 cards are collectible, the error makes this one especially valuable. And because the misspelling was ide
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161909 American Caramel - Joe Jackson E90-1 ($667,149) Better known as “Shoeless Joe,” Jackson was an outfielder who played for the Black Sox, and Babe Ruth once said that he copied his swing after Jackson’s. Unfortunately, his legacy was marred by scandal after he admitted to throwing the World Series in return for a bribe. [19] X Research source That said, his American Caramel rookie card is still highly desirable by collectors.
- Why’s it so valuable? Because Jackson was involved in a fixing scandal, not many of his cards have been produced. That makes the existing cards very valuable. [20] X Research source
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171954 Topps - Hank Aaron #128 ($615,000) “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron was a legend in the game. He received three Gold Glove Awards and was named an all-star 25 times across 21 seasons (four seasons held two All-Star games apiece). He also broke Babe Ruth’s home-run record, ending his career with 755 homers. [21] X Research source His rookie card is a must-have for serious collectors.
- Why’s it so valuable? Hank Aaron’s rookie card is colorful and crisp, showcasing an improvement in printing technology. Between the attractiveness of the card and Aaron’s impressive career, it’s no wonder this card is highly collectible. [22] X Research source
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181916 Sporting News - Babe Ruth M101-5 ($612,000) This card is identical to the Sporting News M101-4 that appeared earlier on this list. It’s a little less valuable because it was printed a year after the M101-4, but it’s still considered extremely collectible. [23] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? This is an extremely difficult card to find, so collectors are willing to pay a premium for it.
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191968 Topps - Nolan Ryan #177 ($612,000) Nolan Ryan pitched for 27 years, striking out 5,714 batters in his career. He shares his rookie card with fellow pitcher Jerry Koosman—Koosman actually gets top billing on the card. [24] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? Copies of this card are hard to find in good condition—only one has been graded as a PSA 10 Gem Mint. [25] X Research source
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201910 Old Mill - Joe Jackson T210 ($600,000) This card features Joe Jackson in the minor leagues playing for the New Orleans Pelicans. He played there for 1908 and 1909 before being traded to the Cleveland Naps in 1910. [26] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? This minor league card is extremely rare. Moreover, the red borders of the card are extremely susceptible to damage, so copies in good condition can fetch a lot of money.
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211909–1911 American Tobacco Company - Joe Doyle T206 ($550,000) Another entry from the T206 set, the Joe Doyle card features the pitcher against a blue background. However, an error at the bottom of the card mistakenly attributes Doyle to the New York Nationals team—he actually played for the New York Highlanders. [27] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? Only a few cards were released with this printing error, so they’re very rare and highly collectible.
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221933 Goudey - Babe Ruth #144 ($528,000) This is another of the 4 Babe Ruth cards included in the 1933 Goudey set. This one shows a full-body portrait of Ruth at the plate. The green field and yellow sky make this an especially striking piece. [28] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? Like the other 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth’s, this one is rare and highly desired by collectors.
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231914 Cracker Jack - Ty Cobb ($514,000) This card, included in boxes of Cracker Jacks, shows Cobb holding a bat against a bold red background. The top says “Cracker Jack Ball Players,” and the bottom says “Cobb, Detroit - Americans.” [29] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable: Cracker Jack cards are extremely collectible, especially when they feature a player as popular as Ty Cobb. His 1915 Cracker Jack card is also very valuable.
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241939 Play Ball - Ted Williams #92 ($480,000) Ted Williams, also known as the “Splendid Splinter,” was one of the best hitters in baseball. It’s widely believed that he could have broken Babe Ruth’s record before Hank Aaron, but he missed 5 seasons while serving in the military. [30] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? The 1939 Play Ball card is Williams’ rookie card. Williams’ popularity and the crisp image on the card make this one a collector’s dream.
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251948 Leaf - Jackie Robinson #79 ($468,000) Jackie Robinson is as famous for breaking the MLB’s color barrier as he is for his incredible athleticism. He was named an all-star 6 times and won MVP in 1949. His number—42—was retired by every team in the MLB. [31] X Research source
- Why’s it so valuable? This card is part of a set full of baseball greats like Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams—but the Robinson card is the most desired by collectors. A version rated PSA 7 (out of 10) was sold in 2021 for nearly $400,000.
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References
- ↑ https://www.history.com/articles/most-valuable-baseball-cards
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- ↑ https://www.history.com/articles/most-valuable-baseball-cards
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- ↑ https://www.cardboardconnection.com/best-baseball-cards-80s-90s
- ↑ https://www.si.com/collectibles/hobby-101/five-impossible-baseball-cards-of-the-junk-wax
- ↑ https://www.si.com/collectibles/inside-the-hobby/1989-fleer-bill-ripken-error-card-sets-record-scribbled-out-in-white-psa-10-sells-for-4-915
- ↑ https://legendsondeck.com/most-collectible-baseball-cards-2025-preseason/
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