12 Most Valuable Baseball Cards Worth Money
People call baseball America’s pastime—but collecting baseball cards captures just as much attention.
Since the sport’s inception in the late 1800s, fans have accumulated countless cards featuring their favorite players. In 2023, the sports trading card industry was valued at $10.2 billion, with the figure projected to grow four times over by 2032.
The hobby is stronger than ever, meaning collectors can buy or sell the rarest cards for gargantuan sums. We’ve assembled a list of baseball cards worth money—serious money—that are highly sought after by collectors.
How Baseball Cards Gain Value
The most expensive baseball cards gain their value due to six interrelated factors:
Player – Cards featuring a star player are typically worth more than those featuring an average player.
Hit – This is an inside baseball (card collecting) term for a sought-after specialty card, such as a rookie, autographed, holographic, game-worn, or numbered card.
Condition – A card with wear and tear—peeling corners, creases, or stains—typically means a lower value. Collectors often have cards “graded” by professionals to measure their condition and authenticity.
Age – Like wine, baseball cards gain value over time. A standard card printed in 1937 is likely worth more than one printed in 2007 since fewer were made, and they’ve had more opportunity to become damaged.
Rarity – Every year, baseball card companies print a limited number of specialty cards, which makes them more scarce than standard cards.
Demand – The more people want to purchase cards, the more they’re worth. In the last five years, sports cards have increased in value by 218 percent.
The Baseball Card Hall of Fame
The oldest known baseball card in existence features the Brooklyn Atlantics, a team in the National Association of Baseball Players (the sport’s first organized league). It was printed circa 1860.
A man serendipitously stumbled upon the card, tucked away in a photo album he purchased at a yard sale in Baileyville, Maine. The pre-Civil War artifact was likely handed out for free to fans.
In 2013, the very same card auctioned for $92,000.
Still, this figure pales in comparison to the amount of money that 12 of the most valuable baseball cards fetch. Consider this list the Baseball Card Hall of Fame:
1. Mickey Mantle Topps 1952 Card
It’s the crème de la crème of baseball cards. This treasure sold for a whopping $12.6 million in 2022, cementing its place as the highest-selling sports card ever.
Mantle is arguably the most famous player for the most famous franchise in all of sports. While rarer cards exist—apparently, there are 1,800 of them—this version is in impeccable condition, receiving a Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) 9.5 grade by SGC.
Adding to the legend, Topps had dumped thousands of the wax packs (potentially containing the card) into the Atlantic Ocean because they weren’t selling well. Hundreds may literally be lost at sea.
Combine these factors with its sale amidst the pandemic card boom, and you’ve got the ultimate collectible prize.
2. Honus Wagner T206 (1909-1911)
Honus Wagner didn’t take kindly to the American Tobacco Company using his face to sell cigarettes. He ordered them to stop, resulting in a limited print of this card.
About 50 of the cards exist today, with one selling for $7.25 million. Its rarity, lore, and the featured player (the MLB’s first recognizable star) make the card so valuable.
3. Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey
Goudey was the first chewing gum company to include baseball cards in their packs. Among the most popular in the set? The man who transcended the sport: Babe Ruth.
Only a handful of the cards remain in existence. The one that sold in 2021 was in surprisingly pristine condition, receiving a PSA 9 grade.
4. Babe Ruth 1914 Baltimore News
Another Babe card, another historic sale. This one sold for $7.2 million in 2023.
At the time of print, The Great Bambino played minor league ball for his hometown Baltimore Orioles. The card’s edges are peeling, but it gains iconic status from its red frame, rookie card status, and extremely limited release in the now-defunct Baltimore News.
5. Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Rookie Card
An anomaly on this list, given its release year, the Trout Bowman is the holy grail of modern collecting. The 1-of-1 rookie card has a sleek “superfractor” holographic design, depicting Trout before he established himself as a generational, five-tool player. In the midst of the pandemic, the Mint 9 graded card commanded a whopping $3.96 million.
6. Mickey Mantle 1951 Bowman
Collectors hold this 1951 Bowman, containing a beautiful hand-painted illustration that captures The Mick's incomparable charisma, in the highest esteem. It’s a rookie card, which instantly ups its value, and has a PSA 9 grade.
For these reasons, it sold for $3.19 million in 2022.
7. Babe Ruth 1916 M101-4 Sporting News
In the early 1900s, The Sporting News purchased a series of baseball cards, the backs of which they used for advertising. A rookie named Babe Ruth was photographed for the cards—and over 100 years of Great Bambino mythology later, those still in existence have commanded six and seven figures.
8. Roberto Clemente 1955 Topps Rookie Card
Clemente enjoyed an illustrious career, earning numerous accolades. Still, his brilliance on the field was perhaps overshadowed by his Hall of Fame-level philanthropic efforts.
Clemente’s tragic death at 38 (as he was flying to Nicaragua to provide humanitarian relief) morphed him into a god-like figure, and modern collectors are willing to pay north of $1 million for his horizontal rookie card.
9. Reggie Jackson 1969 Topps Rookie Card
Reggie Jackson’s lore runs deep, due in large part to his postseason prowess, earning him the nickname Mr. October. Still, there’s something alluring about a rookie card depicting a young player before they become an all-time great. A seller made over $1 million auctioning their PSA-graded Gem Mint 10 version in 2021.
10. 1925 Exhibits Lou Gehrig
The size of a postcard, this card was distributed in amusement park vending machines in the mid-1920s, making it a unique relic.
Nicknamed the “Iron Horse” for playing in 2,130 consecutive games, Gehrig is among the most legendary Yankees. His cards still in existence display frayed edges and stains. However, one graded PSA 5 sold for over $1 million.
11. Joe Jackson 1909 American Caramel E90-1
The most infamous name on this list is “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. The Chicago White Sox great was a conspirator in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, in which he was accused of accepting $5,000 to throw the World Series. Ironically, one of his rookie cards sold for 133 times that amount ($667,189) given collectors’ fascination with Joe’s checkered history.
12. Sherry Magee 1909 T206
This card contains many of the interconnected factors that increase a card’s value. However, it’s an error that makes it so enticing: the misspelling of Magee’s name on the card’s initial release (“Magie”). The American Tobacco Company quickly printed a much larger amount with the correct spelling, but collectors take a greater interest in the rarer misspelled edition.
Expand Your Collection with ShopGoodwill.com
Ready to boost your baseball card collection? Rookies to the hobby and decades-long connoisseurs can all find hidden gems at ShopGoodwill.com. We auction a wide collection of donated cards, meaning that a valuable pull may be at your fingertips. By bidding on cards, you’re not just adding to your collection—you’re also supporting ShopGoodwill.com’s mission to provide education, training, and job opportunities for those in need.
Simply make an account with ShopGoodwill.com, check out our trading cards for sale, and place a bid on cards that catch your fancy. Who knows—maybe you’ll score a few rare baseball cards of your own.
Sources:
ESPN.com. Mike Trout rookie card becomes highest-selling sports card of all time. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29723239/mike-trout-rookie-card-becomes-highest-selling-sports-card-all
ESPN.com. Rare 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth part of extensive baseball card collection up for auction. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31484945/rare-1933-goudey-babe-ruth-extensive-baseball-card-collection-auction
MLB.com. Honus Wagner T206 card sells for record $7.25 million. https://www.mlb.com/news/rare-t206-honus-wagner-baseball-card-sold-for-7-25-million
NBC News. Rare Pre-Civil War Baseball Card Fetches $179,250 at Auction. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/rare-pre-civil-war-baseball-card-fetches-179-250-auction-n401726
PSA. 1916 M101-4 SPORTING NEWS Babe Ruth. https://www.psacard.com/auctionprices/baseball-cards/1916-m101-4-sporting-news/babe-ruth/341403
PSA. Sherry Magie (Magee) 1909-1911 T206 White Border. https://www.psacard.com/cardfacts/baseball-cards/1909-1911-t206-white-border/sherry-magie-magee/18363
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SCP Auctions. 1909 Joe Jackson Baseball Rookie Card Sells for $667,189 in SCP Auctions’ Mid-Summer Classic. https://scpauctions.com/1909-joe-jackson-baseball-card-sells-for-667189-in-scp-auctions-mid-summer-classic-online-auction/
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Sports Collectors Digest. Heritage Auctions enjoying ‘extraordinary year,’ trending toward another big result. https://sportscollectorsdigest.com/auctions/heritage-auctions-results-reggie-jackson-rookie-card-sports-cards-collectibles-boom
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Library of Congress. Baseball Americana. https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/baseball-americana/about-this-exhibition/origins-and-early-days/baseball-as-the-national-game/the-earliest-known-baseball-card/