Old Baseball Cards That Are Extremely Valuable Today

Card Manufacturer: Old Mill 
Original Price: $0.01*
Estimated Mint Value: $600,000*

Joe Jackson played ball long before multimillion-dollar endorsement deals with companies like Nike existed. He didn’t have an especially long career, but Jackson’s stunning performance in the earliest days of the professional MLB still resonates almost a century later.

1909-11 Joe Jackson Rookie Card @SportsCollector / Twitter.com

Nicknamed “Shoeless Joe,” this famous player manned the outfield for the Chicago White Sox at the height of their early glory. Jackson had a batting average of .356. During his career, he batted in 785 runs, hit 54 homers, and had 1,772 hits in total.

Because Jackson’s career was shut down early, not many baseball cards of the infamous player were printed – and even fewer remain today. His American Caramel E90-1 rookie card has sold for $600,000 at auction because of its rarity.

Card Manufacturer: Topps
Original Price: $0.50*
Estimated Mint Value: $25,000*

Nolan Ryan had a long career in Major League Baseball, stretching all the way from 1966 to 1993. The pitcher recorded a staggering 5,714 strikeouts during his career. In 1968, his rookie card was released, and it actually saw him sharing the card with Jerry Koosman, his New York Met teammate. This rookie card, which was made by Topps, has sold for $25,000 at auction.

Nolan Ryan 1968 @americanaliveson/Pinterest.com

You can find Nolan Ryan cards on sites like eBay, but only the cards in absolute mint condition will see a thousand-dollar sale. At the end of his career, Ryan was making around $3.7 million a year. 

When you look at his stats, it’s easy to see how he got his nickname: “The Ryan Express.” The pitcher has a win-loss record of 324-292. He has thrown 5,714 strikeouts in his career. Ryan also holds the distinction of having pitched one of the fastest fastballs of all time: 108.5 miles per hour.

Card Manufacturer: Topps 
Original Price: $1.00*
Estimated Mint Value: $1,000*

Mark McGwire’s 1985 Topps rookie card has risen and fallen off-and-on in value, but his name is still one of the most recognizable in the history of baseball. The star player beat the home run record in 1998 by nine home runs. McGwire managed to rack up $25 million in endorsements in 1998 from companies like Disney, General Mills and Rawlings.

1985 Mark McGwire Rookie @Tom Lowery / Pinterest.com

Though McGwire’s rookie card peaked in price in the nineties, a mint condition copy will still sell for $1,000 at auction. McGwire’s legacy has been up for debate as allegations of steroid abuse emerged, though the performance enhancer he used was not illegal at the time, nor was it banned by the MLB. 

McGwire boasted a .263 batting average at the time the card was pressed. He had 583 home runs and 1,414 RBI. The first baseman’s last appearance was with the St. Louis Cardinals on October 7, 2001. After retiring, McGwire became a coach and, as Sportscasting said, he truly excelled. He retired from his position as bench coach of the Padres in 2018. 

Card Manufacturer: Topps 
Original Price: $0.05*
Estimated Mint Value: $350,000*

Hank Aaron is another MLB player who became a household name over the course of his successful career. Aaron was an MLB All-Star for over twenty seasons, a feat that is remarkable. During his career, he also picked up a World Series win, MVP honor, and three Gold Glove Awards.

1954 Hank Aaron @GoForDaGusto / Twitter.com

His Topps 1954 baseball card is now worth $300,000 in mint condition. Aaron had no endorsement deals for a significant portion of his career. He finally got into the endorsement side of things later on, after a phone call from Clarence Avant, a music executive and subject of the Netflix documentary The Black Godfather.

“Hammerin’ Hank” (as he was known to his many fans) had 755 home runs and a batting average of .305 to his name, along with 3,771 total hits and 2,297 RBIs. Aaron was known for his low strikeout number, and he called the current number of strikeouts in the MLB “embarrassing” in a 2018 interview with Yahoo Sports. 

Card Manufacturer: Bowman 
Original Price: $2.00*
Estimated Mint Value: $40,590*

Albert Pujols is a widely-adored and very highly respected first baseman, and he has won countless awards (including the Coca-Cola Rookie of the Year Award) both within the MLB and outside of it. As one of the greatest hitters of all time, it’s no surprise that his rookie cards are in high demand.

Albert Pujols @everythingsports/Pinterest | ©Keeton Gale/Shutterstock

So far, Pujols has hit 662 home runs – with his mind almost definitely set on breaking 700. That’s a hotly debated topic, and fans watch his games on the edge of their seats to see how many homers will bring him closer to that mark. The star player currently plays for the Los Angeles Angels, making a star-quality salary of $25 million.

His Bowman Chrome Autographed Rookie Card had a limited production run of just five-hundred copies. The card, which Sportster remarked was very “aesthetically appealing,” was scarce enough to drive up its price. The card sold for $40,590 at one auction. At another, it sold for $12,950.

Card Manufacturer: American Tobacco Company 
Original Price: $0.01*
Estimated Mint Value: $850,000*

American Tobacco Company (not to be confused with the similarly-named British American Tobacco) created this card more than a century ago. The T206 White Border Eddie Plank Card has racked up sales of $850,000 in mint condition. This baseball card is the only one featuring the Hall of Fame pitcher.

1909-11 Eddie Plank @CollectableApp / Twitter.com

Eddie Plan’s 1901-1911 T206 card was nearly as famous as the Honus Wagner, which was also included in this set. The reason behind the card’s rarity is unclear. One theory says that the cards were poorly printed, so many of them had to be destroyed, leaving only the ones that ATC deemed high-quality. 

Plank, like most professional baseball players at the time, had a charmingly retro nickname: “Gettysburg Eddie,” based on the place he was born in 1875 (and coincidentally died in 1926). Eddie had a win-loss record of 326-194, and he threw 2,246 strikeouts in his career with a 2.35 ERA. Plank’s records for most shutouts by a lefty has yet to be broken.

Card Manufacturer: Topps
Original Price: $0.75*
Estimated Mint Value: $150,000-$200,000*

Another high-priced rookie card is that of Pete Rose. His 1963 Topps rookie card is now worth between $150,000 and $200,000 depending on the auction site (eBay has only had a few come up for sale) and the condition the card is in. Rose was a legendary player, known for breaking kneecaps when he slid into home.

1963 Pete Rose @Luis / Pinterest.com

He also became infamous because he betted on his own team, which ended up getting him a lifelong ban from the league. Rose’s expulsion from the sport may have torpedoed his sports career, but it only made his rookie cards more popular (and valuable).

Despite being banned from the game, Fox Sports announced in 2015 that the network had hired Rose to be a guest color analyst. He covers MLB games on Fox Sports 1 and Fox. Rose appears on MLB on Fox, America’s Pregame, Fox Sports Live, and MLB Whiparound. 

Card Manufacturer: Bowman 
Original Price: $0.05*
Estimated Mint Value: $500,000*

Willie Mays (as immortalized from the beloved “Say Hey Kid” ads) was one of baseball’s greatest all-around players. His 1951 Bowman card is his only officially-recognized rookie card. Mays’ card competes only with Mickey Mantle’s card for the top spot as the most valuable the company printed. 

1951 Willie Mays Rookie Card @SportsCollector / Twitter.com

The baseball legend ties Hank Aaron and Wheaties spokesman Stan Musial for the most All-Star Games (24). Mays’ cards, including the Bowman rookie card, are the most-sought-after by collectors. Mays’ career lasted for twenty-two seasons, playing for the Giants (New York/San Francisco) and finishing with the Mets (also New York).

Just looking at his stats proves that Mays is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Mays, who is still alive and well, celebrated his eighty-ninth birthday in May of 2020. In his heyday he boasted a .302 batting average, 1,903 RBIs during his career, and he had 3,283 hits (including an incredible 660 home runs).

Card Manufacturer: Goudey
Original Price: $0.03*
Estimated Mint Value: $200,000*

Joe DiMaggio’s 1938 Goudey #274 is worth $200,000 in mint condition. The famous baseball star has two cards in the Goudey set, but the #274 is the most valuable. The imagery isn’t exactly beautiful, but the card design is definitely unique, which is one of the reasons that its sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

1938 Joe DiMaggio @jstephens2482 / Twitter.com

Both the #274 and the less-valuable card have caricatures of the Mr. Coffee spokesman, but the #264 differs in that it has cartoons doodled in the background. The #264 also has random bits of information about DiMaggio in the back. The other card’s background is blank.  

DiMaggio, who was nicknamed “The Yankee Clipper” and “Joltin Joe,” had 361 home runs to his name. He had 1,537 RBI, 2,214 hits, and a batting average of .325. The baseball star was also famously married to Hollywood starlets like Marilyn Monroe and Dorothy Arnold. After retiring from baseball, he moved to Florida.

Card Manufacturer: Leaf
Original Price: $0.05*
Estimated Mint Value: $350,000*

Not only was Jackie Robinson a fantastic player, he also was a living legend for breaking the color barrier. In 1947, Robinson became the first African American athlete to play in Major League Baseball. It’s no surprise that his rookie card, which came out one year later, has gone on to be one of the best-selling cards of all time.

1948 Jackie Robinson Rookie @tcrowntom / Twitter.com

Robinson’s Leaf rookie card is the key to a set that also counts Stan Musial and Satchel Paige in its deck. The Leaf card is hard to find in mint condition, as printing issues plagued the set. Robinson lives on in his foundation, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which is sponsored by big-name brands like Anheuser-Busch, Boeing and Bloomberg.

The baseball and civil rights icon hit 137 home runs during his career, with a very impressive .311 batting average (and a 734 RBI record). Robinson even has his own holiday in the MLB; On April 15th of every season, every team in the league celebrates Jackie Robinson Day to celebrate the date he broke the color barrier.

Card Manufacturer: USA
Original Price: $0 (a gift)*
Estimated Mint Value: $25,695*

Former President George H.W. Bush was never an MLB player, though he did play for Yale as a student athlete. When H.W. was at Yale, he was actually the captain of the baseball team (though he would go on to graduate in 2.5 years instead of four). He was a lefty first baseman, playing in the team’s first-ever College World Series. In addition to his baseball career, he was also part of the Yale cheerleading squad.

1990 George Bush @ChecklistsforUS / Twitter.com

So in 1990, Arthur Shorin (the CEO of Topps) gifted H.W. Bush 100 copies of his own personal baseball card from his playing days at Yale. The gift was free for the former president, but it has since sold for tens of thousands at auction sites like eBay.

It’s unclear how copies of H.W.’s card made it to the public. Either way, those lucky people who have the card hold a piece of history in their hand. Since Bush’s death in 2018, the price of the card has increased.

Card Manufacturer: PSA 
Original Price: $0.05*
Estimated Mint Value: $325,000*

Even people who aren’t that familiar with baseball know the same Roberto Clemente. Clemente’s 1955 Tops #164 Roberto Clemente Card has an estimated PSA 9 value of $325,000 (in mint condition, of course). The card is signed by Clemente himself. He wasn’t just an outstanding player, he was also a notoriously kindhearted person.

1955 Roberto Clemente Rookie @HistoryCenter / Twitter.com

Clemente was aggressive on the field and dedicated to helping others off the field. He was very involved in charity work. Sadly, on his way to deliver aid to Nicaraguan hurricane victims in 1972, the plane Clemente was in crashed and he was killed. According to an ESPN interview, Clemente’s widow said that Clemente tried to live every day to the fullest, as he never knew when he would die.

The Carolina, Puerto Rico native logged a whopping 3,000 hits during his career. He had a 1,305 RBI record and a batting average of .317, consisting of 240 home runs. Clemente was the first Latin American (and Caribbean) player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Card Manufacturer: Donruss 
Original Price: $1.00*
Estimated Mint Value: $300*

Cal Ripken, Jr.’s rookie card has only increased in value as the years have gone on. While it still sells for a modest amount of $300 on auction sites, that is likely going to go up, giving fans a nice return on investment. Ripken Jr. surpassed Gehrig’s record for the most MLB games played by over 500.

1982 Cal Ripken, Jr. Rookie @OldSchool80s / Twitter.com

Nicknamed “Rip” and “The Iron Man,” Cal Ripken Jr. had a .276 batting average. He had 3,184 hits and 431 home runs during his career, with a 1,695 RBI. The Orioles player played 2,632 consecutive games. He was a World Series Champ in 1983, and an eight-time Silver Slugger Award winner, among other MLB accolades.

Ripken Jr. was a 19-time All Star player. His fame on the field helped him snag endorsement deals throughout his career. Even now, at age sixty, he still is signing new contracts with companies like Roy Rogers Restaurants and the makers of Prinivil, a blood pressure medication. 

Card Manufacturer: PSA 
Original Price: $0.03*
Estimated Mint Value: $300,000*

No list of baseball-related things would be complete without including Lou Gehrig, one of the League’s most famous players of all time. Case in point: Gehrig’s 1933 Goudey #164 baseball card as a PSA 9 value of $300,000. It features an illustration of the player advertising Big League Chewing Gum. The #160 is its sister card, though it is harder to find.

1933 Lou Gehrig ©Goudey Gum Company/Wikimedia Common |@candimanauction / Twitter.com

The #160 is distinguishable (and more valuable) because of its white borders. It is rare because it is harder—if not impossible—to find in good condition. You likely won’t see the #160 popping up on eBay anytime soon, but the #164 might.

This famous first baseman had 1,995 RBIs in his career, with 493 home runs and 2,721 hits. He had a batting average of .340. He was beloved by fans who chanted “We want Lou!” when he announced his retirement. Gehrig said he was “lucky” because of the people in his life who loved him—including thousands of fans.