Top 10 Most Valuable Baseball Cards
| Rank | Card | Grade | Date Sold | Facts | Buyer & Seller | Image | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Rookie Card | SGC 9.5 | 2022 | There are two variations of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle with subtle design features. About 1,800 1952 Topps Mantle cards are known to exist, most in poor condition. | When Ted Lodge found a box of 1952 Topps in his father's attic, it contained several Mickey Mantle cards. Alan Rosen purchased them in 1986, and sold one to Anthony Giordano for $50,000. Giordano had the card graded, an SCG 9.5, the highest known grade for the card. |  | $12,600,000 |
| 2 | 1909 T206 Sweet Caporal Honus Wagner | SGC 2 | 2022 | An estimated 50 to 200 T206 Wagner cards were produced. This sale was an all-time record for highest price ever paid for a baseball card - until one month later the SCG 9.5 Mickey Mantle Card sold for $12.6 mil. | Sold in the early 1970s for $1,100, and again in 2012 for $1.2 million to an unidentified buyer. |  | $7,250,000 |
| 3 | 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth | SGC 3 | 2021 | The 11 card set printed by the Charm City newspaper included game schedules on the back of the card. | Purchased by fractional share platform, Collectable, investors can buy shares in the card for $10 bucks each. The card is kept at the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore. |  | $6,000,000 |
| 4 | 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Rookie Card | PSA 9 | 2021 | While the PSA 9 graded Mantle card sold for $5.2 million, there are three PSA 10 graded cards that have not sold for years. | Once owned by pro football player Even Mathis, the card was purchased by actor, Rob Gough. | | $5,200,000 |
| 5 | 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 | PSA 9 | 2021 | The yellow background Ruth card in one of four in the 1933 Goudey set. | Sold by lifelong card collector and neurologist Dr. Thomas Newman. |  | $4,212,000 |
| 6 | 2009 Bowman Chrome Prospects Mike Trout | BGS 9 | 2020 | The card is one-of-a-kind, signed by Trout and marked "1/1" | Sold by Dave Oancea, also known as "Vegas Dave." Oancea paid $400,000 for the card in 2018. |  | $3,840,000 |
| 7 | 1916 M101 Sporting News Babe Ruth | PSA 7 | 2021 | The 1916 Sporting News set inlcudes 200 cards, some cards had advertisements on the back, while others were blank. Only 35 known Sporting News Ruth cards exist. One PSA 7 graded card, and one PSA 8 card. | Mile High Card Company sold the card to an unnamed buyer. |  | $2,400,000 |
| 8 | 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente Rookie | PSA 9 | 2021 | While there is 11 PSA 9 graded Clemente rookie cards, there is only 1 PSA 10 card. The 'Dmitri Young Collection' Clemente PSA 10 card last sold in 2012. | Goldin Auctions sold the Clemente card to a private collector |  | $1,107,000 |
| 9 | 1925 Exhibits Lou Gehrig | PSA 5 | 2022 | 1925 was Gehrig's breakout season. Only 2 cards in higher graded PSA 6 condition exist. | Memory Lane auctions sold the card with a starting bid of $200,000. |  | $1,032,000 |
| 10 | 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson Rookie | PSA 10 | 2021 | The only PSA 10 Reggie Jackson Topps rookie card to exist, it's part of the famous Dmitri Young Collection. The last time the card sold was in 2012 for $115,000. | Heritage Auctions sold the Reggie Jackson rookie to a private buyer |  | $1,005,800 |
13 of the Most Valuable Baseball Cards of All Time (Updated 2023)
The list of most valuable baseball cards of all time is constantly changing. A recent string of record-breaking auction sales has…
Top 10 Most Valuable Football Cards
| Rank | Card | Grade | Value | Date Sold | Facts | Buyer & Seller | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017 National Treasures Pat Mahomes Auto | BGS 8.5 | $4.3 million | 2021 | The Panini card is identified as 1 of 1, making it the most valuable football card ever sold. The autograph is graded BGS 10, with the NFL Shield Rookie Patch. | The sale by PWCC Marketplace to LJ's Card Shop in New Albany, Ohio broke the record held by the Tom Brady $3.1 million card. |  |
| 2 | 2000 Playoff Contenders Tom Brady Auto/Ticket | BGS 9 BGS | $3.1 million | 2021 | Only 7 Tom Brady 'Contenders' cards were produced, one for each of his 7 Super Bowl victories. | The card sold at a Lelands Auctions sale in 2021 breaking a record for most valuable football card ever sold. The next month, the identical card graded BGS 8.5 sold for $2.2 million. |  |
| 3 | 1935 National Chicle Bronko Nagurski Rookie | PSA 9 | $350,000 | 2011 | It's the only PSA 9 Bronko Nagurski card in existence. Bronko was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 1963. He was also a professional wrestler, and named World Heavyweight Champion several times. | Memory Lane auctions brokered the sale to a private buyer. |  |
| 4 | 1958 Topps Jim Brown Rookie | PSA 9 | $336,000 | 2017 | Only 6 PSA 9 Jim Brown rookie cards exist, and no PSA 10 grade cards exist. | The card was purchased at a Heritage Auctions event in February, 2017. |  |
| 5 | 1957 Topps Bart Starr Rookie | PSA 9 | $288,000 | 2017 | Bart Starr was MVP of two Super Bowls, four-time Pro Bowl, league MVP, and Hall of Fame inductee in 1977. | One of only 3 PSA 9 Bart Starr rookie cards, with no PSA 10 cards. Sold by Heritage Auctions. |  |
| 6 | 1965 Topps Joe Namath Rookie | PSA 9 | $264,000 | 2018 | Namath received offers to play professional baseball, and was known to dunk during his high school basketball games. After his football career, Namath developed his acting career appearing on The Love Boat, The Brady Bunch, The A-Team, ALF, and hosted The Joe Namath Show. | Only 5 cards have a PSA 9 grade. Heritage Auctions sold the Namath card to a private collection. |  |
| 7 | 2000 Bowman Chrome Tom Brady Refractor | BGS 9.5 | $233,700 | 2021 | The 2000 Bowman Chrome Brady card is one of 37 with a BGS 9.5 grade. | Sold by Goldin Auctions. |  |
| 8 | 2000 Bowman Tom Brady Gold Rookie | BGS 9 | $230,000 | 2021 | Tom Brady was the 199th pick overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. Six other quarterbacks were picked before Brady in the draft including Chad Pennington (18th pick) Giovanni Carmazzi (65th pick) Chris Redman (75th pick) Tee Martin (163rd pick) Marc Bulger (168th pick), and Spergon Wynn (183rd pick) | Heritage Auctions sold the Bowman Brady card, one of six cards with a BGS 9 grade. |  |
| 9 | 1976 Topps Walter Payton Rookie | SGC 10 | $228,000 | 2021 | Payton's would often stiff-arm tacklers, and would refuse to go out of bounds. Instead, he would prefer to punish the defense rather than escape to the sidelines. He also used his "stutter-step" to throw off tacklers, and was known to leap over defenders for touchdowns. | Sold by Heritage Auctions |  |
| 10 | 2000 SP Authentic Tom Brady Rookie | BGS 10 | $144,000 | 2020 | Brady grew up a San Francisco 49ers fan, and his hero was Joe Montana. He attended the same high school as Lynn Swann and Barry Bonds, and was drafted to play baseball as a catcher by the Montreal Expos | Goldin Auctions |  |
10 Great Football Cards You Want in Your Collection
It can be a challenge to explain to some people how special some of the older football cards are. They just don’t understand the attraction of a tiny piece of cardboard with a faded-out photo…
