Last week I listed the five most expensive hockey cards recently sold on eBay. This post moves over to baseball cards and shows what the top five baseball cards sold for on eBay since March 2018. I have to admit, when I first looked, I was surprised how much serious collectors would pay for high-end hockey cards, but really that is nothing compared to what serious baseball card collectors will pay.
Interestingly, when you look at the list, you see only three players – Mike Trout of the Angels; the legendary Mickey Mantle of the Yankees – one of the greatest players ever; and, Derek Jeter, also a great, but more recent Yankee favorite. The list also shows what a very rare 1/1 (only one card in the world like it will sell for – especially if that player is a fan favorite. One of my favorite sporting goods stores of all-time (the now out-of-business MVP Sports Cards in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) pulled a 1/1 Mark McGwire card when McGwire was popular and the owner told me he was able to pay all the store’s expenses and his workers’ salaries for a month by pulling that one card from a pack.
Here are the five highest priced baseball cards sold on eBay for the last three months and what they sold for.
Highest Selling Baseball Card #1: Mike Trout Rookie Card #BDPP89
Price: $$649,025.29 (Canadian dollars) or $500,000.00 (US dollars).
Of Note: This sale was of a 2009 Bowman Draft Picks Chrome Prospects Super Fractors Autograph and was 1 of 1 – meaning it was the only card like it in the world. Obviously, it was no regular Rookie Card. It was also graded as a BGS 9 [Beckett Grading Services]. The lines through the price above notes what the card was listed for, but suggests that the owner of the card sold it for something less than that listed price. So, we are not quite sure what the final price was. An offer was made and accepted on May 5, 2018. As I noted above, this card shows that a serious collector will pay something close to half a million dollars for a single card when it is rare.
Highest Selling Baseball Card #2: 1993 SP Derek Jeter Rookie Card
Price: $128,636.81 (Canadian dollars) or Price: $99,100.00 (US dollars).
via eBay
Of Note: This sale was of 1993 SP Foil Derek Jeter Rookie Card #279. Again, this was no regular Rookie Card. It was also graded as a PSA 10 [Professional Sports Authenticator] – so absolutely Mint. This card sold on May 16, 2018 after 148 bids.
Highest Selling Baseball Card #3: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311
Price: $72,820.64 (Canadian dollars) or Price: $56,100.00 (US dollars).
Of Note: This sale was of a card of one of the most popular baseball players of all time – the Yankees’ Mickey Mantle. This card is not Mantle’s specific Rookie Card, which was a 1951 Bowman #253. It was also only graded as a PSA 5, which means it wasn’t in perfect shape. This card sold on March 12, 2018 after 71 bids.
Highest Selling Baseball Card #4: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311
Price: $53,239.54 (Canadian dollars) or Price: $41,015.00 (US dollars).
Of Note: Interestingly that a similar card of the Yankees’ Mickey Mantle ranked both as #3 and #4 on the highest-priced baseball card list. Again, this card was also only graded as a PSA 5, also not in perfect shape. This card sold on April 11, 2018 after 81 bids.
Highest Selling Baseball Card #5: Mike Trout Rookie Card #BDPP89
Price: $49,585.53 (Canadian dollars) or Price: $38,200.00 (US dollars).
Of Note: Also, interestingly this similar card of Mike Trout ranked as #1 on the highest-priced baseball card list. The biggest difference between these cards is that this card is serial numbered 23/50 (still very rare – only 50 of this card in the world, and was #23 of those 50). This card was also only graded as a PSA 8.5, so not in perfect shape – although the autograph was graded as a 10. This card sold on May 16, 2018 after 78 bids.
