MLB

10 Most Expensive Baseball Cards in the World

by
Sami Haider
September 9, 2021

Baseball is one of the most popular and respected sports in the USA. There was a time when baseball fans were always eager to collect all sorts of merchandise and memorabilia, but baseball cards were one of the tops of the pyramid.

By the late 1800s, baseball cards were distributed through tobacco packets. The main target was to promote the cigarette brand as well as prevent the cigarettes from being crushed.

However, Baseball cards are expensive. If you think that every baseball card is worth a lot of money, then there’s something you should know beforehand. The value of a baseball card depends upon some crucial factors like age, market values, grading, trends, and most importantly, the overall condition.

Do you want to know which one is the most expensive baseball card in the world? Let’s start the countdown process.

Ranking the 10 Greatest First Baseman in MLB History

#10. Ty Cobb, 1909 T206

Cost: $488,425

Sold In the Year: 2016

You might find this surprising, but there are 4 baseball cards in the T206 set. Only three of these 4 baseball cards received a score of 9 by PSA. You must not forget that these cards are over centuries old, so it’s fascinating to see them as ‘Mint’.

The 1909 T206 Ty Cobb sold for $488,425 in 2016.

#09. Babe Ruth, 1914 Baltimore News

Cost: $575,000

Sold In the Year: 2012

The 1914 Baltimore Babe Ruth is slightly different from the 1916 Sporting News Babe Ruth. Previously, it was assumed that only 10 copies of Babe Ruth existed. This is the main reason to include 1914 Baltimore Babe Ruth in the list of most iconic baseball cards.

However, this baseball card has a version of red and another version with a blue border which makes it unique. This depicts Babe Ruth in the uniform he wore in the minor-league Baltimore Orioles.

This baseball card received a PSA rating of 2 and sold in an auction for $575,000.

#08. Joe Jackson, 1910 T210 Old Mill

Cost: $600,000

Sold In the year: 2019

Joe Jackson was famous for his Black Sox Scandal, where he gambled with some teams. This upset the whole baseball community, and he was permanently banished from baseball.

However, it’s been 100 years since the incident. But the public still values his baseball card more than anything else.

The PSA gave a rating of 3.5 to the T210 Joe Jackson baseball card, and it was sold for $600,000.

#07. Jerry Koosman/ Nolan Ryan, 1968 Topps

Cost: $612,359

Sold In the Year: 2016

Just like 2 other baseball cards, the Jerry Koosman/Nolan Ryan comb0 received a perfect 10 by the PSA.

Ryan, who was famous for his strikeout records, holds the same popularity as before through this baseball card.

Over 8000 copies of this rookie card were graded. However, only this card received a perfect 10. This is the main reason why 1968 Topps Jerry Koosman/Nolan Ryan is one of the most expensive rookie cards of all time. Because of its perfect condition, it was sold at an auction for $612,359 in 2016.

#06. Joe Jackson, 1909 American Caramel

Cost: $667,149

Sold In the Year: 2016

Especially known as ‘Shoeless Joe,’ Joe Jackson was one of the most high-profile players famous for the Black Sox Scandal. His career also ended due to the gambling scandal.

This is one of the few baseball players whose baseball cards came with candies.

In 2016, this baseball card received a grade of 8 from the PSA.

Despite being a rookie card, it was sold at auction for $667,149 in 2016.

#05. Eddie Plank, 1909 T206

Cost: $700,000

Sold In the year: 2012

The 1909 T206 Eddie Plank is considered one of the top baseball cards. This card is very rare, just like T206 Wagner.

There are no exact reasons why this card is so much rare. We can only guess that Eddie Plank had asked The American Tobacco Company not to promote his name on their cigarette packet as he was a strict non-smoker.

Whatever the reason, there exist only 75 T206 Eddie Plank cards. However, it never went to auction. This card was sold privately for $700,000 in 2012, making it one of the highest priced baseball cards.

#04. Pete Rose, 1963 Topps

Cost: $717,000

Sold In the Year: 2016

Considered as one of the most collectible baseball cards in the world, in 1963, Pete Rose scored a perfect 10 by PSA. Even though he was a gambler and faced a permanent ban from baseball, Pete Rose remains in the list of top 10 most valuable baseball cards.

The 1963 Topps Pete Rose sold at an auction for $717,000. This card is a rookie card. However, the perfect 10 scores graded this card as the ‘Gem Mint’.

#03. Babe Ruth, 1916 Sporting News

Cost: $717,000

Sold In the Year: 2016

You must be thinking, how much is a Babe Ruth baseball card worth? When you consider the impact of Babe Ruth in baseball history, you will realize why this card comes at the third position on our list. Without a doubt, it is the third most expensive baseball card in the world.

The American Tobacco company used T206 Wagner as a promotional tool. However, in 1916 Babe Ruth was a collectible business card.

It also received the PSA grade of level 9 but sold for $717,000 in an auction in 2016. You might be thinking about why this card sold for less money despite being one of the rare baseball cards because it takes time to find the right buyer.

Brace yourself; we’re now coming to the only two baseball cards in the world that were sold for millions of dollars.

#02. Mickey Mantle, 1952 Topps

Cost: $2.88 million

Sold In the Year: 2018

This is one of the two cards in the world that sold at auction for over 1 million dollars. The main production company of the baseball cards, Topps, dominated in the baseball card scenarios for more than 60 years. In the year of 1952, they issued the Mickey Mantle card, which is now considered as diamond jewelry of baseball cards.

The PSA gave this card a 9 out of 10 rating, which is a magnificent score. When the card first came at auction, many believed that the price would go over $3.4 million. However, the card sold for $2.88 million, saving its place as one of the most valuable baseball cards.

Now is the time for number one, the most expensive baseball card of all time!

#01. Honus Wagner, 1909-1911 T206

Cost: $3.12 Million

Sold In the Year: 2016

The 1909 T206 Honus Wagner is the most expensive baseball card as well as the most valuable baseball card in the world. There are not more than 50 known copies of T206 Honus Wagner, making it the rarest card of all time.

The reason behind the rarity of this card was Wagner himself. The PSA T206 Honus Wagner card was sold at an auction for $3.12 million in 2016, which is a record amount of money.

If you are thinking about what exactly PSA is, it is an abbreviated form of Professional Sports Authenticator. They are the world’s most trusted third-party source that specializes in sports card grading.

In short, if you are surprised by the amount of money, then you should know that T206 Honus Wagner is called the ‘holy grail’ of baseball cards.

Here are the top 10 most expensive baseball cards in the world. Remember that baseball cards are so unique and antique. So, if you somehow manage to get one, whether it’s expensive or not, you should always take good care of it. If you have any special valuable baseball cards, share your thoughts with us in the comments section.