Top 10 Most Valuable Cards

T206 Honus Wagner    

The T206 Honus Wagner is a baseball card that depicts the persona of Honus Wagner, known as the greatest player of all time during the dead-ball era.  The T206 Honus Wagner was designed and released by the American Tobacco Company from 1909 to 1911 as part of the famous T20 series.  Honus Wagner was against the distribution of this particular card because he did not support tobacco marketing attached to his name. 

Eventually, the American Tobacco Company ended the production of the Honus Wagner card, and only 50 to 200 cards were released to the public.  By 1933, the card was listed at a value of $50, making it the most expensive card in the world at the time.  The value of one particular Honus Wagner card increased when sports memorabilia collector Jim Copsland bought the card and sold it to Wayne Gretzky for $451,000.  Although this card is not one of the highly valued autographed baseball cards many people like to have, a Honus Wagner T206 was still sold for more than $2.8 million in February 2007. 


Goudey 1953 #106 Nap Lajoie

The Honus Wagner is a legendary card because no one seems to know where similar cards are.  Its rarity and the mystery of the player allowed the Honus Wagner baseball card to fetch excessive value.  The next most valuable card in history is the #106 Nap Lajoie.  This card features Napoléon "Nap" Lajoie, a second baseman in Major League Baseball of French Canadian descent.  Nap Lajoie was considered one of the greatest players during the early 20th century and the most serious of Ty Cobb's challengers.  The card was highly popular during the Great Depression era, but like the Honus Wagner, the production of the card stopped.  Today, the card is worth $30,000.


1952 Mickey Mantle #311 from Topps 

Everyone knows the legend of Mickey Mantle.  Mickey Mantle was an American baseball player who dominated the game during the 1950's.  In 1974, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame, following an 18-year career with the New York Yankees.  During his time, he received 16 all-star team selections, and 3 MVP trophies.  Mickey Mantle was known as the legend of the World Series, holding the record for the most home runs, RBI's, walks, and total bases.  The 1952 Mickey Mantle card featured the most classic run in the season.  The demand for the card reached a peak during the late 90's, as he was slowly recognized as one of the true legends of the game.  The card is currently valued at $18,000.  Mickey Mantle's card topped the value of autographed baseball cards of other legends. 


#105 Cracker Jackson $9000

Joseph Jefferson Jackson was known to baseball fans as "Shoeless Joe.”  Joe Jackson was a player who was remembered with his association with the Black Sox scandal of 1919.  The Chicago White Sox was the main culprit for the conspiracy to fix the World Series that year.  This led to the banning of Joe Jackson from baseball after the 1920 season.  After the banning, Joe Jackson became a baseball myth, with a lot of controversy surrounding his participation in the scandal.  His mysterious figure and myth helped maintain the value of the legendary card.  Today, there is strong support from people who believe that he was never a part of the scandal.


1933 Babe Ruth from Goudey

Babe Ruth, known as Babe or Bambino, is the most popular figure in the history of baseball.  Many are still looking for the elusive Babe Ruth autographed baseball cards.  For many fans today, he was considered the greatest player in the history of the game, mainly because of his dominance in the diamond field and his record-breaking home runs.  His charismatic figure fit right in during the roaring twenties.  He was also the first player to hit 60 home runs in one season.  The value of Babe Ruth cards has always been on the high end.  The Goudey 1933 #53 Babe Ruth is the most valuable card with a value of $199,750 in a recent auction.


Goudey 1933 'Heads-Up' DiMaggio

Joseph Paul DiMaggio, known as the Yankee Clipper, played his entire career for the New York Yankees from 1936 to 1951.  DiMaggio was known as the outright successor of Babe Ruth at a young age of 21 years old.  The 1933 DiMaggio card was also considered one of the best designed sports cards in the era.  Only a few of these cards survive today.  You can find some of these cards in online web auctions among other top autograph baseball cards listed.


 2007 Michael Vick NFL Cards

Michael Vick's high profile case of animal abuse has made the news rounds.  This publicity also fueled the price for Michael Vick football cards that were slobbered by two dogs.  The irony of the situation brought increased value of the cards.  This is one of the few recent cards reaching thousands of dollars in value, even if it had to be slobbered by a dog.  It could even be more expensive if it was one of the autographed football cards of Michael Vick.


1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth

The Baltimore News Babe Ruth card has also turned heads as the most valuable card of the legend.  According to Beckett Media, this Babe Ruth card will bring up to $500,000 in good condition.  Both the Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner are in a class of their own when it comes to getting the highest value for them.


Ruth And Wagner Rookie Cards

The holy grail of all sports cards, whether it is one of the autographed baseball cards or not, are the famed rookie cards of the legends.  Rookie edition cards are special because they are usually the first cards issued for the particular player.  Since they are released during the player's rookie season, current collectors are hoping to bank on their careers to increase the value of their cards.  The Babe Ruth rookie card is worth $5 million, while some reports suggest that the Honus Wagner rookie card is valued at $3 million.