In the ALDS against Cleveland, Rivera was oddly human. Despite those drawbacks, some desirable inserts and base cards can fetch decent prices in top condition in today's market. Ken spent most of his career playing as an . 1. Nice design & photos. Many felt that his popularity and the fact that he was the face of the Yankees played more of a role in the decision than it should have. Contact him at [emailprotected]. Yet, by 1996, Martinez began to show the world he could be one of the best starting pitchers in the game when he earned his first of eight career trips to the All-Star Game. Standard Cards. After finishing the 2006 season with his career home run count resting at 734, Bonds entered the year needing to hit 21 to tie Aaron's record of 755 and 22 to break it. Ungraded & graded values for all '06 Topps Chrome He finished in the National League's top ten in multiple offensive categories, including home runs (34, 10th), hits (185, 4th), batting average (.314, 7th), doubles (40, 8th), RBIs (127, 2nd), and runs scored (118, 2nd). This performance upped Rickey's trade value considerably and enticed the Anaheim Angels to add him for the stretch run. A second trip to the disabled list in the middle of the year tanked Guerrero's Rookie of the Year considerations, dropping him to sixth in the NL vote. Oh, and he boasts a career batting average above .300 and has eclipsed the 500 home run and 1800 RBI marks, too. #6. Jeter hit just .291 on the campaign, one of his worst full-season batting averages until his 2014 swan song at age 40. Most Expensive, After winning the NL West and making the postseason for the first time in twelve years in 1996, the San Diego Padres crashed back to Earth in 1997. It followed the path of Barry Bonds Home Run History, which continues here. On August 7, with the count full during the bottom of the fifth inning of a home game against the Washington Nationals, Bonds blasted a pitch of Mike Bacsik into the outfield bleachers of AT&T Park that sent 43,154 fans into a frenzy. At just 24 years old during his last year with the Florida Marlins in 2007, Cabrera batted .320 with 34 home runs and 119 RBI, earning his fourth-straight All-Star appearance during the process. Track your collection for free. To make the cut in a major league base set, a player actually had to make it to the majors. While Barry Bonds was finishing off his chase of Hank Aaron's all-time home run record, the baseball world watched and wondered if Albert Pujols might be the next guy to make a run at it in the future. The most expensive baseball card in history just sold for $12.6 million By Zoe Sottile, . The 2005 Topps baseball card set includes 733 standard size cards that were issued in two series of 366 cards. The 2006 Topps Baseball Card Set features 659 standard size cards. Between 1997 and 2005, flagship Topps sets had retired number 7 in honor of Mantle. The result is a very expensive short print. San Diego stumbled hard out of the gate and never recovered, losing 30 of their first 50 games and ending the year in the division cellar at 76-86. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! Griffey was a cut above in a season full of fantastic individual-hitting performances, becoming just the ninth-ever unanimous AL MVP. We are user supported. However, Jeter was uncharacteristically bad during the postseason, as he went just 3-17 with one RBI and zero runs scored during the Yankees' 3-1 ALDS loss to the Cleveland Indians. The second one has Gordon's photo cut out. In the early days of Pedro Martinez's Hall of Fame career, it wasn't so clear that he had the size or control that would allow him to develop into the dominant force he would eventually become. Shortcuts: Most Expensive, Cheapest, List by Card # Though he was undoubtedly one of the most talented and productive players in MLB history, A-Rod's legacy will unfortunately always be tarnished by his ties to PEDs. After retiring from the game for nearly two seasons to get his personal life in order, Chicago Cubs icon Ryne Sandberg returned with a bang in 1996, hitting .244 with 25 home runs and 92 RBIs in a triumphant return. As a result, Pujols hit just 32 home runs with 103 RBI, the lowest and second-lowest totals of his first stint in St. Louis. And kids who grew up collecting him are now adults full of nostalgia for that era. Larger cards, a bigger checklist and other things like stats and team logos were all made important parts of baseball cards with the set. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle: $12.6 million. Before the season, Reds manager Jerry Narron made Ryan Freel the team's center fielder while moving Griffey to right, which could have helped Griffey's durability. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. After spending significant time at four positions during his rookie season, Albert Pujols settled into a regular left-field gig with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2002. Most Expensive, An active player no longer, Tony Gwynn helped define the 2002 season andthe Padres' future by simply being Tony Gwynn. There just weren't the same number of eyes on this set back then as there are with other sets nowadays. Most Expensive Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? The Flair showcase legacy collection is from the 1996-97 season. . Each of Mantle's career homers were given their own card in the mirror set. But, remember, Canseco was one of the biggest names in the hobby during the late 80s and early 90s. LeBron James 2003-04 Topps #1 Draft Pick Rookie #221 RC SCORING KING! New York caught fire after the All-Star break in 1997 but fell two games short of a division title (to Baltimore) at 96-66. The Kid made the most of those 144 games as he belted 30 home runs, drove in 71 runs, and batted .277 while earning his thirteenth and final trip to the All-Star Game along the way. PriceIt Game | We don't know how big a role nostalgia plays with this one, but it still regularly sells north of $40. Let's be clear:most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days. buy stuff after clicking links on our site A down year by Jeter's lofty standards, though, isn't much of a down year at all. Sell Your Cards Now; Blog; About; Contact; 0 15 Most Valuable 2011 Topps Baseball Cards. Free shipping. This site contains links to affiliate websites, and we may receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made on the affiliate website using such links. Focusing nearly exclusively on hitting, Ortiz flourished, hitting .272 with new career highs in OPS (.900), total bases (206), home runs (20), and RBIs (75). September 17, 2022 Ryan from Ballcard Genius Best of the Set, Boxes and Packs . A bit of bad luck, though, delayed Guerrero's regular-season debut by over a month. Wasnt too excited about the 2006 Topps cards I obtained. Topps eventually corrected this mistake, but this error does not significantly increase the value of this card. The Angels used Murray in a part-time DH role, hoping for a bevy of clutch hits from baseball's all-time leader in RBIs by a switch hitter. It's also one of the sets that soon followed the MLB strike in 1994 and the hobby bubble burst that occurred around the same time. And his .402 OBP, .610 slugging percentage and 1.013 were equally as impressive. While the text changed, the set uses very few photos. He'd wear six more jerseys in total before calling it quits in 2003 at the tender age of 44. So, while you won't find any really high . It worked wonders for the Os as Baltimore raced ahead in the AL East early, winning 42 of their first 60 games. Topps never did correct the error, though, and prices eventually fell back to Earth. Showing 1
Ripken played all 162 yet again, slashing .270/.331/.402 with 17 home runs, 30 doubles, and 84 RBIs in 686 plate appearances (615 at-bats). Greatest Topps Baseball Cards of All-Time. Combine all that, and it's easy to see how Jones was able to belt 29 home runs and eclipse both the 100 runs scored (108) and 100 RBI (102) plateaus for the final time in his career. To this day, he remains one of the most controversial figures in MLB history, but again, there are still big-time Canseco collectors throughout this hobby. He made just nine plate appearances as a pinch hitter for Los Angeles, going 2-for-7 with a couple of walks. Cheapest, Certification numbers appear in the lower right of the encapsulated label or on the oval DNA sticker. Before the 2002 regular season, Canseco signed a minor league contract with the Montreal Expos to be their left fielder, even though he had rarely played in the outfield during the previous three seasons. The list covers regular autograph cards in 2006 . 0% #8. $32.00. Overall, this set doesn't get much attention due to its lack of big-name rookie cards but there's still plenty to like when it comes to nostalgia for that era. Many anticipated that Topps would eventually correct the error, and prices soared as collectors scrambled to get their hands on this perceived "rarity.". Prices are updated daily based upon 2006 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Although the Gordon card exists, most consider that a set doesn't require one. During the 2007 campaign, Griffey appeared in 144 games, the most since his first season with the Cincinnati Reds in 2000, when he played in 145 games. Here we are 9 years later, and Topps STILL has subsets for these guys. As a result, they're not as plentiful as more recent sets. The words "1 Time Gold Love Award Winner" stamped along the bottom just above his name seem kind of amusing looking back. Four years into his stay by the Bay, Barry Bonds finally got his first taste of October baseball in a San Francisco Giants uniform. 2. With just one playoff appearance from 1988-2010 (2006), the Detroit Tigers' comedy of errors was a running punchline for two-plus . The most expensive Topps card of all time was a Mickey Mantle baseball rookie card. In 690 plate appearances (532 at-bats), the 32-year-old superstar slashed .291/.446/.585 with 40 home runs, 123 runs scored, and 101 RBIs. Unfortunately, the Twins were ultimately bounced five games later by the Anaheim Angels in the ALCS. I disagree with fellow above me I thank the border & foil are great. Estimated Autograph PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $15,000. The following offseason was a tricky one. 2013 Topps Update Baseball Gerrit Cole Yellow Hat RC Rookie #US 150 PSA 10 $140.00 2013 Topps Baseball Didi Gregorius Rookie Emerald Cincinnati Reds #296 PSA . To coincide with the opening of Turner Field, the Atlanta Braves allowed their players to pick their walk-up songs for each at-bat. Read our methodology . The cross-brand, multi-year Mickey Mantle Home Run History set kicks off. Bonds later filed a grievance with MLB in 2015, stating that teams had colluded to not sign him after 2007, but the league ruled against him. This was good looking set. Borders are ugly, and the foil on team and player names do nothing other than detract from the already ugly borders. Contact him at [emailprotected]. With the release of the 2002 Topps baseball card set, the company looked to continue the strong momentum built around their outstanding set in 2001 that contained the highly-coveted Ichiro rookie card. Like Ichiro, Pujols put up one of MLB's most incredible rookie campaigns. The 1909-11 T206 White Border Honus Wagner, the most valuable baseball card with SGC 3 graded, sold in August 2021 for $6.6 million. Most Expensive, That would turn out to be the third-highest total of his nineteen years in the Majors and it was all thanks, in large part, to his .351 batting average, which was also the third-highest of his career. And an important hobby icon returned to the company to not only fill a spot on the base set checklist but plenty of inserts as well. The Mickey Mantle Collection creates cards in the years he was missing from the base set. On May 13, 2002, Canseco announced his retirement from Major League Baseball, needing only 38 more home runs to reach the 500 club. On September 19th, a day after his 38th birthday, Sandberg launched his 282nd and final MLB home run. And the Yankees continued their dominant run atop the AL East in '02, finishing at 103-58 and securing their fifth-straight division title. Considering he was the oldest active player in the American League, it made sense. For Jeter and a budding Yankee dynasty, 1997 was a rare sour note. Read More 15 Most Valuable Bo Jackson Cards (1986 Topps Traded Tiffany #50T Bo Jackson Was Sold For $12,300 . Despite his incredible defensive stats, he lost the Gold Glove to Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins. Most Expensive 2020 Topps card list & price guide. Shortcuts: With a potent offense led by Jones, Briann McCann, Andruw Jones, Jeff Francoeur and even Mark Teixeira, thanks to a mid-season trade with the Rangers, the Braves finished the season 84-78. When Ortiz returned, Minnesota penciled him in as their full-time DH though he still spent fifteen games at first base. And he was the Majors' best run producer with 147 RBIs on the campaign. He also loves to write about the hobby and has written for Beckett, Topps, SABR and of course, this website. The vast majority of players appeared in fully licensed base sets in previous years. At 34 years old, Thomas came into the 2002 season looking to bounce back from the personal and physical pain of the year before. Ichiro would start his career with ten consecutive Gold Glove Awards, the last of them coming during the 2010 season when he was 36 years old. . Baseball Cards. The edge of the picture is rounded off on one side of the card and is coupled with a team logo. The odyssey that was the end of Rickey Hendersons 25-year Hall of Fame career took yet another left turn before the 2002 season. Topps is far too obsessed with Mickey Mantle and Barry Bonds. Then a highly touted prospect, Alex Gordon had his card all ready to go. #7. . Next >>, Dean's Cards is a registered trademark of Dean's Cards, LLC. At the age of 37, Griffey's best days were behind him, and by mid-season in 2008, the Reds would trade him to the Chicago White Sox to bring his days in Cincinnatti to a close. Topps, the oldest baseball card manufacturer, has sold out 65 sets of the world's most expensive box of baseball cards ever assembled. 1952 Topps Willie Mays RC #261. Read our methodology . List by Card #, You own: 0 / 144 items Like the 2002 Donruss, Fleer and Upper Deck sets, print runs were large enough and print quality was good enough that there is generally enough supply to meet demand. Twenty Most Valuable Topps Baseball Rookie Cards From The 1970s. With the size and skills that many were comparing to legends like Cal Ripken Jr., Derek Jeter, and even Alex Rodriguez, the Rockies had high hopes for their young shortstop. Like the 2007 Bowman, Fleer and Upper Deck sets, large print runs saturated the market with these cards, driving down their values. "I'm sure it took away from my offense.". Most Valuable Baseball Cards From the 1960s Read More And in this guide, we'll take a look at the 12 most valuable. Some collectors didn't like the design when they first saw it, but I thought it was creative and changed things up quite nicely. Justin Verlander, Prince Fielder, Ryan Zimmerman and Matt Cain are among the "rookies" in 2006 Topps Baseball whose official rookie cards came in 2005 or before. The cut out card has Gordon's image completely cut out of the picture leaving just a surrounding cardboard frame. Jones took to left field nicely in 2002 and continued to rake, slashing .327/.435/.536 with 26 home runs, 35 doubles, 90 runs scored, and 100 RBIs. It was one of his most productive seasons with the Reds but far from one of his trademark seasons with the Seattle Mariners during the 1990s. Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. Premium: Baseball Cards. 50 Most Valuable Baseball Cards of All Time. While his production had slipped considerably from his prime nearly a decade earlier, the Rickey Henderson MLB tour continued unabated in 1997. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. At 37 years of age, Gwynn was still at the very top of his game, earning his 13th All-Star selection, seventh Silver Slugger Award, and a sixth-place finish in the National Leagues MVP race. Ungraded & graded values for all '06 Topps (Photo: psacard.com) Miguel Cabrera is another active player on our list. PSA 10s in the card have commanded more than $40,000, but since '78 Topps has a notorious history of off-centered printing, there are so few gem mints out there. In fact, between June 2021 and May 2022, this Ripken collectible in a PSA 10 sold for under $4,000 just once. 1978 TOPPS #707 Paul Molitor Alan Trammell Rookie RC PSA 9 MINT. Download Price List, SportsCardsPro 2019-2023 After the season, the Yankees traded Kenny Rogers to the Oakland Athletics for third baseman Scott Brosius. . Ungraded & graded values for all '06 Topps His .327 batting average was as steady as ever, but his power dropped significantly as his slugging percentage fell to .568 versus his career-best .671 the year before. It was quite an entrance to the big leagues and arguably one of the most outstanding debut campaigns of all time. In fact, the most expensive baseball card ever sold went for more than $12 million at an auction on Aug. 22, 2022. 2006 Topps Baseball saw the return of Mickey Mantle to the company's cards. The most valuable baseball card from the 1960s is the 1963 Topps Pete Rose rookie card #537, graded PSA 10 gem mint condition. No More Secrets Puzzle Game, Larry Bird [Lefty Shot w, Bernard King] #33, Larry Bird [Close Up, No Mustache Green Jersey] #33, Larry Bird [Collecting to Shoot White Jersey] #33, Larry Bird [Defending w, Bill Walton] #33, Larry Bird [FT Cocked Position Green Jersey] #33, Larry Bird [Sideline Jumper Green Jersey] #33. PriceIt Game | The Twins made good on the promise of their 85-win season in 2001, capturing the AL Central at 94-67 and earning the franchise's first playoff berth since winning the World Series in 1991. Cheapest, For Barry Bonds, the 2007 season was all about trying to break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record. After a chat with manager Joe Torre in which Torre pushed Rivera to loosen up, the young closer turned it around. Unfortunately, after testing positive for amphetamines before the season started, Bonds' entire legacy rested under a cloud of doubt and distrust from that point on. To be a big fan of this set, it really comes down to having to like the controversial design. The back of the card includes player . Veteran stars such as Albert Pujols . to 100
Some collectors enjoyed the gimmick while others hated it. Eddie Murray's Hall of Fame playing career came to a full-circle close in 1997, making this his last of many Topps base cards. IMHO, they should have just kept #7 in retirement, and left it at that. David Ortiz's final year with the Minnesota Twins began with bad injury luck. At one point, it was going for four figures. Rivera finished the year with a 6-4 record and a stellar 1.88 ERA in 71.2 innings pitched (66 appearances). Newly imposed rookie card rules meant fewer official rookie cards. He made the Padres relevant even during the lean years and helped garner the public support necessary to greenlight the Petco Park project. #4 Most Valuable Baseball Cards 2000s - Topps Finest For The Record #3B Ken Griffey Jr. Price for PSA 9 featured with Alex Rodriguez: $100; Price for PSA 10 Gem: $1,500; Player's History. Bonds stretching with a bat in an empty stadium isnt a good one. 25 Most Valuable Baseball Cards 2000: Price List. Prices are updated daily based upon 2006 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Yet, despite an impressive 93-69 record, Seattle ended up third in the division, ten games behind the West champion Oakland A's and six games behind the Anaheim Angels in the Wild Card race. The 22-year-old phenom was a revelation for a balanced St. Louis squad, becoming the first MLB player to hit .300 or better with at least 100 runs scored, 100 RBIs, and 30 home runs in consecutive seasons to start a career. Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? The set was originally to be issued at the more common 660 card set count, but Topps was forced to pull card #297 Alex Gordon very early in production due to new requirements put in place by the MLBPA regarding qualifications for releasing rookie cards. Suzuki was white-hot early in 2002 yet faded down the stretch. Jones did all he could, hitting .292 with two home runs, five runs scored, four RBIs, two walks, and a .929 OPS. List by Card #, You own: 0 / 853 items 1976 Topps #148 Walter Payton Rookie Card PSA 10: Sold in March 2021 on Goldin Auctions for $124,230. 10 Most Valuable Topps Allen & Ginter Non-Baseball Autographs. Most expensive baseball cards in history. No matter your opinion, the move had the desired effect of spiking the interest of both collectors and non-collectors alike. I mean, just pulling the base Wander Franco rookie was something to boast, and this is coming at a time of astronomical print runs and decreasing values in gem mint PSA 10 RCs, etc. 100-. 1975 Topps George Brett Rookie Card #228. Between 1997 and . AsBaseball America's #2 prospect heading into the 1997 season (behind Atlanta's Andruw Jones), Montreal Expos right fielder Vladimir Guerrero was the cornerstone of yet another rebuilding project for the beleaguered franchise. None of this would have been possible without Gwynn's contributions to the franchise. But, his 3,000th hit during a home game against the Colorado Rockies on April 23, 2022, only served to cement his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time. | Compare vs. 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle #135. Martinez was brilliant in one of the best breakout seasons for a pitcher in modern history, going 17-8 for the 78-84 Expos with an MLB-best 1.90 ERA and 0.932 WHIP. And in this guide, we'll take a look at the 15 most valuable. The 1963 Topps Pete Rose rookie card is shared with three other players, including Al Weis, Pedro Gonzalez, and Ken McMullen. Prices are updated daily based upon 2006 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. No More Secrets Puzzle Game, Ungraded As other candy companies got into the fray, the competition for players ramped up, so some started receiving cash. 9 Roger Clemens #530. The season before had proven to be a rough one for Thomas. As you can see, there aren't really any big-time cards in this set but, if graded in PSA 10 condition, there are several that can command a decent price tag. You'll also find several limited parallel versions of the base cards, including red backs, gold, copper, platinum, printing plates, and first editions, but we'll stick with the base cards for this write-up. With his mentors now out of town, Jones took on the mantles of mentor and captain. We may earn an affiliate commission if you The key rookie cards for this set include #641 Justin Verlander, #355 Jonathan Papelbon, #617 Ryan Zimmerman, and #639 Prince Fielder. Shortcuts: With Albert Belle protecting him in the middle of the order, Thomas ripped through AL pitching all year long, winning his first and only batting title with a .347 average. 2006 Topps Update Jon Lester RC #UH149. Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) & PSA/DNA are divisions of Collectors Universe, Inc. Get free collecting news from leading hobby professionals, in-depth articles, breaking news, insightful videos & more! However, their stranglehold on the Americal League pennant loosened just four games after their regular-season finale. A hometown hero, Junior now found himself facing an uncertain future in Cincy. 2006 Topps Baseball has three parallels: Gold (#/2006), Black (#/55) and Platinum (1/1). So, for the cards on this list to be worth much, they'll have to be graded by PSA to be in perfect, gem mint condition. Jeter's Rookie-of-the-Year season in 1996 was a catalyst for New York's return to the top of the baseball mountain, the Yankees' first World Series title in 18 years.