Most Valuable Sports Cards of All Time

There has been an explosion of riches in the sports card market, and the most valuable cards are worth millions of dollars.

Most Valuable Sports Cards of All Time

It started with baseball cards, but now there's a market for all sports cards. And the most valuable ones can be worth millions of dollars.

Florida-based sports memorabilia expert Stephen Laucella helped us weigh in on the 30 most valuable sports cards of all time and how a recent explosion of riches (since 2020, 23 of the 30 cards have changed hands) will shape the sports card market moving forward.

"It became cool to collect sports cards in the last year," Laucella said. "It wasn't always that way. The stigma had always kind of been that it was 50- or 60-year-old guys collecting cards. Now it's new money flooding the market. It's the same people a lot of the time that have been in fantasy sports and sneakers. They moved to cards."

These are the most valuable sports cards of all time.

30. Eddie Plank 1909-11 T206

Value when sold: $700,000

Grade: Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) 7

Highest recorded sale: 2012

Note: All card values are through June 2023 and include the highest price paid for a given card.

Bottom Line: Eddie Plank 1909-11 T206

Eddie Plank still holds the MLB record for most shutouts by a left-handed pitcher with 69, was the first lefty to hit 200 and 300 wins in MLB history, and finished his career with 326 victories.

Laucella pointed out that, for a card this old, it's still incredibly hard to get a PSA rating of a 7. This card, of all the cards on this list, is also one that's gone the longest without changing hands.

29. Pete Rose/Al Weis/Ken McMullen/Pedro Gonzalez 1963 Topps (Tie)

Value when sold: $717,000

Grade: PSA 10

Highest recorded sale: August 2016

Bottom Line: Pete Rose/Al Weis/Ken McMullen/Pedro Gonzalez 1963 Topps

This is unique because it's the only truly recognized Pete Rose rookie card, and it's split between Rose, baseball's all-time hits leader, and three other truly forgettable players. What's also notable is that the card got a perfect rating from PSA.

"(Rose) has some second- and third-year cards worth a lot, but this is the most recognized of all the Rose cards," Laucella said. "There's another famous example with this in the 1980-81 Topps basketball set where they have a card with Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Dr. J that's recognized as the rookie card for Magic and Bird."

28. LeBron James 2004 Topps Chrome Superfractor

LeBron James 2004 Topps Chrome Superfractor card

Value when sold: $720,000

Grade: PSA10

Highest recorded sale: October 2020

Bottom Line: LeBron James 2004 Topps Chrome Superfractor

No player in any sport ended up with more cards on this list than NBA superstar LeBron James, and this is the least expensive of the bunch. It's rare that a Topps basketball card would make the cut, but this unique, 1 of 1 card does it.

"It's rare because of the scarcity, and this card, in particular, is a refractor, which is even more rare," Laucella said. "Which just means it refracts lights and turns different colors and stuff. [That's why it] gets the PSA 10 perfect rating."

27. Luka Doncic 2018 Panini Prizm Gold Prizm #280 Rookie Card

Value when sold: $780,000

Grade: PSA 10

Highest recorded sale: January 2021

Bottom Line: Luka Doncic 2018 Panini Prizm Gold Prizm #280 Rookie Card

Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Luka Doncic

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has been a shooting star in the card market. You can point to his soaring popularity in the NBA as one of the main things pushing the value of these cards into the stratosphere.

"This is a card you could technically pull from a pack yourself, and even though it's not an autograph card, it's so rare and has such a great grade," Laucella said. "If it's graded by PSA as a legitimate 10, you have to consider you could pull this card and it may have been scratched in the pack or something like that and it drops to a nine. ... This is what makes it so unique."

26. Kevin Durant 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Card Parallel #94 Patch Autographs

Kevin Durant 007-08 Upper Deck rookie card

Value when sold: $799,500

Grade: Beckett Grading Services (BGS) 9 / Auto 10

Highest recorded sale: March 2021

Bottom Line: Kevin Durant 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Card Parallel #94 Patch Autographs

Seattle SuperSonics power forward Kevin Durant

The Kevin Durant rookie card is unique for several reasons, most notably because he only played for the Sonics for one season before the franchise became the Oklahoma City Thunder.

This also taps into the exclusivity of getting not just a card from a star player but one that's autographed and actually in his uniform.

"I think at the time KD had an exclusive card autograph deal with Upper Deck, but the whole industry was more open at the time," Laucella said. "Now, the NBA has a specific contract with Panini so Upper Deck isn't going to do a card with someone in a specific jersey."

25. Michael Jordan 1986-87 Fleer (Tie)

Value when sold: $840,000

Grade: PSA 10

Highest recorded sale: July 2021

Bottom Line: Michael Jordan 1986-87 Fleer

This is one of the cards that hasn't just become popular. The Michael Jordan 1986 Fleer is one of the most elegant, famous cards of all time. It's also considered Michael Jordan's de facto rookie card, even though it's from his third season.

"There was another set of MJ rookie cards for that 1984-85 season made by Star that's out there," Laucella said. "But once MJ started to get bigger and more popular, Star reproduced that set, so there was no telling what were the originals and what were the reproductions."

While the card sold for a whopping $840,000 in 2021, its value has declined in recent months, so if you own one, hold onto it until prices surge back up.

24. LeBron James/Michael Jordan 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Logoman

LeBron James/Michael Jordan 2003-04 Upper Deck card

Value when sold: $900,000

Grade: BGS 8.5

Highest recorded sale: February 2020

Bottom Line: LeBron James/Michael Jordan 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Logoman

Upper Deck knew what it was doing when it put out this card during LeBron James' rookie season, pairing him with the player he was going to take the King of the NBA crown from, Michael Jordan.

"This card is a big deal because, again, they both had exclusive card deals and Jordan's only ever had the deal with Upper Deck for his autographs," Laucella said. "Even to this day, Upper Deck puts out cards with LeBron and Jordan that won't officially be in other sets, and you know because of the deals they have any place they won't be anywhere else.

"Whenever you see 1 of 1, that's special, even if the grade (8.5) isn't that high."

23. Michael Jordan 1997 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green

Value when sold: $915,000

Grade: PSA Authentic

Highest recorded sale: December 2020

Bottom Line: Michael Jordan 1997 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green

Fleer had its own "metal" set for years — Fleer Metal — and each card company has its own unique type of cards. Topps has the "Refractor" sets, and Panini has the "Prizm" sets.

The "PSA Authentic" rating is kind of hard to decipher, but it falls in line with some grades for cards that have no paper element to them.

"This is a very rare set," Laucella said. "These Precious Metal Gems are so hard to find. ... They might be the hardest inserts to find. You can see that with some of the Prizm cards for Luka Doncic."

22. Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Red Refractor Autograph

Value when sold: $922,500

Grade: BGS 9.5

Highest recorded sale: May 2020

Bottom Line: Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Red Refractor Autograph

When the sports card market exploded, it was basketball cards that triggered the increase in prices, but soon, card collectors turned to baseball. And they went looking for current players who might have value in the future.

The main focus of those collectors was three-time American League MVP Mike Trout, the Los Angeles Angels outfielder who hasn't played in the postseason once in his first decade in the majors.

"People started to go backward, basketball took off, then it was like, 'Oh crap, where should we go next?' And the Trout cards went crazy," Laucella said. "All that new money flooding the market went to basketball, then went to baseball, then football. This card is so rare that its value shoots up."

21. Jackie Robinson 1952 Topps #312

Value when sold: $984,000

Grade: PSA 9

Highest recorded sale: March 2021

Bottom Line: Jackie Robinson 1952 Topps #312

Just like the Michael Jordan "rookie" card from the Fleer 1986-87 set, this 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson is considered his de facto rookie card even though he started playing the majors in 1947.

But who determines what a rookie card is in cases like this?

"That's kind of the great thing about this industry," Laucella said. "Beckett and places like that definitely have some influence, but ultimately, it's the collectors that are the ones that determine that."

20. Reggie Jackson 1969 Topps Rookie Card #260

Value when sold: $1.01 million

Grade: PSA 10

Highest recorded sale: February 2021

Bottom Line: Reggie Jackson 1969 Topps Rookie Card #260

Oakland A's rookie Reggie Jackson in 1969

Just a cool, classic card from Topps that stands out for the fact that it's been rated a PSA 10. You don't see many cards this old with that rating.

That it's one of the greatest baseball players of all time in Reggie Jackson is also good.

"I just love that card, and you can find it in a good amount of places but not like that condition," Laucella said. "That 10 rating is remarkable. And that's not even mentioning Reggie and how great he looks and that classic jersey and how cool that looks."

19. Anthony Davis 2012-13 Panini National Treasures #151 NBA Logoman Rookie Patch Autographs

Anthony Davis 2012-13 Panini National Treasures card

Value when sold: $1.02 million

Grade: BGS 9

Highest recorded sale: January 2021

Bottom Line: Anthony Davis 2012-13 Panini National Treasures #151 NBA Logoman Rookie Patch Autographs

The value of this Anthony Davis rookie card from Panini begs the question — do current players see the value of their cards go down considerably when they fall flat in the actual games? Davis tanked at the end of the 2020-21 season despite winning the NBA championship in 2020.

"Just look at when the card was sold," Laucella said. "You can make a conservative guess that the card has lost 20 percent of its value from the time they bought it, because no one is really out there saying 'I have to get that Anthony Davis card' right now."

18. Stephen Curry 2009-10 Panini National Treasures "Century Platinum" Rookie Patch Autograph

Stephen Curry 2009-10 Panini National Treasures card

Value when sold: $1.08 million

Grade: PSA 9 / Auto 10

Highest recorded sale: August 2022

Bottom Line: Stephen Curry 2009-10 Panini National Treasures "Century Platinum" Rookie Patch Autograph

Stephen Curry works against Daniel Gibson

The Panini National Treasures boxes are a popular talking point in the sports card industry. Each pack doesn't contain the 30-or-so cards (exaggerating) that you got in each pack of the 1987 Topps box your grandma bought you back in the day. These packs contain just 2 cards each, and the limit for each player is five cards issued in the whole collection.

"Sometimes, when you buy that box or go in on breaking a box with a group of people, you understand that you're going to get eight 'hits' and four autographs for each box," Laucella said. "But if you're going in with people, you may not even end up with one of those. Look at what the (National Treasures) 2019-20 boxes are going for online right now ... something like $8,000 each.

"So what do you think one from the 2009-10 collection would be worth?"

17. Roberto Clemente 1955 Topps Rookie Card #164

Value when sold: $1.11 million

Grade: PSA 9

Highest recorded sale: March 2021

Bottom Line: Roberto Clemente 1955 Topps Rookie Card #164

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Roberto Clemente

A legitimate rookie card for the late Roberto Clemente is something wondrous to behold, and it's PSA 9 rating speaks to how well it's been taken care of over the years.

"This card is just dope, and got that 9 rating, which is huge," Laucella said. "It's hard to get a grade like that from a card from that era because people didn't take very good care of baseball cards back then. It really wasn't done."

16. Giannis Antetokounmpo 2013-14 Panini Prizm "Prizms Black Mosaic" #290

Giannis Antetokounmpo 2013-14 Panini Prizm card

Value when sold: $1.14 million

Grade: BGS 9.5

Highest recorded sale: December 2020

Bottom Line: Giannis Antetokounmpo 2013-14 Panini Prizm "Prizms Black Mosaic" #290

The rating for this Giannis Antetokounmpo rookie card from Beckett and the uniqueness of being a 1 of 1 stands out to us, but it's important to point out that while this card is considered near mint, it also hasn't changed hands since December 2020.

"I don't think you could sell this card for the ($1.14 million) right now," Laucella said.

14. Wayne Gretzky 1979 O-Pee-Chee (Tie)

Value when sold: $1.29 million

Grade: BGS 9.5

Highest recorded sale: December 2020

Bottom Line: Wayne Gretzky 1979 O-Pee-Chee

The funkiest, dopest card on this list is hands down the only hockey card to make it into the upper echelons as well — the O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie card that's been graded BGS 9.5.

If you grew up in the 1970s or 1980s, we also can't blame you for thinking of those orange-yellow folders from school when you hear the name O-Pee-Chee.

"Well O-Pee-Chee was in the paper industry, so that makes sense," said Laucella. "But (O-Pee-Chee) was also doing baseball cards that weren't worth anything because they were such low quality.

"What's interesting about this Gretzky card is there's so many of them, like almost 11,000 in circulation, but this is the only that's been graded at that legit, mint level. I've seen a lot of these online for a lot of really different prices, and lots of them in really bad shape."

14. LeBron James 2004-05 Upper Deck Ultimate Signatures Logos #USL-LJ Signed Logoman Card (Tie)

Value when sold: $1.29 million

Grade: PSA 10

Highest recorded sale: March 2021

Bottom Line: LeBron James 2004-05 Upper Deck Ultimate Signatures Logos #USL-LJ Signed Logoman Card

As if we didn't know already, LeBron James is the true Golden Ticket in the sports card industry.

Take this remarkable card from his sophomore season. Upper Deck really does make beautiful basketball cards, and this 1 of 1, signed edition will only go up in value over the coming years.

13. Michael Jordan 1997 Upper Deck Game Jersey Autographs

Michael Jordan 1997 Upper Deck Game Jersey Autographs card

Value when sold: $1.44 million

Grade: PSA 7

Highest recorded sale: February 2021

Bottom Line: Michael Jordan 1997 Upper Deck Game Jersey Autographs

Such a unique card with so many questions — mainly around the PSA 7 and the way the card looks itself. The fact that it's signed and just one of 23 created makes it unique, but what about that "8/23" marked in blue marker in the lower right hand corner?

"When companies do autographs, sometimes they will send a sheet of clear, peel-off stickers that the players sign. Then the companies place the signatures on the cards," Laucella said. "Either way, the autographs make the cards more valuable, and if they're actually right on the card, that makes it way more valuable."

And what if, for some reason, it turned out Jordan was the one who marked the card "8/23"?

"Well," Laucella said, laughing. "That would increase its value considerably, yes."

12. LeBron James 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch Autographs #78

Value when sold: $1.54 million

Grade: BGS 8.5

Highest recorded sale: March 2021

Bottom Line: LeBron James 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch Autographs #78

LeBron James and David Stern at the 2003 NBA draft

Yes, this is the same card that sold for $5.2 million, tying the record for the biggest sale of a sports card in history. But it's also different. The details of which can be confusing.

What it boils down to are the versions. This one is 32 of 99 and the one that sold for $5.2 million is marked as 7 of 23.

Also, pay attention to the rating. The BGS 8.5 isn't necessarily remarkable in regard to other cards from that time on this list.

11. Kobe Bryant 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractors #138 Rookie Card

Kobe Bryant 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractors card

Value when sold: $1.80 million

Grade: BGS 10

Highest recorded sale: March 2021

Bottom Line: Kobe Bryant 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractors #138 Rookie Card

It's kind of surprising that this is the only Kobe Bryant card that made the list, but the fact it's received a rare, BGS 10 rating only tells us that if the rest of the industry begins to crumble, this is a card that should keep its value.

This card is also behind one of the more heartbreaking collecting stories Laucella has ever experienced. "(Bryant) has several cards from his rookie year that are worth a lot, and in the industry, it's kind of thought that it's a little harder to get that 10 rating from BGS than from PSA," Laucella said. "There's a friend of ours who had this card rated as a PSA 10 that sold it four or five years ago for about $5,000 ... and that's a card that's easily worth a half-million now.

"I've told our other friends I'm surprised he still collects ... I don't even know if I could watch basketball after that, much less collect cards. But he loves basketball."

10. Giannis Antetokounmpo 2013-14 National Treasures Logoman Patch Autograph

Giannis Antetokounmpo 2013-14 National Treasures Logoman Patch Autograph card

Value when sold: $1.86 million

Grade: BGS 9

Highest recorded sale: September 2020

Bottom Line: Giannis Antetokounmpo 2013-14 National Treasures Logoman Patch Autograph

Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo

The values of Giannis Antetokounmpo's cards continue to soar since the NBA superstar joined the league in 2013.

"That's the new money in the hobby that we've been talking about," Laucella said. "Giannis is a cool guy to start a collection for. People want him, specifically, but I understand the argument (against) that.

"Should, for example, the Hakeem Olajuwon rookie card from that 1986-87 Fleer set be worth more than this? I mean, I think it should, but the generation coming up doesn't. They want Giannis, they want Steph Curry, they want LeBron, and they want MJ."

9. Tom Brady 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Rookie Ticket Autograph #144

Tom Brady 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Rookie Ticket Autograph card

Value when sold: $2.25 million

Grade: BGS 8.5/9

Highest recorded sale: April 2021

Bottom Line: Tom Brady 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Rookie Ticket Autograph #144

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in 2000

Whoever owned this card was a genius when it came to the sale by not putting it on the market until after Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl in February 2021, with this one coming with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after six with the New England Patriots. It sold for $2.252 million in April 2021.

"If you sell this in the fall, before the [2020] season, I don't think you get anywhere close to that number," Laucella said. "It goes up dramatically after Brady wins another Super Bowl."

8. Babe Ruth 1916 M101-5 Sporting News

Babe Ruth 1916 M101-5 Sporting News card

Value when sold: $3 million

Grade: PSA 8

Highest recorded sale: February 2023

Bottom Line: Babe Ruth 1916 M101-5 Sporting News

The condition of this 1916 Babe Ruth card, which has a blank back, is truly remarkable.

"It's also about the scarcity of the card," Laucella said. "They think there are less than 50 of these (Ruth) cards available so that's a big thing, and to still even get a PSA 7 rating on a card that's over 100 years old is pretty remarkable."

The PSA 8-rated card sold for a whopping $3 million in February 2023 through Heritage Auctions.

7. Mickey Mantle 1951 Bowman

Value when sold: $3.19 million

Grade: PSA 9

Highest recorded sale: December 2022

Bottom Line: Mickey Mantle 1951 Bowman

Bowman and Topps were the classic editions from way, way back in the day, and this ended up being their most famous card.

"I never really understood the super old thing with Bowman, with their history, because to me it's because Topps has always been the standard-bearer," Laucella said. "But this card has been the standard-bearer.

"The problem in the 1980s was people saw the Bowman and Topps cards so much because they mass-produced. Overproduced, actually. It's why collectors call the 1980s and 1990s the 'junk wax era.'"

This card sold for four times its previous value of about $750,000 at Memory Lane's Fall Rarities Premium Auction in 2022.

6. Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor Autograph

Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor Autograph card

Value when sold: $3.96 million

Grade: BGS 9

Highest recorded sale: August 2020

Bottom Line: Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor Autograph

If you're looking for a card or a player that underlines why the sports card market might not be as stable as people like to think, look no further than Mike Trout. One decade into his career, Trout still doesn't have a World Series appearance. Yet in August 2020, this card sold for almost $4 million.

"There's new money in this (sports card) game that doesn't care about playoffs or championships," Laucella said. "I think they give a lot of leeway to baseball players because they know it's a team sport. Trout could be a top-five player of all time, maybe, but this goes back to the rarity. It's a 1 of 1, which we keep going back to. That's important."

5. Patrick Mahomes 2017 Panini National Treasures Black #161 Rookie Patch Autographs

Value when sold: $4.3 million

Grade: 10

Highest recorded sale: July 2021

Bottom Line: Patrick Mahomes 2017 Panini National Treasures Black #161 Rookie Patch Autographs

Kansas City Chiefs rookie quarterback Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is one of just a few football cards to make the list. "Outside of Jerry Rice, there's not a lot of people collecting cards of any football players but quarterbacks," Laucella said. "Mahomes is the kind of player that it's cool to own cards for because he's a fun player, a young player, and you see the other young quarterbacks and their cards are really going up as well.

"That's why the Justin Herbert rookie card became so valuable. That's why the Trevor Lawrence cards are becoming so valuable, even though there's none of him in a Jacksonville Jaguars jersey yet. ... People want players they think are cool, but you also see some of that respect coming back around for rookie cards of the older players."

This rookie card broke the sale record for a football card when it sold in July 2021 for about five times its last sale of $840,000.

4. Luka Doncic 2018 Panini National Treasures 1 of 1 Logoman Autograph

Luka Doncic 2018 Panini National Treasures card

Value when sold: $4.6 million

Grade: Ungraded

Highest recorded sale: February 2021

Bottom Line: Luka Doncic 2018 Panini National Treasures 1 of 1 Logoman Autograph

This 1 of 1 Luka Doncic card has some pretty neat history already associated with it. You can watch the moment the owner finds it in a pack via a viral TikTok video.

Check out how the hands start shaking. Can you blame him for being nervous for holding almost $5 million in his hands? This card doesn't have a grade yet and probably never will.

"This set, they're really thick cards, so I'm not sure how you grade that," Laucella said. "But it's 1 of 1, and they pulled it on a really famous live break, so I don't know how you would go about setting the value. ... I wouldn't want to touch that one."

3. LeBron James 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch Autographs #78 (Tie)

LeBron James 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch Autographs card

Value when sold: $5.2 million

Grade: BGS 9

Highest recorded sale: April 2021

Bottom Line: LeBron James 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch Autographs #78

The unique thing about this card is that it's not only super rare but that the BGS 9 grade is the highest for this certain card.

Laucella has an interesting theory about why that might be. "One thing I can think of is with these cards, you don't know where the other ones are," Laucella said. "So if you're thinking about that, there's probably someone out there that has unopened boxes from this collection that are going up in price every single day."

He could be right. There's a 2004-05 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection sealed box for sale right now for $45,000. How much would one from the 2003-04 set sell for?

2. Honus Wagner 1909-11 T206

Value when sold: $7.25 million

Grade: SGC 2

Highest recorded sale: August 2022

Bottom Line: Honus Wagner 1909-11 T206

Hands down, the Honus Wagner T206 is one of the most recognizable sports cards of all time. Count it alongside the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan and the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card as the ones that are the most recognizable.

"To me, it's those three that stand out," Laucella said. "At the time the Griffey Jr. card came out, we didn't have the knowledge we have now, though, and we didn't think they were mass-producing it like they did.

"So because of that, the Griffey Jr. was worth more in the 1990s before we realized how many (Upper Deck) made, although the value of those cards is starting to go back up because people love Griffey Jr."

1. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps (Tie)

Value when sold: $12.6 million

Grade: SGC 9.5

Highest recorded sale: August 2022

Bottom Line: Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps

New York Yankees center fielder Mickey Mantle touches home after a home run

The most classically beautiful card of all time is the 1952 Mickey Mantle Topps. It looks like the greatest movie poster in cinema history. It's something to behold. That's why it's officially the most valuable baseball card of all time.

"To me, growing up, the Honus Wagner and this card were the two most recognizable cards," Laucella said. "This is really one of the dopest cards of all time, and its rating of a PSA 9 is really tough to get, especially when you consider how old it is."