top 10 baseball cards of all time

Baseball cards have been captivating collectors for more than a century. From tobacco cards to modern day superfractors, countless iconic cards have defined the hobby and become symbols of baseball history.

These are 10 greatest baseball cards of all time.

10. don mattingly 1984 topps

This card turned a lot of kids into hardcore collectors. While I was first obsessed with his 85 Topps card, this one became the white whale of those 80’s cards. The 80’s gets a lot of heat for the over production junk wax era it was, but it produced some iconic classic cards and this was one of the best of that era.

My PC - Absolutely. Several and could always use more.

9. Pete rose 1964 topps

Do I love a rookie cup? You know I do. Pete Rose has some iconic cards, which makes sense since he played for a million years. This card stands out. It’s his first solo card and comes with the large rookie cup in the bottom corner. Such a classic, timeless card that stands out in any collection.

8. Shohei ohtani 2018 Topps Chrome

Hard to know where to include the modern cards. These dudes are still playing so can feel a bit early to drop them on a list like this. Kind of like getting a movie about something that’s still happening.

That said, Shohei is a different type of player and his cards are a huge part of modern collecting. This card isn’t his most valuable, not by a long shot. But it’s a classic card and in my opinion, THE Shohei card. While a PSA 10 will obviously set you back, this is a great rookie card of possibly the greatest player of all time that is achievable.

My PC - I’ve got a PSA 10… Just not in Chrome. Someday.

7. jackie robinson 1956 topps

This card feels like a piece of art. A piece of history. Because it is.

It’s not a rookie card, and not the most famous set, but this card is perfect. There’s so much going on with the design, yet it still feels simple. I’ve never been a fan of the fake auto on card, but I’ll let it slide with designs from the 50’s.

6. willie mays topps 1952

His first Topps card and as a Giants fan, it’s a great card to just take in.

Just like the Robinson card above, this just feels like owning a piece of baseball history.

My PC - Starting to add more Vintage Mays cards and this will hopefully be there one day.

5. babe ruth goudey 1933

We are getting back there. 1933 was almost 100 years ago, and looking at the style of the card you’d believe it.

It’s old. Feels like a sketch.

But it’s vibrant! It stands out. The most iconic player of all time and this is an iconic card.

4. ken griffey jr. upper deck 1989

This card could easily be the top card of all time. It’s the cornerstone of 80’s card collecting. If you grew up in the 80’s or early 90’s you had this card and it was the treasure, your precious. The 89 Upper Deck set came on like a hurricane and this card was the driving force. I’m not a huge fan of the Upper Deck designs, but there is something magical about this card. It feels perfect for The Kid.

MY PC: Absolutely. Not enough. Want more.

3. honus wagner T206

The card of all cards. It’s a legend in baseball card form. It was hard to understand early in my collecting career how Honus Wagner, a player I knew nothing about, had the most valuable card out there. But the legend and the folklore behind the card helped me understand as I grew into collecting. We’ve heard the story that this card had a limited print run, 60 or so in existence, and it was because Honus was against his card being sold in packs of smokes. Now, I’m not sure if that’s true, but it’s a hell of a story and great stories make for great cards.

2. mickey mantle topps 1952

Like the card above, this could have easily been number one and maybe should be. It’s not a rookie card, but it’s the most valuable Mantle and it’s about as iconic as a card can get. We really see the simplicity of a great card in the Griffey, Wagner and the Mantle here. It’s hard to explain why this card is so great, but it just is. It feels larger than life and the value will continue to go up as the hobby continues to grow.

RIckey henderson topps 1980

It’s hard to explain to this younger generation just how cool Rickey was, but the man was as cool as it gets. And his cards just amplified that Rickey swagger. There are so many iconic Rickey cards that it really could be it’s own blogpost. And of all the Rickey cards, this one is the holy grail.

It’s his rookie card and I still get butterflies whenever I see one. It’s just a perfect card. This card is obtainable for us hard core collectors with a manageable price for the raw card, while also demanding crazy 6 figure numbers for a PSA 10. So it hits both ends of the spectrum. The 80’s ushered in a lot of the obsessions we have with collecting today and this card started it off right.