Baseball Card Market Report for April 4-10, 2024 - Top eBay Sales
PLUS -- What happens to the baseball cards of players who hang on too long?
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What Have You Done for Me Lately?
If you were getting tired of seeing “old” cards dominate the top of the baseball card market, well, the first full week of the season should have been right up your alley.
Check out the list of the most expensive baseball cards sold on eBay last week (see bottom of post), and you’ll see some REALLY big numbers and some really young players.
Oh, and plenty of Shohei Ohtani, betting scandal and bum elbow be darned.
I mean, sure, you’ll find Mantle and Jackie and Nolan and other members of the old guard, but those were the dominant names for most of the offseason. No more.
With games underway and players making news on the field, collectors (and investors/speculators) have shown up with their big bucks.
On the other hand, there are some players who are sort of straddling the line between the here and now and the baseball afterlife. Which begs the question…
Do Cards Tank When Players Hang on Too Long?
All during this past offseason, baseball fans from Cincinnati to Toronto (and, I suppose, other locales) watched the Joey Votto drama unfold. The former Reds All-Star and National League MVP was vocal, visual, and maybe even a little annoying in his campaign to land another shot at the majors.
At age 40, Votto is coming off two negative-WAR seasons and hasn’t played in 140 games since 2019. Granted, the weird 2020 season kept everyone out of that club, but even Votto’s last full season (2019, that is), was meh at best — .261, 15 home runs, 47 RBI.
Now, Votto did pop 36 home runs in 2021, but that’s feeling more and more like a last hurrah.
More than a week after Opening Day, Votto is now injured and eyeing a spot in the minors for the Toronto Blue Jays. Maybe he’ll make it all the way back to a major league park this season, but he feels more and more like a guy just hanging on for every scrap big league at-bat he can salvage.
We’ve seen these types of fizzled endings before. But the question for us is, does hanging on too long affect the value of a player’s baseball cards in the long run?
To find out, I looked at the rookie cards of five players who (in my estimation) hung on too long, then compared them to similar players (via Baseball Reference similarity scores or just straight positional WAR) who weren’t quite as clingy. The currency of comparison was our card value multiplier metric.
Finally, I found our MoM — Multiplier of Multipliers — which in this case is the multiplier of the non-hanger-on divided by the multiplier of the hanger-on. This gives us a relative measure of how far each guy’s cards are away from being commons.
Here’s what I found:
Steve Carlton v. Bob Gibson
Carlton “pitched” for five teams from 1983 through 1988, with generally disastrous results and terrible baseball cards deep into his 40s. Gibson put up two subpar seasons for the Cardinals, then retired at 39.
1965 Topps Steve Carlton (#477) - PSA 8
WAR: 90.2
Value: $900
Common Value: $16
Multiplier: 56
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1959 Topps Bob Gibson (#514) - PSA 8
WAR: 89.2
Value: $5100
Common Value: $35
Multiplier: 146
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Multiplier of Multipliers (MoM): 2.6
Julio Franco v. Gil McDougald
Franco played until he was 78 years old and still may not be done. McDougald retired at age 32, partly due to the effects of getting hit in the head by a batted ball, but still largely effective.
1983 Donruss Julio Franco (#525) - PSA 10
WAR: 43.6
Value: $40
Common Value: $5
Multiplier: 8
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1952 Topps Gil McDougald (#327) - PSA 6
WAR: 40.7
Value: $800
Common Value: $200
Multiplier: 4
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Multiplier of Multipliers (MoM): 0.5
Ken Griffey Jr. v. Mickey Mantle
Griffey’s production tumbled dramatically after his trade to the Reds before his age-30 season. In the 11 seasons from 2000-2010, Junior hit .262 with 232 home runs and 13.1 total WAR. Mantle was racked with injuries and retired after his age-36 season, when he still played at an All-Star level.
1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. (#1) - PSA 10
WAR: 83.8
Value: $1900
Common Value: $5
Multiplier: 380
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1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle (#253) - PSA 7
WAR: 110.2
Value: $100000
Common Value: $70
Multiplier: 1429
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Multiplier of Multipliers (MoM): 3.8
Dale Murphy v. Bernie Williams
Similar to Griffey, Murphy fell off the table in his 30s (though age 31 was good) and finished with negative-WAR campaigns in Philadelphia and Colorado. Williams was generally productive into his mid-30s, though he did post negative WARs his last two seasons. This one is more a judgment call than the others on this list.
1977 Topps Dale Murphy (#476) - PSA 8
WAR: 46.5
Value: $80
Common Value: $10
Multiplier: 8
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1990 Topps Bernie Williams (#701) - PSA 10
WAR: 49.6
Value: $50
Common Value: $5
Multiplier: 10
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Multiplier of Multipliers (MoM): 1.25
Tony Perez v. Fred McGriff
Perez spent the end of his career on the Old Home Fires Tour, first reuniting with Joe Morgan and Pete Rose on the 1983 Wheeze Kids Phillies, then spending three seasons under Rose back in Cincy. McGriff ended up at home, too, in Tampa, but hung up his spike at 40 after a not-great final run. If he had been willing or able to hang on a bit longer, he may have smacked the seven homers he needed for 500 and a smoother path to the Hall of Fame.
1965 Topps Tony Perez (#581) - PSA 8
WAR: 53.9
Value: $500
Common Value: $22
Multiplier: 22.7
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1986 Donruss Fred McGriff (#28) - PSA 9
WAR: 52.6
Value: $35
Common Value: $3
Multiplier: 11.7
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Multiplier of Multipliers (MoM): .0.52
—
Alright, what he have here is the proverbial mixed bag.
Williams, Mantle, and Gibson cards have fared better in the market than have those of Murphy, Griffey, and Carlton, at least in terms of multipliers — distance removed from being commons, basically.
But McGriff has lagged behind Perez, and McDougald trails Franco. That last one, at least, might be chalked up to the fact that McDougald is a fairly obscure name to most modern collectors. Though he was a Yankee star, he’s not a Hall of Famer and hardly ever mentioned.
So what does all this mean for Votto’s cards? Hard to say for sure, but also hard to see him helping his cardboard case by squeezing out a few more at-bats for the Blue Jays at some point this summer or (help us) next.
It’d be cool if I’m wrong and Votto storms back to collect another 865 hits, 44 (or 144) home runs, or enough .400 at-bats to get his lifetime batting average back over .300 — it stood at .302 entering 2022 but has dropped to .294.
Probably none of that will happen, though. And also probably, it won’t make much of a difference in his card prices over the long run.
Speaking of card prices, how about these puppies?
Top Baseball Card Sales on eBay for April 4-10, 2024
(Quick note — this list contains affiliate links to the original eBay listings.)
If you want to see updated 30-day market toppers anytime, we have a couple of resources over on WaxPackGods.com:
Most expensive baseball cards sold in the last 30 days
Most expensive football cards sold in the last 30 days
Most expensive basketball cards sold in the last 30 days
Now, on with the show …
2018 Topps Transcendent Shohei Ohtani Auto / 17 Psa 10 Pop 4
Selling Price: $90,100
Date Sold: 04/08/2024
See listing (affiliate link)
2018 Topps Dynasty Shohei Ohtani 1/1 Gold Majestic Patch BGS 9/10 Auto Rookie
Selling Price: $32,880
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
See listing (affiliate link)
JULIO RODRIGUEZ 2019 Bowman Chrome Rookie RC Gold Refractor Auto 26/50 PSA 10/10
Selling Price: $15,500
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
See listing (affiliate link)
Jackson Chourio 2022 Bowman Chrome 1st Orange Refractor RC 16/25 PSA 10 AUTO 10
Selling Price: $14,400
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
See listing (affiliate link)
2018 Bowman Chrome Green Refractor Shohei Ohtani RC Rookie /99 BGS 9.5 w 10 AUTO
Selling Price: $12,200
Date Sold: 04/09/2024
See listing (affiliate link)
SHOHEI OHTANI 2018 BOWMAN CHROME ROOKIE AUTOGRAPHS RC PSA 10 AUTO 10 POP 7
Selling Price: $12,025
Date Sold: 04/09/2024
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Shohei Ohtani Signed 2018 Bowman Chrome RC Rookie PSA PSA/DNA 10 AUTO
Selling Price: $11,810
Date Sold: 04/08/2024
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1952 TOPPS #312 JACKIE ROBINSON DODGERS HOF PSA 4
Selling Price: $10,901
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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1969 TOPPS #533 NOLAN RYAN METS HOF PSA 9
Selling Price: $10,200
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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2014 BOWMAN CHROME PROSPECT ORANGE REFRACTOR MOOKIE BETTS RC #/25 BGS 9 AUTO 10
Selling Price: $10,116
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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1951 Bowman #253 Mickey Mantle RC Rookie HOF Yankees PSA 2 ICONIC CARD
Selling Price: $9,600
Date Sold: 04/04/2024
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PSA 4 VG-Ex 1969 Topps #567 Pirates 1969 Rookie Stars No Black Outline Variation
Selling Price: $8,230
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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Jackson Holliday 2022 Bowman Chrome Draft Orange Refractor RC AUTO 1/25 PSA 9
Selling Price: $8,206
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
See listing (affiliate link)
2023 Bowman Chrome Red Refractor 5/5 Anthony Volpe Rookie Auto RC
Selling Price: $8,000
Date Sold: 04/05/2024
See listing (affiliate link)
2023 TOPPS DYNASTY the 1 SHOHEI OHTANI WBC GAME USED PATCH AUTO #10/10 🔥🔥🔥
Selling Price: $7,267
Date Sold: 04/05/2024
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1952 Topps #261 Willie Mays BVG 5.5
Selling Price: $7,211
Date Sold: 04/05/2024
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Aaron Judge 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Black Refractor RC AUTO 10/35 BGS 9.5/10
Selling Price: $7,152
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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2018 Bowman's Best Shohei Ohtani Angels RC Rookie BGS 10 PRISTINE w/ 10 AUTO
Selling Price: $7,099
Date Sold: 04/04/2024
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Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Xfractor RC AUTO /225 BGS 9/10 w/9.5
Selling Price: $7,096
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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1999 Ken Griffey Jr SP Authentic Auto Upper Deck Chirography GOLD 9/24 Beckett 9
Selling Price: $7,000
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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FRANCISCO LINDOR 2011 Bowman Chrome Red Refractor RC Rookie Auto 2/5 BGS 9.5/10
Selling Price: $6,900
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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Jackson Chourio 2022 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor RC 04/50 PSA 10 AUTO 10
Selling Price: $6,900
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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1951 BOMAN MICKEY MANTLE #253 RC HOF - PSA AUTHENTIC ALTERED
Selling Price: $6,701
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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1984 TOPPS TIFFANY #8 DON MATTINGLY RC YANKEES LOW POP PSA 10
Selling Price: $6,211
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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MICKEY MANTLE 1954 RED HEART DOG FOOD NEW YORK YANKEES CENTERED PSA 8 NM-MT
Selling Price: $6,189
Date Sold: 04/04/2024
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2023 Topps Dynasty WBC Silver Shohei Ohtani GAME-USED BALL PATCH AUTO 4/5 JAPAN
Selling Price: $6,105
Date Sold: 04/09/2024
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1939 Play Ball #26 Joe DiMaggio BVG 8.5 NM-MT+
Selling Price: $6,050
Date Sold: 04/04/2024
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1948 Leaf #3 Babe Ruth PSA 5
Selling Price: $6,007
Date Sold: 04/05/2024
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2023 Bowman Chrome Blue Refractor Wyatt Langford RC Rookie AUTO 75/150 PSA 10
Selling Price: $6,000
Date Sold: 04/05/2024
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2023 Topps Dynasty Gunnar Henderson Rookie Game Used MLB Debut Ball Auto 1/1!
Selling Price: $5,775
Date Sold: 04/04/2024
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SPENCER JONES 2023 Bowman Chrome Orange Refractor RC Rookie Auto 10/25 PSA 10
Selling Price: $5,750
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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1960 Topps Set-Break #350 Mickey Mantle NM-MT OR BETTER *GMCARDS*
Selling Price: $5,513
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
See listing (affiliate link)
1956 Topps #135 Mickey Mantle Gray Back PSA 7 MVP Year
Selling Price: $5,205
Date Sold: 04/04/2024
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JACKSON HOLLIDAY 2022 Bowman Chrome Blue Refractor RC Rookie Auto 111/150 PSA 10
Selling Price: $5,199
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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2018 Bowman Chrome Shohei Ohtani Auto RC #SO PSA 9 MINT
Selling Price: $5,189
Date Sold: 04/06/2024
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1989 BOWMAN TIFFANY #220 KEN GRIFFEY JR. RC HOF PSA 9 DNA AUTO 10
Selling Price: $5,150
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
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2023 Topps Baseball Transcendent Shohei Ohtani 1959 Topps SuperFractor Auto 1/1
Selling Price: $5,122
Date Sold: 04/04/2024
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Spencer Strider 2020 Bowman Chrome Draft Red Refractor RC AUTO 4/5 SGC 10
Selling Price: $5,100
Date Sold: 04/07/2024
See listing (affiliate link)