Baseball Card Market Report for December 7-13, 2023 - Top eBay Sales post

PLUS -- Checking in on 1986 Donruss baseball cards

Dec 15, 2023

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He Made the Mold

Despite all the buzz around his record-setting contract, Shohei Ohtani was not the main attraction at the top of the eBay card market last week.

The Dodgers’ new do-everything man appears just one time on the full list of the most expensive baseball cards sold on the auction site last week (see bottom of post), same as now-former teammate Mike Trout.

But that doesn’t mean the market wasn’t in the mood for a two-way star. Just ask Babe Ruth.

The original Ohtani prototype appears seven times, including the very top spot, courtesy of a 1933 Goudey.

Other names you’ll find multiple times include the likes of Mays, Aaron, DiMaggio, and Mantle.

Not a bad lineup, huh? Especially if you’re into older material.

And speaking of older material with strong lineups, how about we do some ….

Checking in on 1986 Donruss

Back in the mid-1980s, Donruss rose from the ashes of their disastrous 1981 debut set to unleash a run of innovative and very era-appropriate sets.

From 1984 through 1987, big D was spot-on with their rookie card selection, and their designs were fresh and exciting — collectors loved them!

This week on YouTube, we traveled back to those loud and colorful days to take a look at the most expensive recent sales for 1986 Donruss baseball cards, which just might have featured THE MOST “1980s” design of any set.

Here’s what we found:

And, naturally, I couldn’t let the 1980s party end there. So I decided to take a look at how the most expensive, most frequently sold cards from the 1986 Donruss set performed across the pandemic years.

Here’s what I dug up, aided as usual by the PSA Auction Prices Realized tool…

1986 Donruss Jose Canseco (#39) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $175
2023 Value: $400
Profit/loss: $225
% change: 129

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1986 Donruss Fred McGriff (#28) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $135
2023 Value: $400
Profit/loss: $265
% change: 196

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1986 Donruss Paul O'Neill (#37) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $35
2023 Value: $100
Profit/loss: $65
% change: 186

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1986 Donruss Nolan Ryan (#258) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $30
2023 Value: $85
Profit/loss: $55
% change: 183

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1986 Donruss Kirby Puckett (#72) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $20
2023 Value: $75
Profit/loss: $55
% change: 275

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1986 Donruss Andres Galarraga (#33) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $15
2023 Value: $45
Profit/loss: $30
% change: 200

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1986 Donruss Rickey Henderson (#51) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $17
2023 Value: $50
Profit/loss: $33
% change: 194

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1986 Donruss Cal Ripken, Jr. (#210) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $22
2023 Value: $53
Profit/loss: $31
% change: 141

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1986 Donruss Roger Clemens (#172) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $15
2023 Value: $45
Profit/loss: $30
% change: 200

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1986 Donruss Don Mattingly (#173) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $25
2023 Value: $55
Profit/loss: $30
% change: 120

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1986 Donruss Cecil Fielder (#512) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $25
2023 Value: $50
Profit/loss: $25
% change: 100

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1986 Donruss Pete Rose (#62) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $20
2023 Value: $33
Profit/loss: $13
% change: 65

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—

Overall, these cards increased an average of about 160% from before the pandemic to today.

If there are any surprises here, they might be that:

Kirby Puckett led the pack in increases.
Roger Clemens and Andres Galarraga both tripled in price (a 200% increase each).
Jose Canseco outpaced Don Mattingly.
Cal Ripken, Jr., couldn’t keep pace with the average.

Of course, there are the usual caveats for small sample size and some swags when it comes to finding “averages” in cases where there were scant few cards sold in a given period.

Still, this Intellivision-looking set held its own with the booming market. It’s always good for an old guy like me to see an old set like this one NOT get left in the dust.

Now for some cards that burn through any dust that comes within a galaxy of them…

Top Baseball Card Sales on eBay for December 7-13, 2023

(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 …

Baseball Card Values Newsletter

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