Baseball Card Market Report for January 25-31, 2024 - Top eBay Sales

PLUS -- Gary Sheffield and the perils of Hall of Fame spending

Feb 02, 2024

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Waiting for Spring

As has been the case for most of January, last week’s list of the top-selling baseball cards on eBay (see bottom of post) reflects collectors’ ongoing fascination with the game’s past.

With no action on the diamond and with little movement on the free agent and trade fronts, the hobby has been pumping its money into old stuff — Honus Wagner, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth.

Heck there’s even a 1976 Topps Mike Schmidt and a 1962 Jell-O “common” that each brought four figures.

Interestingly, not even the Hall of Fame announcement on January 23 registers on our list — no Adrian Beltre, no Joe Mauer, no Todd Helton.

No Gary Sheffield, for that matter. Which reminds me, maybe we should take a look at the…

Bumpy Ride for Gary Sheffield Cards

Gary Sheffield has spent the pandemic years — along with those just before and just after — twisting in the fickle winds of Hall of Fame voting.

Along the way, his rookie cards have maintained strong demand in the market and ridden along with the general hobby boom that hit along with quarantine in 2020.

To wit, here are the approximate selling prices of Sheffield’s main RCs, both pre- and post-pandemic, based on sales reported through the PSA Auction Prices Realized tool:

1989 Bowman Gary Sheffield (#142) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $50
2024 Value: $150
Profit/loss: $100
% change: 200

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1989 Donruss Gary Sheffield (#31) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $15
2024 Value: $88
Profit/loss: $73
% change: 487

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1989 Fleer Gary Sheffield (#196) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $30
2024 Value: $75
Profit/loss: $45
% change: 150

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1989 Donruss Gary Sheffield (#625) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $20
2024 Value: $30
Profit/loss: $10
% change: 50

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1989 Topps Gary Sheffield (#343) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $15
2024 Value: $30
Profit/loss: $15
% change: 100

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1989 Upper Deck Gary Sheffield (#13) - PSA 10

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

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Overall, this grouping of Sheffield rookie cards increased in value by about 190%, making them about three times as expensive in January of 2024 as they were late in 2019.

Ah, but if we look at, say, Sheffield’s Bowman rookie card, we see that it actually spiked in the last month or so. That coincided with the end of Sheff’s 10-year run on the Cooperstown ballot that looked like it had a chance to pay off but ultimately fell short.

In particular, the latest sale for a PSA 10 shows up on the PSA site at about $87 in early January. That’s way above any of the sales leading up to the election announcement.

So, with Sheffield now off the ballot and left to fight for Veterans Committee scraps with the likes of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Curt Schilling, not to mention older candidates like Lou Whitaker and Don Mattingly.

Can Sheffield’s cards possibly hold onto that late-surge peak given that his path to the Hall looks pretty foggy? Seems unlikely, at least until he actually gets elected (if ever).

But I suppose stranger things have happened. Like some of the prices paid for the …

Top Baseball Card Sales on eBay for December January 25-31, 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 …

Baseball Card Values Newsletter

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