Baseball Card Market Report for July 4-10, 2024 - Top eBay Sales

PLUS -- Checking in on Dave Parker Baseball Cards

Jul 12, 2024

Note: When you click on links to various merchants in this newsletter and make a purchase, this can result in this newsletter earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

1952 Topps in Da ‘House’!

When was the last time you saw a Frank House baseball card on any list of “most valuable” baseball cards? Or “most anything” baseball cards, for that matter?

Well, take a look at the #4 card on our list of the most expensive baseball cards sold on eBay last week (bottom of post) and take note of the date and time. That’ll be your answer to our opening question for a good while to come.

It’s not like that 1952 Topps House card was in immaculate condition, either, checking with a PSA 2.5 grade. As with many old things, this is just not one you see too often, not graded and still intact. In fact, the PSA Population report shows that they have handled a total of 25 of these House “gray back” cards.

That’s like pulling hen’s teeth out of a wax pack, though you could rightly make the argument that PSA Population is a sliding scale. As soon as someone submits the next 1952 Topps Frank House cards, the rest of the already-graded cards become 1/25th less scarce.

Anyway, still a fun card to have pop up out of nowhere.

And speaking of fun and baseball cards and pop (but not Pops, at least not directly), it’s time to go…

Checking in on Dave Parker Baseball Cards

Last week, we took a look at what early Dale Murphy baseball cards have been up to in the market lately. Murphy is one of several superstars from the 1970s and 1980s who once looked like locks for the Hall of Fame, but who fell short in some way or another and remain on the outside today.

Another one of those guys is Dave Parker, who, like Murphy, was a National League MVP winner (though Murphy won two of the awards) and multi-time All-Star. Through the early 1980s, and again a few years later, he looked like he was headed toward Cooperstown...but he hasn’t made it.

And, like Murphy, Parker has a lot of supporters among fans and collectors when it comes to Hall of Fame consideration. So I thought we’d give Cobra cards the same T “Pre/Post-Pandemic” treatment here today.

Below are the first ten Parker base cards, which takes us from his multiplayer 1974 Topps rookie card through his three 1981 cards, including his first Donruss and Fleer issues.

For each card, I found selling prices for copies in the most common graded condition (via the PSA Population Report and Auction Prices Realized tools) from both late 2019 and from this spring (2024).

Here is what I found:

1974 Topps Dave Parker (#252) - PSA 8

2019 Value: $50
2024 Value: $90
Profit/loss: $40
% change: 80

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1975 Topps Dave Parker (#29) - PSA 8

2019 Value: $10
2024 Value: $40
Profit/loss: $30
% change: 300

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1976 Topps Dave Parker (#185) - PSA 8

2019 Value: $15
2024 Value: $25
Profit/loss: $10
% change: 67

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1977 Topps Dave Parker (#270) - PSA 8

2019 Value: $15
2024 Value: $15
Profit/loss: $0
% change: 0

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1978 Topps Dave Parker (#560) - PSA 8

2019 Value: $25
2024 Value: $45
Profit/loss: $20
% change: 80

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1979 Topps Dave Parker (#430) - PSA 9

2019 Value: $20
2024 Value: $50
Profit/loss: $30
% change: 150

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1980 Topps Dave Parker (#310) - PSA 9

2019 Value: $20
2024 Value: $65
Profit/loss: $45
% change: 225

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1981 Topps Dave Parker (#640) - PSA 9

2019 Value: $15
2024 Value: $40
Profit/loss: $25
% change: 167

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1981 Fleer Dave Parker (#360) - PSA 9

2019 Value: $15
2024 Value: $40
Profit/loss: $25
% change: 167

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1981 Donruss` Dave Parker (#136) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $20
2024 Value: $40
Profit/loss: $20
% change: 100

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)
—

Overall, those ten cards showed an increase of nearly 120% over the last five years or so, more than doubling in value. That trumps the 75% increase we saw with Murphy.

Unfortunately, Parker is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, and his various public appearances with the Pirates in recent years have reminded us all that time is fleeting.

Hard to see demand for Cobra’s cards sliding backwards in the near term, at least.

Now, here are some cards which may or may not be approaching their own peaks, but which undoubtedly sit near the summit of recent auction sales…

Top Baseball Card Sales on eBay for July 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 …

Baseball Card Values Newsletter

Discussion about this post