Baseball Card Market Report for June 27-July 3, 2024 - Top eBay Sales

PLUS -- Checking in on Dale Murphy Baseball Cards

Jul 05, 2024

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Only One King

If there’s one card that represents the entire hobby from top to bottom, across eras, and likely across (at least) the solar system, it’s gotta be the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle “rookie” card, right?

No, it’s not technically the Mick’s RC at all (hello, 1951 Bowman), but the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle has inspired more cardboard dreams than an ocean full of leaping sheep cut-outs.

So when a PSA 6 copy of the ‘52 Mantle comes up for sale, you can expect fireworks, regardless of the venue. And, as you can see from the very top entry in the list of most expensive baseball cards sold on eBay last week (see bottom of post), that Mantle classic did indeed light up the auction sky just seven days before the Fourth of July.

I won’t spoil your fun of discovery other than to say, “wow!”.

And now, for another guy who brought plenty of oh-wow moments to the diamond during his peak…

Checking in on Dale Murphy Baseball Cards

This week on YouTube, we took a look at recent sales of Dale Murphy cards. Here’s the link to that video: https://youtu.be/kUUmq6X_gpM

Murphy is one of those superstar players from the 1970s and/or 1980s who seemed destined for the Hall of Fame during their peaks but who remain on the outside looking in all these years later.

Other names in this bucket include Steve Garvey, Fernando Valenzuela, Keith Hernandez, and Dave Parker, to name just a few.

Among all of them, though, Murphy seems to hold a special place in the hearts of fans and collectors. The two-time National League MVP is widely respected for his character and his prowess on the field, and his early cards usually appear on “most valuable” lists for whichever sets they’re part of.

Today, what’s say we give Murphy the old “Pre/Post-Pandemic” treatment?

I vote “yay,” so below are the first seven Murphy base cards, which takes us from his multiplayer 1977 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:

1977 Topps Dale Murphy (#476) - PSA 8

2019 Value: $45
2024 Value: $75
Profit/loss: $30
% change: 67

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1978 Topps Dale Murphy (#708) - PSA 8

2019 Value: $25
2024 Value: $40
Profit/loss: $15
% change: 60

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1979 Topps Dale Murphy (#39) - PSA 8

2019 Value: $30
2024 Value: $45
Profit/loss: $15
% change: 50

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1980 Topps Dale Murphy (#274) - PSA 9

2019 Value: $15
2024 Value: $45
Profit/loss: $30
% change: 200

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1981 Topps Dale Murphy (#504) - PSA 9

2019 Value: $23
2024 Value: $45
Profit/loss: $22
% change: 96

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1981 Donruss Dale Murphy (#437) - PSA 9

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

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1981 Fleer Dale Murphy (#243) - PSA 9

2019 Value: $10
2024 Value: $15
Profit/loss: $5
% change: 50

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

—

Overall, these cards showed more than a 75% increase in selling prices in these grades from late in 2019 to the late spring of 2024. What’s more, every single one of them moved up in value, something we haven’t seen with our recent tour through the top cards for several Junk Wax era sets: 1985 Topps, 1989 Donruss, 1990 Bowman, 1990 Leaf.

It seems Murphy is about as blue-chip as non-Hall-of-Fame players come as far as the hobby is concerned. There’s no sure bet when it comes to long-term values for hunks of cardboard, but Murphy’s at least have a history of steady performance, and they weathered the pandemic in good shape.

Of course, if Murphy cards are in “good shape,” then the ones below might rightly be classified as Mr. Olympia contenders…

Top Baseball Card Sales on eBay for June 27-July 3, 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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