Baseball Card Market Report for March 9-15, 2023 - Top eBay Sales

PLUS -- Anticipation in the Investment Corner

Mar 17, 2023

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.

No Rhyme, Good Reason

If there’s a theme unifying the entries on our list of the top baseball card sales on eBay last week (bottom of post) it’s that … well, it’s that there really isn’t a solid theme.

No discernible common thread running from top to bottom.

I mean, at the very top, we have a pretty sweet Willie Mays rookie card, and at the bottom, we have a 1977 Topps wax box.

In between are goodies like vintage tobacco and gum cards, rare regional issues, plenty of hobby standards (Ryan rookie, anyone? Mantle rookie? Aaron rookie?), and even a Big Hurt NNOF.

And, of course, enough current and (especially) young current guys to remind you that it’s Spring Training.

This is the time of year when everything seems possible, at least from a baseball perspective, so it’s not too surprising we see a bit of everything at the top of the market, too.

It’s all part of the anticipatory dance of spring.

Which reminds me, it’s time for a little …

Anticipation in the Investment Corner

Opening Day is less than two weeks away now, and there’s plenty to look forward to in the upcoming baseball season.

Aside from pennant races and back-page turmoil and all the other drama of baseball’s long, long soap opera, ther are individual stories.

Stories that will make or break legacies, for example.

Among veteran players, those stories include the quest for some pretty impressive milestones.

So, this month’s Investment Corner will focus on picking up some cardboard of the guys involved in those chases before things heat up.

As a refresher, here are the rules:

I get to fake spend about $1000 on cards matching our theme — all-timer third basemen in this case.
I have to “buy” cards that have actually sold on eBay recently.
I have to revisit these picks in a year to see how they’ve performed.
We all have to realize that this is all cardboard we’re talking about, so investing any real money in said baubles is dicey at best and likely to leave you with significantly less money if it all turns out to be a *ahem* house of cards. This is all for fun, in other words, and no money will or even should change hands.

With all that said, here are some of the marks — and cards — I’ll be watching this summer.

2007 Bowman Draft Picks Freddie Freeman (#BDPP12) - PSA 10 - $92

With 1903 hits and 292 home runs, arithmetic tells us that Freeman needs 97 safeties and 8 dingers to reach 2000/300. With the exception of his 73 hits in 2020, he’s reached both of those marks with ease every year starting in 2011.

Little reason to think he won’t do it again at age 33 and shine a bit more light on his Bowman rookie card.

See listing (affiliate link)

2008 Topps Joey Votto (#319) - PSA 10 - $64

Votto needs eight home runs to reach 350 for his career. That’s not all that many for a Hall-of-Fame-hopeful first baseman, but it’s still a solid sum.

The Reds legend hasn’t hit that few homers since 2014, and the only other time he dipped below double digits was his debut season in 2007. But he’s also 39, coming off an ugly summer and season-ending shoulder surgery.

Three-fifty might not be the cinch it appears, but Votto’s RC is a blue-chipper.

See listing (affiliate link)

2011 Topps Update Jose Altuve (#US132) - PSA 10 - $76

Altuve needs 65 hits to reach 2000 and sits 21 stolen bases away from 300 for his career.

Entering his age 33 season, the Astros’ second baseman is no longer a Spring (Training) chicken, but 2020 was the only season after his truncated rookie campaign in 2011 when he fell short of 65 safeties.

And, while he hasn’t topped 20 stolen bases since his 32 in 2017, he did climb back up to 18 last year. The incentive to reach 2000/300 in the same season, along with this year’s rules changes, might push him over the top AND give his RCs a bump.

See listing (affiliate link)

Justin Verlander - 2005 Bowman Chrome Blue Refractor /150 (#129) - PSA 9 - $271.76

Coming off his third Cy Young award and sitting at 244 wins, Verlander is already a Hall of Fame lock.

Aside from taking a shot at 250 Ws, Verlander needs 174 strikeouts to pass Greg Maddux for 10th place on the all-time list.

Whatever Verlander does this summer, his RCs will probably be just fine.

See listing (affiliate link)

2008 Topps Update & Highlights Clayton Kershaw (#UH240) - PSA 9- $122.50

Kershaw is sort of like a modern-day Koufax— he’s been among the best pitchers in the game for a long time, but he’s also had trouble staying on the mound.

This year, at age 35, the Dodgers legend needs three wins to finally top 200 for his career.

You can bet his cards will get some attention as he moves over the double-century mark.

See listing (affiliate link)

2000 Topps Chrome Traded Adam Wainwright (#T88) - PSA 10 - $118.50

Sorta the same story for Wainwright, but maybe even more extreme.

At age 41, the Cardinals’ big righty needs five victories to top 200 for his career. Based on last year’s resurgence, that looks like a good bet, but you can never tell what will fall off a guy when he gets this old.

Or when.

See listing (affiliate link)

2003 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks Zack Greinke (#6) - PSA 9 - $203.50

Greinke already has 200+ wins but is way too far from 300 to even consider it a possibility at this point — he has 223 Ws and will turn 40 in October.

But what he could do during his latest Kansas City homecoming is pass the 3000K barrier. Greinke needs 118 strikeouts to hit the mark, and it will be fun to watch him try.

His RCs might benefit from the chase, too.

See listing (affiliate link)

2008 Topps Allen & Ginter Max Scherzer (#297) - PSA 10 - $55

Like Verlander, Scherzer is pretty much already a Cooperstown lock.

And, like his once and now-again teammate, Scherzer has a chance to move into the top 10 on the all-time K list this summer. To wit, 179 strikeouts will get him past Maddux … but then there’s the Verlander problem.

Scherzer enters the season five Ks behind his Mets rotation mate, and it just might be a dogfight to see who ends up on top come October.

The hobby — and cards of both players — should enjoy the ride.

See listing (affiliate link)
—

So, that’s a total fake spend of $1003.26, blowing our budget by a couple of McDonald’s coffees.

The overpend will be well worth it, though, if we’re able to pay it back and then some when we “sell” next March.

And as for last March?

Well …

Flipping Heroes

So, last March, on the heels of a nasty lockout that threatened to kill the season — but didn’t! — we fake-spent our $1000 (or so) on the heroes of previous work stoppages.

These were the players and the cards who helped us dust off and get back to the game, and to collecting, in 1981 and 1995.

Here’s what we bought, and how much we “sold” for:

1982 Donruss Cal Ripken Jr. Rookie Card (#405) - PSA 9

Bought (3/22): $81.00
Sold (3/23): $85.00
Profit/Loss: $4.00 (5%)

1981 Topps Traded Fernando Valenzuela (#850) - PSA 9

Bought (3/22): $228.51
Sold (10/2022): $230.00
Profit/Loss: $1.49 (1%)

1987 Donruss Mark McGwire Rated Rookie (#46) - PSA 10

Bought (3/22): $67.00
Sold (3/23): $90.00
Profit/Loss: $23.00 (34%)

1990 Leaf Sammy Sosa (#220) - PSA 10

Bought (3/22): $74.78
Sold (3/23): $55.00
Profit/Loss: -$19.78 (-26%)

1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. (#1) - PSA 9

Bought (3/22): $203.50
Sold (3/23): $210.00
Profit/Loss: $6.50 (3%)

1981 Donruss Wax Box

Bought (3/22): $160.00
Sold (3/23): $160.00
Profit/Loss: $0.00 (0%)

1982 Fleer Wax Box

Bought (3/22): $243.50
Sold (3/23): $200.00
Profit/Loss: -$43.50 (-18%)

—

(The price we’d have to pay now - “sold” — is culled from the PSA Auction Prices Realized tool, generally taking the most recent sale of the given card in the given condition as our barometer and leaning on recent eBay sales in some cases.)

All in all, we “spent” $1058.29 on these cards last March and “sold” them for $1030 this month. That’s a loss of $28.29 loss, or about 2.7%.

Big Mac saved the day here, wiping out a double-digit loss off the bat of Sammy Sosa. Sorta like 1998, huh? You know, when Sosa couldn’t quite break out of McGwire’s shadow?

Otherwise, this was all pretty much a wash, except for that nosedive from the 1982 Fleer wax box. Considering that Iron Cal held his own at the top of the list, maybe that old unopened product still has a bit of bargain room left in it.

One place you probably won’t find many bargains?

Yeah, it’s in our list of the …

Top Baseball Card Sales on eBay for March 9-15, 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

Discussion about this post