Baseball Card Market Report for October 31-November 6, 2024 - Top eBay Sales

PLUS -- Checking in on Fernando Valenzuela Baseball Cards

Nov 08, 2024

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“Blue” Chippers Abound

In case the winter has already washed your baseball memory clean since then, the Dodgers finished off their World Series win over the Yankees on October 30. That just so happened to also be the last day of the weekly window that reported on here, for eBay sales.

So, what’s happened at the big-spender end of the hobby since then?

Well, take a look at the list of the most expensive baseball cards sold on eBay in the last week, and you might feel a little blue. Or Blue. As in Dodger Blue.

The list is dominated by (surprise!) Shohei Ohtani, as usual. But Jackie Robinson also makes a strong showing, and we even get a somewhat unusual Mookie Betts appearance.

It seems, then, that the Dodgers remain on collectors’ minds for now.

There are plenty of other pretty non-Dodger cool cards to drool over on that list below, though, so be sure to check it out.

But, as long as we’re in an L.A. state of mind, let’s go…

Checking in on Fernando Valenzuela Baseball Cards

In a cruel twist of baseball fate, Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela passed away on the eve of the 2024 World Series…which his former franchise would win in convincing fashion over the “mighty” New York Yankees.

It’s largely forgotten now, but Fernando was one of the early drivers of the 1980s hobby boom, with his 1981 rookie cards riding the wave of Fernandomania for years. That “mania” has long since subsided, of course, but Fernando remains a favorite for many collectors, especially old-school types.

Speaking of which…

Late last month, we ran down the most expensive Fernando cards recently sold on eBay over on our YouTube channel:

So now, with the Dodgers win and Fernando’s passing still fresh in our minds, it seems like a good time to give the inimitable lefty the old before-and-after treatment.

What follows, then, is a rundown of ten of the most valuable early-career Fernando cards, ranging from 1981 through 1986. For each card, I found selling prices for copies in PSA 9 or PSA 10 condition (via the PSA Auction Prices Realized tools) from both late 2019 and from this summer/fall (2024).

Here is what I found:

(Note: The following section contains affiliate links to eBay listings for the cards noted.)

1981 Topps Fernando Valenzuela (#302) - PSA 9

2019 Value: $70
2024 Value: $175
Profit/loss: $105
% change: 150

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

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

2019 Value: $40
2024 Value: $170
Profit/loss: $130
% change: 325

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1981 Fleer Fernando Valenzuela (#140) - PSA 9

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

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1982 Topps Fernando Valenzuela (#510) - PSA 9

2019 Value: $20
2024 Value: $38
Profit/loss: $18
% change: 90

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1982 Fleer Fernando Valenzuela (#27) - PSA 9

2019 Value: $5
2024 Value: $10
Profit/loss: $5
% change: 100

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1982 Donruss Fernando Valenzuela (#462) - PSA 9

2019 Value: $5
2024 Value: $15
Profit/loss: $10
% change: 200

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1983 Topps Fernando Valenzuela (#40) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $24
2024 Value: $80
Profit/loss: $56
% change: 233

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1984 Donruss Fernando Valenzuela (#52) - PSA 10

2019 Value: $15
2024 Value: $90
Profit/loss: $75
% change: 500

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1985 Topps Fernando Valenzuela (#440) - PSA 10

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

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1986 Topps Fernando Valenzuela (#630) - PSA 9

2019 Value: $4
2024 Value: $11
Profit/loss: $7
% change: 175

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)
—

Overall these cards showed a 211% increase in selling price over the last five years, which means they’re hammering down for around three times as much now as they were in late 2019.

That actually puts Fernando ahead of most of the other players we’ve looked at recently in terms of five-year percentage gains. For example, Dave Parker, Dale Murphy, Dave Winfield, Pete Rose, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Ken Griffey, Jr., all checked in with lower returns.

All of which goes to show that Fernando still carries plenty of clout in the hobby. He may not be a Hall of Famer, but he remains a blue-chipper in terms of hobby interest and relative card values.

Now, here are some cards of other blue-chippers, along with some blue-chip hopefuls…

Top Baseball Card Sales on eBay for October 31-November 6, 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
Most expensive hockey cards sold in the last 30 days

Now, on with the show …

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