Valuable Sports Cards That May Be Hiding In Your Closet

Discussions of valuable sports cards often take a wild turn. Talk of valuable trading cards is often focused primarily on the rarest of commodities. Among collectible Pokémon cards, for example, a 1998 "Presentation Blastoise" is among the rarest and most valuable of cards, with one of the two in existence selling for $360,000 in 2021. On another note, many of the most valuable vinyl records feature autographs of the artists themselves; one of the 32 million copies of the Beatles' 1967 "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" sold in 2013 for $290,000 because it had been autographed by all four members.

Sports cards, however, are a different animal. Baseball cards act as the starting point for these collectibles, but every major sport now features its fair share of valuable memorabilia. What makes sports cards unique is that an early career example is often one that fetches the highest prices, but only after a player has spent many years plying their trade and racking up legendary feats. A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card is the most valuable to ever exchange hands, for a whopping $12.6 million (graded by SGC at 9.5, and the most pristine example known in existence).

But while a Mickey Mantle, Honus Wagner, or Babe Ruth isn't likely to be found in your closet, these five cards that follow just might be lurking in the depths! As a bonus, this year's (2024) Shohei Ohtani Topps Heritage printings are already selling for nearly $200; in his first of 10 contracted seasons with the Dodgers, the Japanese second coming of the Babe may fetch a significant price increase in the years to come, so snagging one might be a great way to steal some serious value.

This card is a sort of outlier among recognized rookie cards, and it's somewhat unique in terms of valuable sports memorabilia as well. The card features four rookie standouts for 1963, three of which are far less interesting as sports stars in the grand scheme of things.

Pete Rose is, of course, a remarkable name in the world of professional baseball. Not only was the man a juggernaut in the field and a tremendously hard out at the plate (sporting a career OPS+ of 118, a batting average over .300, and a 44-game hit streak in 1978), but his antics off the field have turned him into a menacingly controversial figure. "Charlie Hustle" remains the all-time hit leader, among numerous other counting stats, but has been excluded from participation in the sport and its Hall of Fame honors due to his penchant for betting on baseball, including on his own team. Even so, a mint condition example of his rookie card sold in 2016 for over $700,000, and there's one on eBay with 20 bids and a price over $1,350 right this minute (mid-July 2024).

Reaching back more than six decades into sporting history might not make it very likely for today's younger sports fans to get in on this card's auction action, but collecting cards was a big deal for kids of that era, too. It's entirely possible for a 60-something collector combing through their childhood baseball card collection to stumble upon the hit king Pete Rose's disembodied face alongside three other standout rookie stars from his class of up-and-comers.

A departure from the juggernaut of baseball cards, the Serena Williams card is unique for many reasons. Sports Illustrated spun off a kids' edition of its monthly publication beginning in 1989, and included a perforated card page as well as a poster in each new rollout. The cards featured athletes beyond the most prominent sporting arenas, as well as young talent that youth readers could perhaps more closely identify with. Because of this trend toward younger and more obscure athletes, many future sensations saw their likeness produced on a card for the first time in these pages, including Serena Williams, whose 1999 SI for Kids card has sold for $117,000 at auction.

In the same way that a baby boomer's card collection might naturally include a rookie Pete Rose card, a millennial who read SI for Kids will almost certainly have had a Serena Williams rookie print. The card wasn't rarefied or hard to find, as anyone with a subscription would have had the privilege of tearing out this card that would later reach monumental value. I, for one, absolutely had this card — where it is today is anyone's guess, however! An SI for Kids reader back in the day might have serious cause for celebration if they can find an old box filled with old issues, carefully folded posters, and of course, the card sheets or cards themselves.

Tom Brady is a name understandably included on this list. As far as rookie cards go, Brady's is an example that many people might have lying around for the sheer circumstances of his draft stock. Analytical gamesmanship was a youthful, burgeoning art during Brady's 1999 draft class entrance into the league (the Oakland A's "Moneyball" season occurred in 2002, for instance), and many draftees who were taken in the early rounds ended up as busts. A similar bust-rate remains in effect today, though. Warren Ludford wrote for SB Nation's Daily Norseman in 2022 that at least 70% of NFL draftees fail to make any real impact for their team. In fact, 37% of players don't ultimately have any real shot at seeing playing time or even making their team's roster.

As is the case with many other NFL players entering the league, there's a raft of different Brady rookie card examples from Leaf, Fleer, Topps, and others. With low draft stock, it's possible for many collectors at the time to have seen plenty of Brady cards flow into their possession. Today, of course, Brady's legacy is transformed, a process in on-field heroics and card value that began when he lifted the Patriots to a 2002 Super Bowl victory over the "greatest show on turf." Brady rookie cards can be found on eBay in abundance and selling for hundreds of dollars on average, with the best-quality examples routinely eclipsing the $1,000 (or even $2,000) mark. With Brady, plenty of valuable rookies can be found with the hurler wearing Patriots practice gear, Michigan game uniforms, and more, providing great diversity for prospective sellers.

Returning to the Sports Illustrated for Kids sports card collection, there's another athlete who had dominated his sport so comprehensively that his first appearance in card format must be noted. The PGA golfer Tiger Woods first entered the card-collecting world as an SI for Kids print. Much like Serena Williams' card, Tiger Woods was a known competitor, but just getting started in a career that would ultimately place the athlete in conversations beginning with the word "greatest." Woods was a fierce opponent from the first moment he stepped onto the golf course as a professional, and even as an amateur before that. In fact, his 1996 SI for Kids card image (seen above) is captured while he's wearing a U.S. Amateur hat and posing at the tail end of a booming iron swing.

This is a sports card subscribers will have had at one time, and it's yet another card that fetches a cool payday for sellers. One SI for Kids Woods card sold in April 2021 for $41,544, per The New York Times. What's perhaps the most interesting piece of intrigue about this collectors' item is the debate raging over whether this card or a 2001 printing from Upper Deck is the true "rookie" card for Tiger Woods. ESPN noted in its reporting from 2001 that Sports Illustrated sent letters to card grading services at the time requesting they stop grading Woods' SI for Kids card, claiming "the cards were never meant to be circulated as collectibles."

Nicknamed "the Iron Man," Cal Ripken, Jr. is a special player in the halls of baseball greatness. The Oriole shortstop's most notable accomplishment is the shattering of Lou Gehrig's consecutive game streak — 2,632 games versus Gehrig's 2,130, a record thought to be unbreakable. But Ripken is also one of just eight MLB players to reach 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. Further, he was selected as an All-Star 19 times and was the shortstop for the 1999 All-Century team (while also spending time in the hot corner, a position reflected on his rookie card).

Cal Ripken, Jr. is a massive name in the baseball world, and was elected to the Hall of Fame with one of the highest first-ballot percentages ever. Coupled with the era in which he entered the league, it's entirely possible a Generation-X fan would find an example or two of his cards lying around in the house or storage unit. As for the Topps Traded card discussed in this slide, though it's branded as a rookie card, it isn't actually one of the three noted rookie prints in circulation. The card, however, was distributed as part of a box set, making it potentially easier for collectors of that time to find.

A perfect-condition card is worth around $5,000, while good examples will fetch sellers between $100 and $200. Signed Ripken cards are a different story, however. For collectors who went to one of Ripken's games (something that was made exceedingly easy by his consistency on the diamond) and got their card signed, the value skyrockets. One such card is listed on eBay for $2,500.