Dave LaRoche (who?) card sets record
Unless you've been away from the Hobby for decades, you already know baseball cards are big business. In the last few years alone, cards of Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner sold for more than seven million dollars each! Not to be outdone, a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card sold for more than 12 million dollars in August 2022! What's more, these life-changing prices aren't just for the old stuff. Perhaps you've heard about the incredible bounty the Pittsburgh Pirates (and Livvy Dunne!) have offered for the 2024 Topps Paul Skenes Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card!
While it's the million dollar sales, bounties, and treasure hunts that capture headlines, the truth is that high-dollar cards are bought and sold routinely. Recent eBay sales topping $5000 include a near-mint Sandy Koufax rookie card, a gorgeous 1933 Goudey Lou Gehrig, a low-grade 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth, and a 1979 Topps Dave LaRoche.
What, what?! Dave LaRoche?? As in the journeyman pitcher who won 65 games over 14 years? Wasn't he the very definition of what the price guides called a "common player?" Yep, that Dave LaRoche, but here's the thing. This isn't just any old 1979 Dave LaRoche. It's the GOAT of all 1979 Topps Dave LaRoche cards, the only one to ever receive a grade of PSA 10 (i.e., gem mint).
Hmm, got it. But wait, I have a question. Isn't it still just Dave LaRoche? Absolutely, but imagine that you were on a quest to build the highest grade 1979 Topps baseball card set of all time. Now it makes sense, right? Then you wouldn't just want this Dave LaRoche. You'd absolutely need this Dave LaRoche. Sure, you could settle for the same card in PSA 9 ("mint") for only $37, but what would be the point of that? If condition is that meaningless to you, just go ahead and grab the PSA 8 ("near mint to mint") for $1.25.
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Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a huge believer in the Hobby mantra, "Collect what you want." I have no doubt most collectors scrolling through my own recent purchases would shrug their shoulders and wonder what I'm doing hoarding 2018 Jogo Canadian Football League cards of Woody Strode and buying Springfield College game programs. In other words, who am I to judge?
Still, there are three things I just can't get past. The first is that someone out there had $5000 to spend on a card and said, "Yes, definitely. Let's go with this Dave LaRoche over a Babe Ruth, a Jackie Robinson rookie card, or a playing era Satchel Paige." The second is that this was just one card from the set. Granted, most PSA 10 cards from the set are priced much lower, but still. Imagine one lucked out and found 700 of the set's 726 cards for "only" $200 each. That's still $140,000 and doesn't even include the Ozzie Smith rookie!
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Really, though, it's the third thing I struggle with the most. At the end of the day, these grades are, in the words of the Dude, "just, like, your opinion, man." Okay, in fairness, they aren't technically your opinion. Rather, they are the opinion of trained experts who specialize in this very sort of thing. At the same time, these grades are inherently subjective. Show a "10" to enough graders, and one will come up with a reason it should have been a "9." And conversely, submit a stack of "9s" over and over, and don't be surprised to see a "10" come back eventually.
One thing is certain. The Hobby today is definitely very different from the one I grew up with. In the old days, condition mattered, just not like this. I can't imagine there was a person in the universe who would have opted for a Dave LaRoche card, no matter how pristine, over just about any playing era card of Babe Ruth, no matter how rounded its corners. Still, each to their own, whether their thing is chasing the perfect Dave LaRoche card or donning water skis and jumping over a shark. No doubt the last thing they need is the opinion of a goofball like me who can't even see the difference!
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.