7 Vintage Baseball Cards Under $1,000 To Start A Collection
As more and more collectors get frustrated with the increasing print runs and costs and decreasing returns of ultra-modern cards, it's a good time to start collecting vintage cards.
Normally I would define vintage baseball as 1980 and earlier, which would include Rickey Henderson's 1980 Topps rookie card; however, I included that card in my list of best 1980s baseball rookie cards, so I'll leave that one out here.
Over on my YouTube channel, I'm going through a list of 100 cards of the most iconic male athletes and cards. The concept is simple: the athletes or cards needed to transcend their sports, they needed to be considered GOATs of some kind, I selected only one card per athlete, the athlete needs to have been a pro for at least 10 years, and the card needs to be able to be obtained for under $5,000.
That last criterion was a tough one. I've never spent more than $1,100 for a card, so how will I get to $5,000? A number of commenters have expressed similar thoughts.
For those people, and for new collectors, here are the seven vintage baseball cards that can be purchased for under $1,000 that I would start a collection with today. One catch: I am selecting no more than one card from any set. In no particular order:
1953 Topps Satchel Paige
Leroy "Satchel" Paige started his career in 1927 in the Negro Leagues, where he became legendarily dominant. In James Kelley's book "Baseball," he reported that Paige would sometimes instruct the infielders behind him to sit on the ground, and then he would strike out the side.
He didn't make it to Major League Baseball until he was in his 40s, in 1948 when he won a World Series for Cleveland. He was the 7th black player to play in the league, and 1st black pitcher in the American League. He holds the record for oldest player ever, when he appeared in a game at the age of 59.
Paige's rookie card is the 1948-49 Leaf card, but that's not particularly affordable. His 1953 Topps is not only affordable, it's iconic. It can be found in an SGC 1 or PSA 1 slab for around $600.
T206 Dark Cap Christy Mathewson
The T206 set, also known as The Monster, is perhaps the most iconic and collectible sets in history. Christy Mathewson is one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. He led the league in wins 4x, ERA and strikeouts 5x each, won the Triple Crown twice, and pitched three shutouts to lead his New York Giants to the 1905 World Series win.
Mathewson has multiple T206 cards, but I am partial to his Dark Cap pitching variation. The one with a Polar Bear ad back can be had in a PSA 1 or SGC 1 slab for under $700.
1956 Topps Jackie Robinson
This is where my "one card per set" gets tricky. I prefer Jackie's 1953 Topps card in terms of affordable Jackie cards, but I have Paige in that set because there are no other options for him. Additionally, there are so many great 1956 Topps cards that I need to leave out. Alas...
What needs to be said about Jackie Robinson? He broke the color barrier for baseball, won Rookie of the Year, won an MVP, won a World Series, and went to the Hall of Fame. He's one of the most legendary athletes in history.
His 1956 Topps card can be had in a PSA 2 for under $500.
1948-49 Leaf Ted Williams
This is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful cards ever created. The colors are amazing, and my friend Oliver recently pointed out that the image makes Williams look like a superhero. And he kind of was.
A 19-time All-Star, Ted Williams won 6 batting titles, 2 MVPs, 2 Triple Crowns, and led the league in home runs four times. All while missing 5 years of his prime to fighting in wars as a fighter pilot. He even served as John Glenn's wingman.
The 1948-49 Leaf Williams card can be found in a low-grade PSA or SGC slab for under $800.
1955 Topps Sandy Koufax
Koufax is considered one of the greatest pitchers of all-time. He had Pedro Martinez's dominance with more World Series wins (four). He also won the Triple Crown 3x, Cy Young 3x, and was the World Series MVP twice. He retired at the age of 30 after winning his second consecutive unanimous Cy Young award and third out of four years.
Koufax is also considered one of the most iconic Jewish athletes of all time. He sat out game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it coincided with Yom Kippur, gaining national attention.
Koufax's 1955 Topps rookie card can be bought in a low-grade PSA or SGC slab for under $500.
1954 Topps Ernie Banks
Ernie Banks, also known as Mr. Cub, played 19 years for Chicago, winning 2 MVPs and was named to the All Star Game 14 times.
He led the league in home runs twice as a shortstop, and went on to hit more than 500 for his career.
1953 Bowman Color Mickey Mantle
This list wouldn't be complete without a card of The Mick. The hero of millions of kids around the country throughout the 1950s and '60s, Mantle was a 3-time MVP and 7-time World Series winner. He was an All Star a whopping 20 times.
His 1953 Bowman Color card is the most expensive of all of these, but can still be found for under $900.
Mike runs the hobby YouTube channel Junk Wax Hero, where he talks about a lot of different aspects of the hobby from a collector’s perspective. His most popular series is Attic Find Friday. He also writes a free weekly hobby recap newsletter at junkwaxhero.com. It’s a cliche, but his favorite card is the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr.