Aaron Judge's Hot Start Gives Boost to Card Market
Baseball season is in full swing again and that means the collectible world, and more importantly the card world, is watching the diamond with a magnifying glass.
The thing is, you don't need to be paying that close of attention to see what is happening in the Bronx right now, especially when it comes to the Yankees' biggest star, Aaron Judge.
Through three games, Judge has hammered four home runs while leading the Bronx Bombers to a perfect 3-0 record in a sweep of the Brewers at home. As a result, the card collecting world has started to buy up everything Judge in anticipation of a monster season, and his card prices have already started to reflect it.
As of March 19, 2025, prior to the season getting underway, a BGS 9.5 graded 2017 Topps Chrome rookie was being sold for $66, according to the latest Card Ladder data. This weekend, that same card was being sold for $87.50.
The same holds true for the PSA-graded version of the card. On March 20, a PSA 10 of Judges 2017 Topps Chrome Rookie went for $144.99. Card Ladder's last listed sale of that card, following Judge's big weekend, is up to $160.25.
Judge's market is well established at this point in his career. The Yankees slugger is a six-time All Star and a two-time AL MVP, but it appears as if there is still some opportunity to make good investments on his rookie cards, especially outside of Topps.
Judge's 2017 Bowman's Best Rookie Card refractor was selling for $71.25 on March 19 and the last sale, according to Card Ladder, was for $129. That's an 81.05% increase in price just from four home runs over the weekend.
We've seen hot stretches from Aaron Judge in the past, so why is this one any different? Well, it may not be. However, if you're one to believe in the hype around the new bats being used in the Yankees' organization, you have to consider the fact that we may witness something historic this season.
This offseason, guys like Anthony Volpe, Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. decided to use a "Torpedo" bat, which brings more wood, and therefore more mass, to the barrel of the bat. As of now, Judge isn't using one, but a boost in offense means means more trips to the plate and bigger opportunities for one of baseball's most dangerous power hitters.
The early results are in, and while it's a small sample size, the Yankees scored 36 runs in a three-game sweep of the Brewers this weekend. If we continue to see that type of production from the Yankees, it'll be time to buy up every single card you can find of players in pinstripes.
For now, we're just watching out for how Judge's monstrous start to the season has impacted his card market.
Brian has been covering sports and collecting cards for more than a decade. Following both the NFL and MLB draft has become a passion both professionally and personally, so expect lots of prospecting news coming your way. As a loyal Philadelphia sports fan, most of his collection is either athletes on his favorite teams or ones that grew up in the area.