Did Barry Bonds Just Set Another Record?
The baseball resume of seven-time National League MVP Barry Lamar Bonds sounds too good to be true (and many would say it is)! Either way, the man has the major league record for home runs in a season with 73, home runs in a career with 762, and--even more exciting for those sabermetrically oriented--the highest Batting WAR of all-time.
Of course, for readers of this site, we don't just care what a player does on the field. We care about their performance some place even more important: the Hobby! And this is definitely one place where Barry Bonds has long been an underachiever. Take his rookie cards, for example. Just yesterday a PSA 8 sold for the $10.49, which may well be less than the original owner paid to have it slabbed!
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At long last, however, there signs that Bonds may be on the verge of a comeback. I previewed this last week in profiling the recent Topps Living Set card from artist Angel S. Aviles. In particular, I foreshadowed the cards print run and where it would put Barry relative to other retired greats.
A print run in the 2000-3000 range would put him comfortably on par with 2024 Living Set immortals Roy Campanella (PR 2571) and Satchel Paige (PR 3174) while 5000+ would put him the elite company of Hank Aaron (PR 4956) and Lou Gehrig (PR 5097 in 2023).
- Jason Schwartz, Collectibles on SI
Well, today we have that print run, and it's not bad at all. According to the Topps website, the card's print run was 5,917, a number Aviles was mostly pleased with. "The Bonds print run is a nice one, although I do wish it was a bit larger because that would mean more collectors have this card in their PCs." Aviles also noted that the Bonds count was the Living Set's highest for a non-rookie since Shohei Ohtani (PR 32,001) in May 2024.
While the Bonds print run hardly compares to Ohtani's, or for that matter last October's Paul Skenes (PR 25,220), let's compare apples to apples by judging the Bonds count against other retired greats. In that case, the leaderboard looks like this (min. PR 4000).
- 14976 - Babe Ruth
- 14028 - Mickey Mantle
- 13147 - Jackie Robinson
- 11233 - Hank Aaron (2018 edition)
- 10927 - Ted Williams
- 10922 - Roberto Clemente
- 10692 - Derek Jeter
- 8945 - Mariano Rivera
- 8369 - Ken Griffey, Jr.
- 7321 - Bo Jackson
- 7212 - Ryne Sandberg
- 6851 - Rickey Henderson
- 6785 - Don Mattingly
- 6745 - Nolan Ryan
- 6423 - Cal Ripken, Jr.
- 5917 - BARRY BONDS
- 5722 - Roger Maris
- 5406 - Ernie Banks
- 5087 - Lou Gehrig
- 4946 - Hank Aaron (2024 edition)
- 4787 - Willie Mays
- 4725 - Joe Mauer
- 4575 - Stan Musial
- 4440 - Yogi Berra
- 4163 - Frank Thomas
- 4114 - Ralph Kiner
- 4095 - Josh Gibson
On one hand, the Bonds print run is a lot farther down the list (16th to be exact) than Barry normally finds himself in the record book. On the other hand, Barry ranks third overall among players snubbed by Cooperstown, behind only Bo Jackson and Don Mattingly. So yes, that gives Barry the highest print run of all-time among retired National Leaguers not yet in in the Hall. I won't pretend that's the record Barry grew up dreaming about as a kid, but I do see it as a sign that Barry Bonds ain't quite the Hobby pariah he once was.
While we know collectors and fans remain split on the Bonds case for Cooperstown, I was curious if the card's artist had an opinion.
This, of course, is a complex and nuanced question but generally speaking I think for historic context he belongs. His impact on the game was immediate and immense at a time when baseball wasn’t doing too well in terms of viewership. Also considering it was the steroid era I believe there were a lot of players, both pitchers and position players, that were participating in enhancing their performances. The era, as marred as it may have been, is still a chapter of baseball history. In fact this era may have saved baseball.
- Angel S. Aviles, Topps artist
With the Bonds print run a strong sign that the market is alive and well for more Living Set cards of retired greats, I was curious if there were additional players Angel was anxious to work on as well as how decisions get made around player selection.
Typically Topps assigns the specific players to us as they see fit; however, we do send them suggestions for players that either we or collectors would like to see. If all aligns, we may see those players featured. Personally, I would love to see more HOF players like Walter Johnson, Joe DiMaggio, Sandy Koufax, Pete Rose and Cy Young. I grew up watching baseball in the early 1980s so just about any player from that era is always a nice one to draw.
- Angel S. Aviles, Topps artist
My final question for the artist, knowing that half the cards these days are done by his colleague Jared Kelley, is whether he has a favorite Kelley card in the set. As it turned out, his favorite is mine as well: Topps Living Set card 755 of Hank Aaron.
Jared's Hank Aaron stands out as a personal favorite as his depiction of Aaron feels so right… like baseball itself.
- Angel S. Aviles, Topps artist
And speaking of baseball, is it too early (finally!) to say it's starting to feel right around the corner? As much as our card collections help fill the void of the long offseason, would wouldn't trade a little cardboard for a real-live seat at a real-live ballpark right now!
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.