1985 Topps USA Mark McGwire rookie card hits all-time high
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What is considered by most to be Mark McGwire's true rookie card, and some what of a parallel hit it's all-time high in dollar value just a few weeks ago on October 24, 2025. The card in questions is his 1985 Topps Tiffany, card number 401, graded PSA 10, and sold on Heritage Auctions for $30,500.
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The card features a bust photo of a young McGwire, maybe 22 years old, in his Team USA baseball uniform. His bat resting on his shoulder and the pristine white of of his USA hat popping.
The previous high mark for this card occurred on March 24, 2021 when a best offer of $30,000 was accepted on eBay, according to Card Ladder. That sale was made at the height of the COVID card market boom. And given the fact that the most recent sale surpassed that number, albeit barely, collectors could surmise that this is a sign that the market is strong right now.
Topps Tiffany Set
While it seems like a base card from the junk wax era, the Tiffany cards is a set that is much more valuable, and could be considered an early parallel set. The Tiffany cards feature a brighter finish on the front and back, giving it a distinctly different look.
While it could be hard to discern the Tiffany from the base on the front without being close to the card, the back shows a much more drastic difference between the two.
The brightness of the Tiffany compared to the regular version almost looks like the Tiffanny is glowing. It resembles the look of modern day chrome cards. It really seems like this was ahead of it's time and a precursor to how cards look today, 40 years after this one was printed.
Topps had the Tiffany series from 1984 through 1991. And Bowman had a Tiffany set for just two years, in 1989 and 1990.
After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz