5 Vintage Baseball Card Bargains Under $500

The hunt of finding the card you want for a competitive price is one of the most fun aspects of being a baseball card collector. For vintage baseball card collectors, it can get expensive to acquire high-grade copies. Budget conscious vintage hobbyists have to “hunt” a little harder to find low/mid-grade copies with excellent eye appeal.

Lower grade vintage cards with excellent eye appeal often demand a premium nevertheless, but there are great deals to be had. This article will highlight some vintage baseball card bargains that can be had at a reasonable price. (Just remember to look for vintage cards with excellent centering, as these cards are easier to resell if need be.)

1. 1958 Topps Willie Mays PSA 5

Willie Mays 1958 Topps — https://app.cardladder.com/players/Willie%20Mays?cardId=u6ozNZ5RL9gD6NVDvzg0

Last 5 Sales Tracked by CardLadder: $335, $359, $335, $395, $660

Card Appeal: Mays is many people’s pick as the 2nd greatest baseball player ever. It seems crazy that a PSA 5 copy of one of his 1958 cards could be had for less than a hobby box of Topps Finest. 1958 Topps is a set that is rising in popularity, and vintage collectors love the vibrant colors of these cards. The blue background really “pops” behind a headshot of a young, smiling Mays on this one.

1948 Bowman Stan Musial rookie card PSA 1

Stan Musial 1948 Bowman — https://app.cardladder.com/players/Stan%20Musial?cardId=OFY7ruET1GTzZDdJyEMb

Last 5 Sales Tracked by CardLadder: $492.77, $363, $464, $375, $779

Card Appeal: Stan Musial is a top 10 player in baseball history, and his rookie card could be had for less than the price of a Topps Chrome Breaker Delight Box. Not all PSA 1s are the same, which explains the large variance of price in this grade. If you can find one with decent enough eye appeal, you are getting a 77-year-old rookie card of an all-time great.

1956 Topps Ted Williams PSA 4

Ted Williams 1956 — https://app.cardladder.com/collection?saleId=ebay-326716858801&index=new_salesarchive

Last 5 Sales Tracked by CardLadder: $380, $390, $361.55, $349.99, $408

Card Appeal: A mid-grade 1956 Topps card of the greatest hitter ever just feels like it should be much more expensive. 56 Topps is one of the most popular baseball card sets of all time with beautiful artwork of an action shot, a headshot, and a facsimile autograph. A mid-grade 1956 Topps card of the last .400 hitter can be had for less than a Bowman Baseball Jumbo Box.

1933 Goudey Jimmie Foxx PSA 1

Jimmie Foxx 1933 Goudey — https://app.cardladder.com/dashboard?saleId=goldin-202404-0917-2110-55d48d9f-8afb-4b9d-9132-4c065867ac53&index=new_salesarchive

Last 5 Sales Tracked by CardLadder: $300, $374.99, $330, $606, $400

Card Appeal: Jimmie Foxx was nicknamed “The Beast” and for good reason. In 1933, the year of this iconic set, the Hall of Famer won the Triple Crown with a .356 average, 58 homeruns, and 163 RBIs. A classic 1933 Goudey card of this dominant slugger would be the crown jewel of many collections. It could be bought for less than the price of a Paul Skenes Panini Select auto.

1954 Topps Jackie Robinson PSA 2

Jackie Robinson 1954 Topps — https://app.cardladder.com/dashboard?saleId=fanatics-weekly-5238674&index=new_salesarchive

Last 5 Sales Tracked by CardLadder: $517, $458.95, $517.77, $456, $505

Card Appeal: Jackie Robinson is the only baseball player that gets mentioned in any US History textbook. It is amazing that a playing-days card of one of the most important Americans (and baseball players) in our history goes for less than a Julio Rodriguez Speckle Refractor auto. The 1954 Topps Jackie Robinson doesn’t speckle, but it’s a beautiful card that seems like a fantastic bargain.