Baseball Cards That Have Outperformed the S&P 500 Since 2020

Baseball cards quietly became one of the hottest investments on the planet when the pandemic struck in 2020. When millions suddenly had extra time at home, collectors began searching through closets, basements, and attics in search of their old baseball cards.

Collectors fell in love all over again with their old pieces of cardboard. Millennials, Gen Xers, and Boomers suddenly had more disposable income (and stimulus checks) to put toward their personal collections (PCs), and the sports card boom took off.

Many of the iconic cards that were out of reach during childhood suddenly felt attainable. While baseball card prices have cooled since their 2021 peak, most remain far above pre-2020 levels and continue to climb at a healthy pace. In fact, some of them have outpaced the S&P 500 by a wide margin.

If someone had invested $10,000 in the S&P 500 on January 1, 2020, that investment would be worth roughly $19,700 today or a 97% total gain over the past five years. This article highlights some prominent baseball cards that have better than a 97% gain since January 1, 2020.

1. 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 PSA 3

Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey — https://app.cardladder.com/sales-history?direction=desc&sort=price&q=1958%20Topps&saleId=goldin-202508-0818-1836-911c183d-498d-48f4-ad4f-fb3ee834418a&index=new_salesarchive

Price Increase: Sold for $5,955 in January 2019 and $22,000 in September 2025, an increase of $16,045 (+269%).

Appeal of this Card: This is one of the most iconic Babe Ruth cards from his playing days. Goudey helped launch the modern baseball card era in the 1930s, becoming one of the first companies to include trading cards with packs of bubble gum.

2. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 PSA 3

52 Mantle — https://app.cardladder.com/sales-history?cardId=3mDrCZvv1cN22myOZmQd&sort=date

Price Increase: Sold for $21,000 in January 2019 and $65,000 in October 2025, an increase of $44,000 (+210%).

Appeal of this Card: This is the most sought after card in the baseball card hobby. An SGC 9.5 copy of this card famously sold for $12 million. Three PSA 10 copies of this card exist, and many people believe they would sell for more than $30 million if they were ever came to auction.

3. 1955 Topps Jackie Robinson #50 PSA 7

55 Jackie — https://app.cardladder.com/sales-history?cardId=CeDZVfzD8qjFALkdjIpa

Price Increase: Sold for $822 in April 2019 and $4,000 in October 2025, an increase of $3,178 (+387%).

Appeal of this Card: There are only eight recognized playing-days cards of Jackie Robinson (today's baseball players all have thousands of cards). This one is from the beloved 1955 Topps set, known for its beautiful horizontal design. Jackie is one of the most important baseball players/people in American history.

4. 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson #482 Rookie Card

Rickey Rooki — https://app.cardladder.com/sales-history?cardId=u6r1WcPS3AXUwelRbUDc

Price Increase: Sold for $452 in January 2020 and $2,091 in October 2025, an increase of $1,639 (+362%).

Appeal of this Card: This represents one of the last major cards of the vintage baseball card era. It is one of the most iconic and popular cards of the 1980s. Rickey Henderson is considered to be the greatest base stealer and leadoff hitter of all time.

5. 1993 Topps Finest Ken Griffey Jr. Refractor #110 PSA 9

1993 Refractor Ken Griffey Jr. — https://app.cardladder.com/sales-history?cardId=FD5TnJW6341mWupt9ApM

Price Increase: Sold for $2,449 in August 2019 and $6,700 in August 2025, an increase of $4,251 (+174%).

Appeal of this Card: 1993 Topps Finest produced the first ever Refractor parallels, which are not incredibly popular in the baseball card hobby. This rare and shiny version of the base card demands a big premium. Griffey is the King of 90s baseball cards, and his cards remain red-hot long after retirement.

6. 2013 Bowman Draft Aaron Judge Refractor Rookie Auto #BCA-AJ PSA 9

Aaron Judge Rookie Aut — https://app.cardladder.com/sales-history?cardId=MbvrjPj0kYHtLpNsEDcj

Price Increase: Sold for $312 in August 2021 and $4,750 in September 2025, an increase of $4,438 (+1,422%).

Appeal of this Card: This is one of the top rookie cards of the greatest hitter playing right now. This card has a PSA population of just 66, with 26 PSA 10 versions of this card. No one could have foreseen Judge's transformation into a right-handed Babe Ruth in 2022, but a 1,500% increase is possible (but not likely) in the baseball card hobby.

7. 2018 Topps Chrome Shohei Ohtani Refractor Rookie Auto (#RA-SO) PSA 10

Ohtani RC Auto — https://app.cardladder.com/sales-history?cardId=Ztnsy4e8k1WBzj8sIvEu

Price Increase: Sold for $309 in November 2019 and $18,000 in October 2025, an increase of $17,691 (+5,726%).

Appeal of this Card: This is the flagship rookie autograph of the best player in baseball. Only 47 Gem Mint PSA 10 copies of this card exist. Cards like this prove that holding onto the right player at the right time can lead to life-changing returns (even though it is very unlikely).

Concluding Thoughts

Over the past five years, baseball cards have proven to be more than just nostalgic pictures of men playing sports. They’ve become legitimate alternative investments that, in some cases, have outperformed the stock market.

From Babe Ruth to Shohei Ohtani, the hobby continues to grow and evolve. No one will ever argue that baseball cards are a "safe investment," but they have proven over time to be a better store of value than other collectables.