Hank Aaron's entire career in baseball cards can be bought for $25 a day!
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One of the most satisfying pursuits in the Hobby is collecting an entire career run for an all-time great player. In the case of Hank Aaron, this entails scooping up each of his Topps cards from 1954 through 1976, a period of 23 years. Given that such a collection requires adding the Hammer's iconic rookie card, such a pursuit would not come cheap. However, all things considered, it may be a lot more affordable than many collectors assume.
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Estimating the cost of such an endeavor first requires two decisions, each of which impacts the overall price tag considerably.
- Cards to Collect: The simplest career run involves Hank Aaron's base cards only. In other words, the collector would need only Aaron's main card in each Topps set from 1954 to 1976. More involved career runs would also include all-star cards, league leader cards, and other "non-base" cards in each of the sets. And of course, even more extensive collections would go beyond Topps and into other brands such as Bowman, Hostess, and Hires Root Beer.
- Condition or Grade: Very little impacts card prices more than condition. Pursuing an Aaron collection in gem mint (e.g., PSA 10) would prove not only costly but impossible. Meanwhile, a very low grade collection (e.g., PSA 1 or "Authentic") brings the price down substantially but obviously impacts the desirability and eye appeal of the cards involved.
In this article, the assumption will be a collection of base cards only and a target grade of VG-EX, or PSA 4. In all cases, pricing information is based on Card Ladder values sourced at the Hobby sales tracking site CardLadder.com.
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As the data show, the final price tag works out to about twice the price of the rookie card. In other words, scoop up the rookie card and you're halfway there. Beyond that, pricing tends to fall into four distinct groups.
- ROOKIE: Aaron's 1954 rookie card is around $5K
- EARLY CAREER: Aaron's1955-1958 cards are roughly $500 apiece
- MID CAREER: Aaron's 1959-1967 cards are roughly $150 apiece
- LATE CAREER: Aaron's 1968-1974 cards are roughly $50 apiece
Naturally, an overall price tag of $10K isn't exactly budget friendly for all collectors. Still, with the New Year coming up, how's this for a New Year's resolution? It turns out $9,283 is only $25.43 a day. Mow a couple lawns, dump your Paramount Plus, and downsize those venti lattes to tall, and you're pretty much there! Best of luck and happy collecting!
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.