Roberto Clemente's PSA 10 Rookie Card Could Sell For a Million Dollars
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Even though the hobby’s popularity exploded a couple of years back, it’s still pretty hard for a single sports card to break the $1 million barrier. Even if that’s the case, there’s a pretty good argument to be made for MLB icon Roberto Clemente’s rookie card to exceed that staggering amount in the market.
According to a video posted by Find Your Trove on Instagram, a previous sale of Clemente’s PSA 9 1955 Topps rookie card over a decade ago amounted to around $32,000. This occurred when former MLB star Dmitri Young sold it from his collection.
Back in 2021, though, that same graded card surfaced as was auctioned off by Goldin for $1.107 million. The sale made this the highest-selling Roberto Clemente rookie card in a PSA 9 mint-grade slab, which is one of 11 labeled under this condition.
RELATED: The Five Essential Baseball Cards of Roberto Clemente
Fast forward to now, another PSA 9 of Clemente’s 1955 Topps rookie card has made its way to Goldin and sold for a much lower price of $732,000 after 15 bids. Although that price is way off from the 2021 sale, which exceeded $1 million, it’s still a huge amount of money for one of the sport’s most popular legends.
The Reason Why The Best Roberto Clemente Baseball Rookie Card Can Go For a Million Dollars
There are currently 11 Topps Clemente rookie cards in a PSA 9 slab out in the hobby right now and one of them sold for more than a million dollars in 2021. But out of all the graded offerings of this particular baseball card, there’s a lone PSA 10 right now.
RELATED: Roberto Clemente Card Sells For Huge Amount
There hasn’t been any sighting or news yet about this gem-mint sports card. What’s certain, though, is that it can go for more than a million dollars if it hits the market. Since sales of PSA 9s have been strong, as compared to those in lower grades, there’s really no reason why a card graded higher shouldn’t attract a lot of upward momentum in the hobby.
Keep in mind, though, that Clemente is among the select few that commands a lot of prestige in the baseball card market, thanks to the many firsts he achieved in the sport. The former Pittsburgh Pirates star is the first Latin American athlete to play in the MLB, reach 3,000 hits, won the World Series twice in 1960 and 1971, and was named to 15 All-Star Games.
These accomplishments have catapulted Clemente to legendary status in the baseball card market. While the 1909 T206 Honus Wagner and 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle are the faces of this hobby, the former Pirates star’s rookie card is right there up on top of the mountain when it comes to value and status.
It remains to be seen whether the PSA 10 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente will come out of its hiding place to shock the hobby sometime in the near future. If it does, though, expect his stock in the card market to gain a lot of attention as it propels to a possible million-dollar price tag.
Julio Munar is a sports and culture writer. His expertise revolves around the NBA, but his passion is sports cards and collectibles. He has written for ClutchPoints and The Manila Times, among other outlets.