The Most Underrated Yankees in the Baseball Card Market
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The New York Yankees have the clearest Mount Rushmore in baseball history. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio are the top four players in franchise history, and they have rightfully dominated the baseball card hobby for decades.
A second Mount Rushmore has become almost just as obvious. Yogi Berra, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Whitey Ford make up this second tier of Yankees legends. Each player is an inner-circle Hall of Famer. This second Mount Rushmore has an incredible 26 World Series rings combined, and their baseball cards are among the most iconic and desirable in the hobby. Aaron Judge is on track to join this group, but his legacy is still being written.
After these top two tiers, many historically important Yankees fade into the background. Their cards sell for a tiny fraction of what comparable players from other franchises command. These players are overlooked because the Yankees have produced so many larger-than-life figures that even elite careers get overshadowed.
This article focuses on the baseball cards of the third Mount Rushmore of Yankees legends. Bill Dickey, Ron Guidry, Bernie Williams, and Andy Pettitte will never rival Mantle or Jeter in the hobby, but their championships, playoff success, and statistical accomplishments make them some of the most underrated values in the market today.
1. Bill Dickey
Record High Sale: A 1932 U.S. Caramel Bill Dickey #6 PSA 9 sold for $13,200.
Value Buy: A 1941 Play Ball #70 Bill Dickey PSA 5 recently sold for just $366.
Why His Cards Are Undervalued: Bill Dickey played with and was overshadowed by Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio, but he put together one of the greatest careers ever by a catcher. As noted by Jonathan Klinger of the Yankees Seasons Podcast, Dickey finished his career with 11 All-Star appearances and was a seven-time World Series champion.
“After serving with the military, he came back in 1946 to play 54 games, 39 of them as a catcher, and only committed 3 errors as a 39-year-old WWII vet,” Klinger noted. As a coach, he helped teach Yogi Berra how to catch under Casey Stengel's management. Collectors can still buy vintage Dickey cards for a fraction of what comparable Hall of Famers command. For example, a 1952 Topps Dickey PSA 5 recently sold for $1,674, while a 1952 Topps Roy Campanella PSA 5 sold for $3,840.
2. Ron Guidry
Record High Sale: A 1980 Topps Pepsi-Cola All-Stars #9 Ron Guidry SGC 7 sold for $7,200.
Value Buy: A 1976 Topps Ron Guidry Rookie Card #699 PSA 8 recently sold for just $69.
Why His Cards Are Undervalued: Ron Guidry was the best pitcher in baseball in the late 1970s, winning two World Series and the 1978 Cy Young Award. As noted by Joseph Stuckey of Statesboro Sports Cards & Autographs in Statesboro, Georgia, Guidry put together quite possibly the greatest pitching season in modern baseball history in 1978. He finished 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA, and had nine shutouts (still the highest in modern MLB history for a pitcher with at least 20 wins)
Why His Cards Are Undervalued: Stuckey pointed out that the Yankees retired Guidry’s number 49 in 2003, yet collectors can still buy Topps-certified Guidry autographs on eBay for under $15, making him the hobby’s most affordable Yankees legend.
3. Bernie Williams
Record High: A 1998 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Bernie Williams PSA 9 sold for $6,000.
Value Buy: A 1990 Bowman Tiffany Bernie Williams Rookie Card #439 Yankees PSA 9 recently sold for just $20.50.
Why His Cards Are Undervalued: Bernie Williams has one of the greatest postseason résumés in baseball history. He holds the MLB record with 80 postseason RBIs and ranks third all-time with 22 home runs in the playoffs. He was also the first player ever to win a batting title, Gold Glove, and World Series in the same season. (Playoff stats and winning should matter more in the card market)
Statistically, Williams is close to Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett (and Bernie had a higher career OPS), yet their card markets look dramatically different. A 1984 Fleer Update Puckett PSA 10 recently sold for $1,590, while a 1990 Topps Bernie Williams PSA 10 recently sold for just $100.
4. Andy Pettitte
Record High: 2024 Topps Dynasty Gold Andy Pettitte MLB Logoman Patch Auto 1/1 sold for $4,800
Why His Cards Are Undervalued: Andy Pettitte is the all-time postseason wins leader, winning 19 playoff games during his 18 seasons. He was an ultimate winner, winning 5 World Series rings and never finishing with a losing record during his remarkably consistent career. He ranks first in Yankees franchise history with 2,020 strikeouts, and his number 46 was retired in 2015.
Incredibly, Pettitte has a higher career ERA+ than Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton, and a higher career WAR than Juan Marichal. Despite these credentials, his cards sell for a tiny fraction of what these iconic pitchers command.
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David is a collector based in Georgia and a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and New York Knicks. He is an avid sports card collector with a strong passion for vintage baseball cards and vintage on-card autographs. David enjoys obtaining autographs through the mail and loves connecting with other knowledgeable collectors to discuss the history and evolution of the hobby. He also previously wrote about the New York Giants for GMENHQ.com