The 8 most valuable Yogi Berra cards

Yogi Berra isn’t just one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. He’s a true American hero. Before he ever put on the pinstripes, Berra played a major role in one of the most defining moments in world history. As a young U.S. Navy gunner during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, he fired rockets and machine-gun rounds from a small landing craft to help protect Allied troops storming the beach.

He later took part in another World War II mission where he took on German gunfire while invading France, and he was shot in the hand. Yogi refused a Purple Heart because he didn’t want his mother to receive a telegram and worry about his safety. That's the kind of person Yogi Berra was.

Yogi Berra in Navy — www.navymemorial.org

After the war, Berra returned home and built one of the greatest résumés in sports history. He won 10 World Series rings as a player (the most in MLB history) and earned three MVP awards. He also became one of America's most beloved personalities, known for his countless Yogi-isms like, “If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.”

Despite all that, Berra remains underrated in the baseball card hobby. His cards are still undervalued compared to other legendary players from his era. Here’s a look at the eight most valuable Yogi Berra cards, ranked by their highest recorded sales.

8. 1952 Topps Yogi Berra #191 PSA 8: $43,870

PSA 8 Population: 28

Total Population: 3,262

Card Info: 1952 Topps is considered the true beginning of the modern baseball card era, and Berra’s card is a key part of the iconic set. High-grade copies of the 1952 Topps Yogi card are scarce because the the set was plagued by centering and print issues, and many cards were dumped into the Atlantic ocean when Topps over-produced them. Mid-grade (PSA 4, 5, or 6) copies of this card cost around $1,000.

7. 1951 Bowman #2 PSA 9: $44,400

PSA 8 Population: 8

Total Population: 2,497

Card Info: 1951 Bowman is one of the most beautiful sets of the postwar era, featuring hand-painted artwork rather than photographs. Yogi Berra’s card is positioned near the front of the checklist at #2, a placement that made it vulnerable to edge and corner wear from being in the front on the printing sheet. Mid-grade copies of this card can be found for around $450.

6. 1954 Bowman #161 PSA 10: $45,600

PSA 10 Population: 2

Total Population: 2,884

Card Info: The 1954 Bowman set is admired for its simple and full-color portraits. Yogi Berra’s card from this release features him smiling confidently in his Yankees cap, framed by a soft sky-blue background that highlights his approachable, everyman personality. Finding pristine examples is extremely difficult due to Bowman’s fragile cardstock which were is prone to surface wear. Only two PSA 10 Gem Mint copies are known to exist and are extremely expensive, but mid-grade copies can be found at around $250.

5. 1953 Bowman Color #121 PSA 9: $54,900

PSA 9 Population: 9

Total Population: 1,707

Card Info: This card represents Yogi at the height of his playing career as he was a reigning MVP and a central figure in the Yankees’ dynasty. The 1953 Bowman Color set marked a shift from painted artwork to full-color photography, giving fans a more lifelike connection to their heroes. High-grade examples extremely rare due to print lines and color fading that affected many 1953 Bowman cards. PSA 5 mid-grade versions typically sell in the $300–$500 range.

4. 1953 Topps #104 PSA 9: $56,400

PSA 9 Population: 8

Total Population: 4,669

Card Info: 1953 Topps set is often celebrated as one of the most iconic designs in baseball card history. Each player portrait was based on an original hand-painted artwork primarily painted by Gerry Dvorak, an illustrator from the New York area who worked for Topps and other advertising firms at the time. Yogi Berra’s card is among the set’s most memorable, and mid-grade copies of this card cost around $400.

3. 1952 Bowman #1 PSA 9: $75,000

PSA 9 Population: 6

Total Population: 2,610

Card Info: 1952 Bowman set marked the final full year before Topps completely overtook the baseball-card market. Being the first card in the set made this Yogi card prone to rubber-band wear and corner rounding, making high-grade copies exceedingly difficult to find today. PSA 5 copies typically sell in the $600 range.

2. 1958 Topps #370 PSA 10: $185,390

PSA 10 Population: 1

Total Population: 4,155

Card Info: The 1958 Topps set is instantly recognizable for its bright, solid color backgrounds. Only one PSA 10 Gem Mint example of this card exists, making it a true one-of-one in the hobby’s highest grade. By 1958, Berra was nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career and he starting playing some outfield to preserve his legs. Yogi helped the Yankees beat the Braves in the 1958 World Series. Mid-grade PSA 5 versions of this card sell in the $150 range.

1. 1948 Bowman #6 Rookie PSA 10: $192,000

PSA 10 Population: 1

Total Population: 3,784

Card Info: This is the crown jewel of Yogi Berra cards and his only true rookie card. 1948 Bowman represents the beginning of Bowman, which helped relaunch the hobby after World War II. Only one PSA 10 Gem Mint copy exists, making it essentially a one-of-a-kind piece of hobby history.

It sold for 192K back in 2017. If it were to go up for sale today, it would not be surprising to see this card sell for over a million dollars.