Top 5 Rare Don Mattingly Cards

Don Mattingly deserved to get his first World Series ring. After being involved in 5,333 Major League games as a player, manager, and coach, the should-be Hall of Famer came excruciatingly close to finally winning a World Series in 2025 with the Blue Jays, falling just short against the Dodgers in a Game 7 classic. Following the heartbreaking loss, Mattingly would not commit to retirement or a return as Blue Jays coach for a 37th MLB season.

Many Yankees fans were pulling for the Blue Jays strictly because of Don Mattingly, hoping he’d finally get the ring that eluded him in pinstripes. Mattingly remains one of the most popular and beloved Yankees of all time, and an entire generation of fans still considers him their favorite player. This helps explain why his baseball card market remains unusually strong for a player not in the Hall of Fame.

Mattingly’s prime came right in the middle of the Junk Wax Era, a time when baseball cards were massively overproduced and easy for collectors to find. Some of his key cards, however, remain rare in Gem Mint condition and are highly sought after today. This article highlights the five very best and most valuable "Donnie Baseball" cards ever made.

5. 1984 Topps Nestle #8 Don Mattingly Autograph PSA 10 / 10 Auto

Card Appeal/Background: The 1984 Topps Nestle Don Mattingly #8 is one of the most interesting parallels of his rookie year. While it mirrors his iconic 1984 Topps rookie card in design, the Nestle version was part of a limited promotional set distributed through a partnership between Topps and Nestle, making it much more rare. (The PSA Population Count of the standard Mattingly 1984 Topps Card = 24,753. The PSA Population Count of the Nestle Mattingly 1984 Topps Card = 399.)

People got the 1984 Topps Nestle cards by participating in a mail-away promotion. Collectors could send in $4.75 and wrappers from five Nestle chocolate bars to receive one of six different uncut sheets of 132 cards.

This card has the added appeal of a beautiful on-card Mattingly Autograph. Only 127 of these autographed cards have ever been graded by PSA, with only 15 PSA 10 Autos.

Population Count: 15

Price: $6,500 (January 25, 2023)

4. 2005 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Don Mattingly, Derek Jeter 1/1 Dual Autograph Black

Card Appeal/Background: This card brings together two of the franchise’s most beloved captains on a single card, creating a generational connection between the Yankees of the 1980s and the dynasty years that followed. Unlike many dual autographs that use sticker signatures, this card features a piece of an actual baseball that both players personally touched and signed, making it a far more unique and authentic collectible.

This card carries a special emotional weight for Yankees fans. It’s both a celebration and a reminder of Mattingly’s unfortunate timing. He was the heart and soul of the Yankees throughout the 1980s and early ’90s, but the franchise didn’t return to championship form until the year after he retired. Upper Deck began shifting its focus toward high-end collectibles in the mid-2000s, and they hit it out of the park with this special card.

Population Count: 1

Price: $7,500 (November 19, 2022)

3. 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly #248 Autograph PSA 10 / 10 Auto

Card Appeal/Background: The 1984 Donruss #248 Don Mattingly rookie card is Donne Baseball's most iconic card and one of the defining cards of the 1980s. Released alongside his Topps and Fleer rookies, the Donruss version quickly became the hobby favorite. Its clean design, sharp portrait, and lower print run compared to its competitors has made it the most sought after Mattingly Rookie.

Only 4 autographed copies of this card exist in a PSA 10, and this one has a perfect auto grade of 10 as well. Out of 13,438 non-auto Donruss Mattingly's graded by PSA, only 342 have received a PSA 10. The last sale of a PSA 10 without an auto went for $3,873 on October 24, 2025.

Population Count: 4

Price: $7,600 (January 7, 2024)

2. Don Mattingly, Aaron Judge, Derek Jeter 2021 Topps Sterling Jersey Patch/Bat Triple Autograph 1/1

Don Mattingly Judge Jeter Auto — Card Ladder

Card Appeal/Background: This stunning one-of-one card from 2021 Topps Sterling unites three generations of Yankees captains on a single masterpiece. Each autograph is on-card and it links the past, present, and future of the most storied franchises in sports.

Topps Sterling is one of the most high-end products put out each year by Topps and is well known for incredible dual/triple autographs like this one. The cost of a Topps Sterling box ranges from $1,500 to $7,000. Some boxes. Each box typically contains only two cards. This particular Mattingly/Jeter/Judge includes a piece of Mattingly's game used bat, and pieces of Jeter and Judge game-used jerseys.

Population Count: 1

Price: $7,749 (September 29, 2022)

1. 1984 Topps Tiffany Don Mattingly Rookie #8 PSA 10

Card Appeal/Background: Topps Tiffany cards were printed in limited numbers (estimated at around 10,000 sets compared to millions of the standard Topps) making them a cornerstone for collectors seeking scarcity from the Junk Wax Era. The Tiffany edition cards featured a glossy finish and superior card stock, giving them a high-end look.

Out of the 1,003 Mattingly Tiffany cards that have been graded by PSA, only 54 have gotten a PSA 10. The card is hard to find in GEM MINT condition due to the card’s glossy surface, which is prone to scratches and print defects. This card combines the classic Mattingly rookie image with extreme scarcity and a premium set design, making it the ultimate Don Mattingly card.

Population Count: 54

Price: $8,000 (June 22, 2025)