Top cards of players on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot
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With Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela rounding out the Contemporary Era ballot for the Hall of Fame, several of the candidates still sell well in the sports card world.
Here are some of the top selling cards all time among some of the ballot finalists. All sold listing info is according to Card Ladder data.
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Barry Bonds 1999 Skybox Metal Universe 1/1
Back in the 1990's, Skybox Metal Universe were one of the more popular sets of cards across a variety of sports. Most notably, several Skybox Metal Universe cards featuring Michael Jordan have sold for very large numbers due to the time range in which they were made as well as who is on the card.
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The case is very similar in baseball. While players such as Derek Jeter among others have Skybox Metal Universe cards for high values, this 1/1 Gem Masters of Barry Bonds sold in January of 2024 for $60,000, by far the most expensive card of the all-time home run leader by almost $20,000.
Roger Clemens Topps Tiffany PSA 10 Rookie Cards
Roger Clemens spanned across 24 big league seasons, but began with 13 seasons with the Red Sox. Clemens' rookie card from 1985 Topps shows the youthful ace donning the Boston white and red uniform.
Several of Clemens' most expensive cards sold all are the same rookie card from 1985 in a gem mint PSA 10 grade. As for the top three listings, a pair of cards each sold for $16,000 in April of 2022 and the most expensive PSA 10 sold in March of 2021 during the resurgence of sports card for $22,600.
Carlos Delgado shares his podium with other greats
Delgado does not have as much collector interest as the first two names but still has some expensive cards that have sold. The powerful first baseman's most expensive solo card is from 1998 Bowman Chrome, where a Golden Anniversary refractor in a PSA 9 sold on September 6 of this year for $1,250.
His most expensive card however comes as a triple logoman relic. Sharing the card with Manny Ramirez and Chipper Jones, the unique card from 2005 Flair sold in July of 2023 for $7,877.
Dan Gardella is a Red Sox fan and collector growing up in Yankee territory in Connecticut. While only reviving his love for the hobby a few years ago, he provides knowledge into baseball cards from prospects to the big leagues.
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