The sharp 1959 design makes this a favorite among Mays collectors. 5. 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson: $1.006 million. Date: August 2020. 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente: $1.107 million $1.05 million 8. This one is a favorite among collectors of Willie Mays baseball cards. The second, however, showed its value by nearly doubling the price of the former record holder. In addition, the trio ofJeff Samardzija, Johnny Cueto, and new Giants pitcherKevin Gausmanwill be vying for the bestSan Francisco pitcher this season. Research the trading card values of thousands of PSA-certified baseball cards, using the PSA Price Guide. The star-studded Mariners won the AL West for the second time in three years thanks to big-name contributions from Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez, and Cy Young runner-up Randy Johnson. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs ($3.2 billion, fourth-most valuable franchise) and Giants are not found in the top five highest local media revenue list. In the ALDS against Cleveland, Rivera was oddly human. Did they damage the original and had to use a portrait? He led all of baseball in total hits (220) for the third time in four years and posted career-highs in home runs (17), RBIs (119), doubles (49), total bases (324), and sacrifice flies (an NL-best 12). A very well liked Giant, Clark fits nicely into San Franciscos top players. Services . The Say Hey Kid easily ranks on anyone's list as one of Major League Baseball's all time greatest--if not the greatest. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The 11-time all-star has his number (30) retired in the Giants organization. Its still a great card but centering can be an issue with this card due to the famous tilt problems with the 1969 Topps set. Featuring simple borders and a block-script font with a ribbon tail that contains the player's name, the set was released after Clarks fantastic 88 campaign in which he played all 162 games and led the National League in plate appearances (689), RBIs (109) and walks (100) while hitting .282 with 29 homers and an .894 OPS. It is, indeed, rare -- according to PSA Authentication and Grading Services, a mint condition Willie Mays in the 1952 Topps set is valued at $250,000. Colin B. of Newark, Calif., submitted this beauty in our survey. The unique design of the 1963 Topps baseball card set makes most of its cards very easy on the eye. At 41 years of age and in his 21st and final MLB season, the Los Angeles native went home to Southern California in free agency, signing a one-year deal with the Anaheim Angels. The price for a piece of Americas pastime keeps going up. Best Giants baseball cards Classic Giants card: Marichal in '70 December 8th, 2021 MLB.com As part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Topps baseball cards, we've asked fans (as well as our staff) to submit their all-time favorite baseball cards, and we've broken them down by team. Alvin Dark, 1953 ToppsThis card was submitted by Tom Shillinglaw of Santa Fe, N.M., who met Dark at one of the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown during the late 1990s. Recognized as an all-around player, Bonds received a record . Johnson also struck out 86 batters with the Giants to bring his career total to 4,875. Overall, this set doesn't get much attention due to its lack of big-name rookie cards but there's still plenty to like when it comes to nostalgia for that era. Say it aint sowould Topps really show the same head shot of Willie Maysyet again? I have spent hours staring at this card and equally as many hours asking my siblings and friends to look at it too, Siebenaler wrote. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle: $12.6 million 2. This time around the excitement is much different. And although Thomas finished third in 1997 behind Ken Griffey Jr. and Tino Martinez, his 1997 season stacks up nicely against his award-winning campaigns. 1990s throwback card: Barry Bonds, 1995 ToppsBonds played his first four seasons in the 1980s, but the 90s were when he truly blossomed into one of the best players in baseball. It surpassed the record for the most expensive baseball card of all time by over $5 million and blew past the game-worn Diego Maradona jersey from his Hand of God goal ($9.3 million) to become the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia. Maybe Topps can issue a digitally-altered version to recognize his youngest trio. This was also his only mainstream card showing him in a New York Mets uniform. Hopefully he can turn it around and get his ERA this year back in the respectable range, but dont forget in his first three seasons in the majors he earned two Cy Young awards. The Giants have the second-highest operating income at $96 million, with the Houston Astros (11th-most valuable franchise) having the highest operating income at $99 million. After winning the 1952 NL Rookie of the Year award, the United States Army drafted Mays to help fight in the Korean War and he would miss most of the 1952 season. This card takes you back to Posey's beginnings, before he was one of the best catchers of his generation, a six-time All-Star and the 2012 NL MVP. McCovey towers over Mays but is keenly interested in whatever it is the legend is saying, and Mays face indicates hes likely discussing a topic of serious focus in the realm of slugging. But, that didn't prevent Topps from including him in their flagship set that year. Nope. The 1962 Topps Willie Mays card can be difficult to locate in high grade due to the infamous centering and chipping issues found in this famous set featuring wood grain borders. The card was also submitted by Denvers Rob Beard, who wrote: This card is what Will Clark is all about: tough, focused, a Will to win.-- Thomas Harrigan, Best Giants facial hair card: Timothy Keefe, 1887 Allen & GinterKeefe was one of the best pitchers of the late 19th century, posting a 2.30 ERA from 1885-88 for the New York Giants and a 2.63 ERA overall in a 14-year career. . San Francisco Giants Team Checklist: 500: Tom Seaver: 501: Rennie Stennett: 502: Rich Wortham: . At 37 years of age, Gwynn was still at the very top of his game, earning his 13th All-Star selection, seventh Silver Slugger Award, and a sixth-place finish in the National Leagues MVP race. Its unclear what Wilhelm is doing here (was he mid-blink? As always, most of the sealed boxes offer exclusive bonus cards. He was also coming off a streak of twelve-straight All-Star appearances. Thankfully, they did not leave out Mays in this set with its infamous television set frame design. In 690 plate appearances (532 at-bats), the 32-year-old superstar slashed .291/.446/.585 with 40 home runs, 123 runs scored, and 101 RBIs. Murray hit just .219 with a .591 OPS, three home runs, and 15 RBIs in 176 plate appearances (160 at-bats). Come October, though, Jeter was exemplary, slashing .333/.417/.667 with two homers, three walks, six runs scored, and two RBIs against Cleveland in a best-of-five ALDS matchup. Lets take a look at the leagues most valuable franchises heading into the 2023 season: The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the list of MLB teams that make the most revenue: Here is an estimate of how much each MLB team is worth, according to Forbes: The team with the biggest total payroll in 2023 is the Mets with a whopping $335,993,332, per Spotrac. He has always been one of my favorite players and still has one of the best deliveries of all time. Reprints of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays cards of yesteryear offered a bit of variety, especially the limited number of Mays reprints he autographed. Martinez was brilliant in one of the best breakout seasons for a pitcher in modern history, going 17-8 for the 78-84 Expos with an MLB-best 1.90 ERA and 0.932 WHIP. At the time, Jeter had a long way to go toward becoming one of the most famous Yankees legends of all time. $5.00 shipping. Cleveland won, 4-3, en route to their second AL pennant in three years. Manager Bruce Bochy and his coaching staff were rightfully heralded as huge factors in San Francisco's incredible run, and these three -- Flannery, Kelly and Meulens -- were at the center of the franchise's success in that span. The 1952 Topps design is instantly recognizable and the card features a young Mays with his signature determined, focused look on his face. It stayed there for over a year until my spouse got sick of looking at it and strongly hinted that I 'rotate' it out for something else. The most feared hitter of his generation, Giants fans had a blast watching him hit bombs into McCovey Cove. That means the card needs to be flawless. "I still miss the 'Stick. 2020 Topps San Francisco Giants 2020 Topps Seattle Mariners 2020 Topps St. Louis Cardinals 2020 Topps Tampa Bay Rays 2020 Topps Texas Rangers 1964 Topps Giants: 1964 Topps Photo Tattoos: 1964 Topps Stand-Up: 1964 Wheaties Stamps: 1965 Bazooka: . After retiring from the game for nearly two seasons to get his personal life in order, Chicago Cubs icon Ryne Sandberg returned with a bang in 1996, hitting .244 with 25 home runs and 92 RBIs in a triumphant return. Topps went for a unique angle in 1955 when it introduced its first horizontally designed card. I could never understand why, if it is a painting, did Topps release this painting? His 1954 issue shows him kneeling over with a bat across one leg and a beaming smile. A day later, the Cubs star was honored with his own day at Wrigley Field. The six-time all-star was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 and left a lasting impression on San Francisco. This one's from the Topps Chrome set, and the card submitted by fan Mike Kesler of Los Angeles is a refractor, too, so it's got a whole rainbow of colors. 1909 T-206 Honus Wagner: $7.25 million 3. Duplication aside, the 1955 Topps issue is one of Mayss most beautiful baseball cards. After his playing career, he became a coach, eventually being named Giants hitting coach in 2010, the year the franchise won its first World Series championship in 56 years. 1965 Topps Willie Mays cards are usually faced with centering issues and occasionally youll spot print bubbles in the purple-colored borders. Imagine being a fly on the wall for that conversation. Greg Minton, 1978 ToppsWhile early baseball cards featured portraits of players, the transition to color photos happened long before 78. Also a four-time all-star, Timmy currently has the Giants all-time record for strikeouts per 9 IP and is making his way up the top 10 list in strikeouts for San Francisco. Four years into his stay by the Bay, Barry Bonds finally got his first taste of October baseball in a San Francisco Giants uniform. All rights reserved, Giants activate Crawford off IL, receive great news on Winn, Luciano picks up first hit, but Giants' bats continue to struggle, Wilks never been around a group' like talented 49ers front seven, A's tell architects to wad up' initial Vegas ballpark renderings, KD recalls isolating on Warriors after Draymond bench incident. Even though Willie Mays baseball cards may not be as valuable as Mickey Mantles cards but they are still some of the most valuable in the hobby. At a $3.1 billion valuation, the San Francisco Giants, winners of three World Series since 2010, remained fifth overall of 30 Major League Baseball teams in overall value, according to Forbes. Cepeda continued to be prolific at the plate after his trade to St. Louis -- in 1967, his first full season with the Cards, he was named NL MVP after posting a .923 OPS (164 OPS+) with 25 homers and a league-leading 111 RBIs. Griffey was a cut above in a season full of fantastic individual-hitting performances, becoming just the ninth-ever unanimous AL MVP. Rivera finished the year with a 6-4 record and a stellar 1.88 ERA in 71.2 innings pitched (66 appearances). Does something look familiar with this Willie Mays card? Upon returning to the Majors in 1954, it was as if Mays never left. How much is a Honus Wagner baseball card worth? In 103 games, Boggs slashed .292/.373/.397 with four home runs, 55 runs scored and 28 RBIs. Share. Jeter hit just .291 on the campaign, one of his worst full-season batting averages until his 2014 swan song at age 40. Its definitely not one of Mays most popular vintage baseball cards among collectors but its design is truly unique. That season was a big one for both Mays individually and the Giants as a team -- Mays was named NL MVP after launching 41 homers and leading the Majors in both batting average (.345) and slugging (.667). As a member of the San Francisco Giants, he won more games than any other pitcher in the 1960s and collected eight all-star appearances in those 10 years. McCoveys illustrious 22-year career spanned an astounding four decades, making him one of just 29 players who have achieved the feat.-- Nick Aguilera. At least the action shots on each card were different. The photo of the young Posey is also different than his normal Topps card. Hoyt passed the following August. at auction on Aug. 28. He finished the year slashing .302/.350/.483 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs in 90 games for a 78-84 Expos squad that finished fourth in the NL East. Willie Mays baseball cards are some of the most collected in the hobby. The 1909 T-206 Wagner card, which was produced by the American Tobacco Company, continues to rise in price. Tito Fuentes, 1972 ToppsWhen you have a card thats actually labeled In Action, you know youve got something special. Buy from many sellers and get your cards all in one shipment! He was the runaway NL Rookie of the Year, hitting .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBIs. Jones did all he could, hitting .292 with two home runs, five runs scored, four RBIs, two walks, and a .929 OPS. 1982 Topps Traded, card #98T - Cal Ripken, Jr. The 38-year-old outfielder started the year in San Diego and ended about 100 miles north in Anaheim by the season's end. Barry Bonds is undoubtedly the greatest player to play in San Franciscoafter all, he is arguably the greatest players to ever play the game. Willie McCovey, 1960 ToppsIf you have a body of water named after you, Id say you were a pretty good ballplayer. We'll be revealing submissions regularly throughout the season, ranging from the famous to the weird, and everything in between. After he was released by Anaheim later in the year, Murray signed on with the Dodgers for one last hurrah. It marked Judge's first game since he tore a ligament in . -- Manny Randhawa. The 1909 T-206 Wagner card, which was produced by the American Tobacco Company, continues to rise in price. Gianluca Valente of Montreal, who sent in this card, says: "Buster is by far my favorite player of all time, and to have his rookie card is amazing. So, just how costly are the most sought-after baseball cards? In terms of the MLB franchises that increased the most value over the last season, the Giants are in the middle of the pack. Price To Grade To Year To Team College Date Added Year Player Only Graded Hall of Fame Rookie Show Unavailable Variation Autograph Well, he always looks young. It features a 19-year-old Ruth as a minor league pitcher for his hometown . The New York Yankees ($5 billion), Los Angeles Dodgers ($3.4 billion), and Boston Red Sox ($3.3 billion) are the top three in terms of value, and each of those three franchises has one of the top five highest local media revenues. It came in a small box with the rest of the set and is relatively non-descript. 1916 Sporting News Babe Ruth: $2.46 million, 6. Free shipping or Best Offer SPONSORED Barry Bonds Forever Collectibles Legends of the Diamond Bobblehead /5000 $30.00 $11.45 shipping or Best Offer SPONSORED 2009 San Fransico Giants SGA Tim Lincecum Bobblehead $69.95 $10.00 shipping or Best Offer SPONSORED Giants San Francisco 2010 Joe DiMaggio Seals Bobble Head Doll Ny Yankee Italian $47.49 Top 10 Barry Bonds Baseball Cards View cards for sale on eBay using the listings below. Eddie Murray's Hall of Fame playing career came to a full-circle close in 1997, making this his last of many Topps base cards. Its sweet if you think about it. The Say Hey Kid is shown prominently in a sharp, focused batting stance. Heis one of the most beloved baseball players in the history of the sportmakingWillie Maysbaseball cards some of the most collectible in the hobby. This was his rookie card and was included in the regular 132 card traded set. What makes this card historically significant, though, is that it would be the last time Mays would appear on a mainstream baseball card in a New York Giants uniform as the team would move to San Francisco the next year. Rivera converted his next 12 saves and landed his first All-Star Game appearance, a contest in which he recorded yet another save. His power at his position was unrivaled during that time -- no other AL or NL shortstop had more than 72 homers in that five-year span.-- Thomas Harrigan. While he was known as a Giant through and through, he spent 2 1/2 seasons as a Padre and half a season across the Bay as an Oakland Athletic before making his way back to San Francisco, retiring after the 1980 season.