A baseball card is a type of trading card relating to baseball, usually printed on some type of paper stock or card stock. Some companies that are notable for making these cards are Topps, Upper Deck, Fleer, Donruss, Bowman (which is a descendent of topps) and Playoff Contenders. Baseball cards can be highly collectible. Many antique stores contain a wide variety of baseball cards. One reason that baseball cards are so collectible is the they have been around for a long time.

The rare baseball cards are the ones which are difficult to find and also the most expensive ones. The rare type of cards are the oldest baseball cards and those from limited edition sets. A rare card generally must be kept in good condition in order to be valuable, although the rarest cards can be worth tens of thousands of dollars even in poor condition. Price also increases if there is an autograph on it. Rare baseball cards or the vintage baseball cards do not have a certain price established. Their value is judged upon their quality, condition, rarity and upon the number of collectors that are seeking them.

09. Eddie Plank—1909 –1911 T206 US $188,000

08. Joe Jackson –1914 Boston Garter $204,000

07. Honus Wagner –1910 Standard Caramel US$ 219,000

06. Ty Cobb– 1911-1914 General Baking Co US $273,000

05. Lou Gehrig – 1933 Goudey $275,000

04. Mickey Mantle – 1952 Topps US $282,000

03. Joe Doyle – 1909 – 1911 T206 (New York, Nat’l variation) $329,000

Another super rarity from the legendary American Tobacco Company set. The company confused this card of Slow Joe Doyle, the Yankee pitcher with Laughing Larry Doyle of the National League. To distinguish the two, they applied the Nat’l designation on the wrong card. When this error was realized the plate was pulled and circulation of the card was stopped. It remains one of the rarest of all cards with only around six examples known.

02. Babe Ruth – 1914 Baltimore News $517,000

A real rarity! Only around a dozen examples survive of this early International League card of a young, lanky Baltimore pitcher named Ruth. It is unknown how much more a finer example would bring if one were ever to surface. Ruth remains, arguably, the most popular player to ever wear a baseball uniform.

01. Honus Wagner – 1909 – 1911 T206 US $2,800,000

This is the Crown Jewel of the cardboard community. While there are many rarer cards, none have elicited as much excitement and controversy as this little tobacco card. Production of the card was stopped quickly and only a few hundred made it into circulation. Reasons for the shortage are Wagner’s possible aversion to tobacco or the fact that he wasn’t being compensated. As long as there are men to argue, this disagreement will continue. The finest example of this card has been the subject of much speculation regarding condition (is it trimmed) and origin. Even a book, The Card, was written about it. Once owned by Wayne Gretzky, the highest graded example has traded hands numerous times and currently tops out just shy of three million dollars. The T206 Honus Wagner has been the world’s most valuable baseball card for several decades and may hold the title as most expensive baseball card for years to come.