9 Amazing Rickey Henderson Cards You need to See

With any of the most valuable cards from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, a player’s top card is generally going to be their rookie card in PSA condition (that is, until I can make the “retiree card” a thing). The same goes for the Man of Steal. And call me bias given Rickey is my favorite player of all time, but the 1980 Topps design and the photo used for this particular RC just hits different.

Over the last 365 days, a 1980 Topps PSA 10 Rickey Henderson was only sold once, going for over $160K.

And if you can’t have a player’s rookie year card in perfect gem mint condition, their second year card is nothing to sneeze at. In junk wax, modern and even ultra-modern cards, that second year card is often adorned with the rookie gold cup, which is an appealing add. In basketball, you even see this thinking extend to things like “1st Prizm” and other combinations that elevate non-rookie cards.

Anyway, the 1980 design is nothing to sneeze at, and while Rickey’s photo experiences quite the drop off from action to profile pic, 1981 still has all of the makings of a highly-collectible card.

This card also sold only once the last 365 days, for just under $4,000.

So from 1981 one might think that 1982 was the next logical choice, but we are going to zoom ahead to 1991, and one of the standout sets from the junk wax era.

If this card looks familiar, it’s because you’ve probably see the base version a number of times. But don’t kick yourself just yet. While this specific card sold for $2K in February of 2024, it’s special, rare, and a much more valuable card than the regular 1991 Topps Rickey Henderson.

Two years ahead we go, jumping to 1993 and the shiny card that was the catalyst for the many, many in your face designs and finishes that we see in today’s card world. That’s right, while the 1993 Finest Refractor doesn’t specifically state “Refractor” on the back (thus making it tough to tell if a 1993 is even a refractor or base).

So, given the card’s history and the fact that finding a copy not super scratched up is difficult to do, a PSA 9 sold for $1.95K in August of 2023.

That’s right—a PSA 9. According to Market Movers, the last PSA 10 sold in 2021, and that was for $2.57K. So, I’d have to think if one came about these days, it would go for a lot more.

One of my favorite things about putting together these types of hottest baseball cards or most valuable lists is that many of them follow the same ordering.

As mentioned, you have the rookie and second year Topps cards, followed by one or two more modern entries. Then, you start to see older, non-Topps brands show up, which is what we have here with 1981 Donruss. (I should note that a 1982 Topps PSA 10 is more valuable than a 1981 Donruss PSA 10, but I wanted to mix things up a little.)

Anyway, there have been two sales of this card over the last 365 days, averaging $930 (12 1982 Topps PSA 10s have been sold over that same time, averaging $1.22K).

When it comes to Topps during the 80s and 90s, most of it is referred to as junk, but there are corner cases like 1991 Topps Desert Shield and, as we will show with this entry, Topps Tiffany that really stand out as being “limited.” This 1985 Topps Tiffany PSA 10 sold once for $620.

But wait, why 1985 and not anything earlier? Well, Topps Tiffany wasn’t introduced until 1984, so, we will never ever have a Rickey Henderson Topps Tiffany rookie card. As for the 365-day average value for 1984 Topps Tiffany, your guess is as good as mine. For some reason, the Market Movers catalog doesn’t include 1984 Topps Tiffany (or the 1984 Topps Tiffany Rickey Henderson, at least).

Another reminder—my goal for this blog post wasn’t to simply list out all of Rickey Henderson’s early cards and tell you the prices in each of the different grades. Instead, I wanted to present some variety, and to help showcase the differences between vintage and modern, etc.

So, into ultra modern we go, and with one of the more premium “base”-type of baseball cards available. What I mean is, there are plenty of high-end products from Topps, like Transcendent, Diamond Icons, and others, but those sets offer a limited run with a unique design. Gilded, on the other hand, is patterned after Topps Chrome. Yes, it has a limited checklist (150 cards in 2023), but it’s a checklist of base cards and parallels.

The Rickey is card #38 in the set and stunning, and the Lava Gold Etch refractor is as gaudy as it sounds (that’s a good thing when it comes to cards). Grading ultra-modern doesn’t do a ton to the value if not a rookie, so while rare and still valuable, this one sold for $300 in August of 2023.

In no way am I saying the hype and value of Home Field Advantage cards is comparable to the Panini Downtowns that they’re mimicking, but they are cool, people like them, and I like them.

While some who like their baseball inserts full of flash and shine, others like the simplicity and hometown hints that can be found in Home Field Advantage. For Rickey’s, that means the Bay Bridge, seagulls, and more.

In terms of value, a PSA 9 sold in March of 2023 for $186, while the last raw sold in February of 2024 for $75.

Speaking of Panini and something different, here we have the only entry from the manufacturer better known for filling up the names on our hottest football cards and trending NBA cards.

So yes, a bit of a wildcard, no pun intended, because this thing is surely different than most other baseball cards in your collection.

Of course, no team name or logo, but that’s not what makes this one different (it’s actually standard for Panini baseball products given they don’t have the MLB license to product baseball cards).

No, it’s the Japanese-style comic book and cartoon-like illustration and design. A PSA 10 has averaged $136 in value over four sales, but the last one sold for $170.