Top Selling Baseball Cards of 2023

Ryan Barone (@ballcardgenius, Card Expert) is a lifelong member of the hobby. He has been quoted in PSA Magazine, and his content has regularly been mentioned in “Quick Rips” (the Topps RIPPED Newsletter) and across other hobby publications. hello@ballcardgenius.com; Last Time Ago LLC dba Ballcard Genius.

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The top selling baseball cards of 2023 include:

1. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base SGC 9, $4,500,000
2. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base PSA 8, $1,171,200
3. Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey #144 Base PSA 8.5, $1,065,000
4. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base SGC 8, $600,000
5. Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects #BDPP89 Chrome Auto – Red Refractor /5 PSA 10, $510,000
6. Mickey Mantle 1968 Topps #280 Base PSA 10, $510,000
7. Ty Cobb 1909 T206 Green Portrait PSA 8, $488,000
8. Mickey Mantle 1951 Bowman #253 Base PSA 8, $480,000
9. Hank Aaron 1954 Topps #128 Base PSA 9, $480,000
10. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base PSA 7, $432,000

This is according to cards tracked in the Market Movers catalog.

Wow, what a year in baseball cards. From the Tacofractor to Tom Brady certified autographed Expos cards, I might venture to say 2023 was one of the craziest of recent memory (Well, not counting pandemic-era dealings.)

But while the above mentions and other top card stories from 2023 involve modern cards, it’s the vintage era that is leading and powering the list of the top selling cards of the year.

In fact, on the extended list of 25 top selling baseball cards of 2023, there is only one single card from the 2000s (2009 Mike Trout Bowman Draft Picks Red Auto PSA 10).

Perhaps even more amazing, there isn’t one card from the 70s and 80s (not even the most expensive card from the 80s).

1. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base SGC 9, $4,500,000
2. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base PSA 8, $1,171,200
3. Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey #144 Base PSA 8.5, $1,065,000
4. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base SGC 8, $600,000
5. Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects #BDPP89 Chrome Auto – Red Refractor /5 PSA 10, $510,000
6. Mickey Mantle 1968 Topps #280 Base PSA 10, $510,000
7. Ty Cobb 1909 T206 Green Portrait PSA 8, $488,000
8. Mickey Mantle 1951 Bowman #253 Base PSA 8, $480,000
9. Hank Aaron 1954 Topps #128 Base PSA 9, $480,000
10. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base PSA 7, $432,000
11. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base SGC 7.5, $384,000
12. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base SGC 7, $372,000
13. Jackie Robinson 1948 Leaf #79 Base PSA 8, $372,000
14. Willie Mays 1953 Topps #244 Base SGC 9, $360,000
15. Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey #144 Base PSA 8, $312,000
16. Sandy Koufax 1955 Topps #123 Base PSA 9, $288,000
17. Jackie Robinson 1949 Bowman #50 Base PSA 9, $288,000
18. Ty Cobb 1909 T206 Red Portrait PSA 8, $252,000
19. Willie Mays 1951 Bowman #305 Base PSA 8, $252,000
20. Nap Lajoie 1933 Goudey #106 Base PSA 9, $250,100
21. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base PSA 6.5, $240,000
22. Roberto Clemente 1955 Topps #164 Base SGC 9, $240,000
23. Mickey Mantle 1953 Bowman Color #59 Base PSA 9, $234,000
24. Ty Cobb 1909 T206 Bat off Shoulder PSA 8, $222,000
25. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base SGC 6, $210,000

And because most of the cards on the list are in fact vintage cards, it’s not surprising that any card on the list not graded by PSA was graded by SGC (28% of the 25 cards were graded by SGC).

Of the cards that are on the list multiple times but in different grades, the 1952 Mickey Mantle is most intriguing:

• Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base SGC 9, $4,500,000
• Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base PSA 8, $1,171,200
• Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base SGC 8, $600,000
• Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base PSA 7, $432,000
• Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base SGC 7.5, $384,000
• Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base SGC 7, $372,000
• Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base PSA 6.5, $240,000
• Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps #311 Base SGC 6, $210,000

What stands out to me is that fact that a PSA 7 and SGC 7 are separated by $60,000 while a PSA 8 sold for over $500,000 more than an SGC 8.

And I don’t know if “gut-wrenching” is the best way to describe it because they are both massive sums, but seeing the SGC 9 sell for millions more than a PSA 8 would have me questioning all sorts of things.

All in all, these are obviously the best of the best, offering everything from antique and vintage, a touch of modern, and absolutely nothing from the junk wax era.