There are certain baseball cards which will increase in value for a multitude of reasons. These are the cards you want to get as part of your collection now. These are the cards you want to invest in now. In the first part of this series, we’ll look at some graded cards that you’ll want to scoop up now, if you can muster the funds, because they’re bound to increase in value. Whether you’re a collector or a card investor, these cards are ones you’ll want to own now.
Cal Ripken’s 1982 Topps Rookie Card – Graded Gem (BGS or PSA)
This card, in this condition, is rare. A recent search of eBay completed listings turned up no results for this card in this condition. Beckett currently values this card in Gem condition from either BGS or PSA grading, between $350 and $700. What makes this card so valuable, and why should you want to own it? Well, for starters, we already mentioned the rarity of such a high quality grading for this card. As the card has been in circulation for 25 years, the chances of finding a gem condition card are slim. What else about the card makes it valuable though. In one word: the player. Cal Ripken is a stand-up athlete, who you’d never hear mentioned in a steroid scandal or other tabloid news. He is baseball’s all-time “Iron Man” as we all now, setting the record for durability and consistency. He put up high quality statistics, both offensively and defensively, over his long career. Add to all this the fact that he played his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles, and you have the makings of a highly sought after collectible card. Even if pure card collectors, or investors, interest wanes in this card, a devoted Baltimore Oriole fanatics’ interest will not wane. Cal Ripken is the Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth or Ted Williams of the Baltimore Orioles.
Mike Piazza’s 1992 Bowman Rookie Card – Graded Gem (BGS, PSA or SGC)
While Piazza might not have the team-identification factor that Ripken has, he nonetheless is one of the best baseball players of our time. Mike, remember, is the all-time leader in home runs for a catcher. Six years and change as a Dodger, and seven years and change as a Met, two of baseball’s most prominent teams with rabid fans, will leave a tough decision to be made as to which hat Piazza will be wearing on his Hall of Fame plaque. (Which he will receive promptly five years after he decides to hang up his cleats. Bet on him going in with a New York Met hat.) A lifetime .308 batting average (through the 2007 season,) and 427 regular season home runs, are monumental statistics for a catcher. Given that Mike was almost not even drafted, these statistics make his career all the more impressive. The Bowman cards came back into the market shortly before this rookie card was created. The card has a classic name to go with this classic player. You won’t find many of these cards graded in gem condition. As Piazza’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, comes closer and closer, look for this card to go up in value higher and higher. Beckett currently estimates this card in gem condition from either BGS, PSA or SGC to be in the $40 to $80 range. A must-have card for any Dodger or Met fanatic.
