Baseball cards have been around for more than a century, and the hobby has seen a spike in collecting in the last few years. Among collectors, it’s fairly common knowledge that there are certain individual baseball cards that are worth a fortune, such as the iconic 1909 T206 Honus Wagner, the legendary 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth, or the glorious 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. In recent years, we’ve seen a rise in collectors acquiring unopened wax boxes and hobby boxes, and some of these sealed boxes go back 50 years, making them some of the most valuable factory-sealed baseball cards on the market. Here is a list of five of the most expensive baseball card boxes to date.
5. 1991 Topps Desert Shield Wax Box
In 1991, the junk wax era was in full gear. But Topps issued a parallel, limited edition “Desert Shield” set in addition to the regular set of 792 cards, and this special gold-foil-stamped set was sent to soldiers serving in Operation Desert Shield. Of the sealed boxes that were sent overseas, some were opened, some were tossed, and apparently some were used as kindling for fires.
The unopened boxes that did survive are incredibly scarce and highly sought after, even though the only notable rookie card in the set is Chipper Jones (the Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez rookie cards wouldn’t arrive until Topps issued its Traded set that year). Still, one sealed Topps Desert Shield wax box recently sold for $7800, making these some of the most valuable baseball cards of the junk wax era.
4. 2018 Topps Allen & Ginter X Hobby Box
Unlike retail boxes, hobby boxes are sold directly to dealers and distributors, and collectors must acquire these outside of traditional retail outlets. Baseball hobby boxes have some of the most valuable cards and are far more desirable because there is generally a greater chance of hitting parallels, numbered cards, memorabilia cards, and autographed cards than in a blaster box or retail pack.
The 2018 Topps Allen & Ginter X checklist not only features two key rookies — Ronald Acuna and Shohei Otahni — but it also includes framed mini autographs of big-time active players like Aaron Judge and Mike Trout, retired players like Don Mattingly and Bo Jackson, and non-players like Lindsey Vonn and Tony Hawk.
One unopened 2018 Topps Allen & Ginter X hobby box was recently listed on the secondary market for $14,000, making these some of the most expensive baseball cards ever.
3. 1993 SP Upper Deck Baseball Hobby Box
While there are some PC-worthy cards in the 1993 SP Upper Deck set, there is one big chase card that overshadows the rest — and that’s the Derek Jeter rookie card. It’s one of the most valuable baseball cards of this era, and what makes it so special is that the 1993 SP Upper Deck release was one of the early super premium card sets and featured rare die-cut Platinum Power inserts.
There are 24 packs per box and 12 cards per pack, making the odds of hitting a Jeter pretty good for any brave baseball card collector willing to shell out up to $15,000 to rip open a box. However, pulling a Jeter that is in good enough shape to grade out as a Gem Mint 10 can be very tough. Out of over 21,000 of these submitted to PSA to grade, only 21 have received a Gem Mint 10 as of April 2023!
2. 2009 Bowman Draft Picks & 2011 Topps Update Hobby Boxes
There is some debate over which of the Mike Trout rookie cards is the ultimate Trout rookie. If you were looking to pull your own out of an unopened 2009 Bowman Draft Picks or an unopened 2011 Topps Update hobby box, then expect to pay up to $17,000 for the chance to acquire some of the most valuable baseball cards of the last couple of decades.
The one-of-one 2009 Trout Superfractor has already been pulled, and it infamously sold for $3.9 million in 2020, making it the most expensive baseball card of the modern era. But there are still a handful of 2009 and 2011 Trout rookie cards and autographs that could still be pulled.
1. 1971 Topps Baseball 4th Series Wax Box
Buying and flipping unopened baseball card boxes is fairly common in the modern collecting era. But back in 1971, hoarding away sealed boxes of cards wasn’t necessarily a commonly practiced financial endeavor.
There was at least one sealed wax box of Topps baseball cards that surfaced after 50 years, and it sold at auction for a whopping $77,675. Interestingly enough, there are not many notable rookie cards in the 4th series (or “high number” series). The most valuable baseball cards in that series include the great Nolan Ryan and cool coin inserts that included Brooks Robinson, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays. Certainly any boxes surfacing from the 1940’s-1960’s could be added to this list if any surface, and it would be mindblowing to see what a 1952 Topps box would go for these days!
Expensive Baseball Card Honorable Mention: Eight 1952 Topps Baseball Sealed Wax Packs
As far as anyone knows, there are no sealed wax boxes of the 1952 Topps release.
And as the story goes, most of the unsold boxes were dumped into the Atlantic Ocean after years of collecting dust in a warehouse. However, there are still unopened packs circulating among high-end collectors, and only the incredibly brave would risk ripping open one of these packs in search of Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, or the coveted Mickey Mantle.
In a recent auction, a lot of eight unopened 1952 Topps baseball wax packs were sold for $873,300.
Stock Up On Hobby Boxes Today
What’s great about this hobby is that you never know when the next Mantle, Jeter, or Trout will surface. Those that buy and hold hobby boxes or entire hobby cases of the newest sports card releases are often rewarded. The challenge is keeping those boxes sealed over time and fending off that deep temptation to rip and pull one or more of the next generation’s most valuable baseball cards.
Start hoarding away the latest baseball hobby boxes and take advantage of free shipping on orders over $175 and same-business day shipping at Giant Sports Cards.
