Baseball

The Hank Aaron Rookie Card Likely the Next $1 Million Card!

It is becoming more and more routine to see graded sports cards sell for $500,000 to $1,000,000 these days. After all, high-end collectibles are now undeniably an alternative asset class. That doesn’t mean every collectible must rise in value, and many collectibles will ultimately have no value whatsoever. But what about pinpointing “the next $1 million card” in the hobby of sports collectibles?

If the current trends of ultra-scarce and high-end sports collectibles hold up, which is of course still an “if” status, the rookie Hank Arron card may be the next $1 million trophy card. And if it’s not “the next” then it is likely to be among the next $1 million cards. Regardless of any grade, this card is easily in the top ten 1950s rookie cards of them all!

A new record has been shattered for a 1954 Topps Hank Aaron. PWCC Marketplace’s August 2022 Premier Auction featured a PSA 9 MINT example of Hammering Hank’s prized rookie card which sold on August 18, 2022 for a $720,000.00 price tag after the buyer’s premium. According to PWCC, this is a new record price for any Hank Aaron baseball card. The prior record was for $645,000 and that was set in February 2021. According to PWCC:

The card can be considered one of the finest on the market. It is graded as being in mint condition by PSA and earned a PWCC-A (Above Average—Top 30%) Eye Appeal and MBA Silver designation for its stunning surface color and centering. The top two corners of the card are also in incredible condition. There are only 25 examples of this card in a “mint” grade. And only two examples have ever earned the higher “gem mint” grade from PSA. Simply put: this is an extremely difficult card to find in high quality.

Photo included from PWCC Marketplace.

1954 Topps Hank Aaron

PWCC’s pre-auction description also included the following notes:

This PSA 9 example earned the PWCC-A (Above Average–Top 30%) Eye Appeal and MBA Silver designation for its stunning surface color and centering. The top two corners are also incredible. There are only 25 examples of this card in a PSA 9 and only two examples earned a PSA 10. PSA has graded more than 6,000 of them. Simply stated, this card belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is a national treasure.

VERSUS PRIOR PSA 9 SALES…

Because of grading certification numbers, the prior known sale of this exact card can be tracked as if it was down to the card’s DNA. The PSA certification number of 45115305 was the exact PSA certification number. This card’s prior sale took place on May 15, 2020 for $223,443.68 via Mile High Card Company.

Here are three other PSA database examples of PSA 9 cards which have sold in auctions over the last year:

  • 5/24/2021 for $430,500.00 via Goldin Auctions (PSA Cert. 17483097)
  • 2/27/2021 for $645,000.00 via Heritage Auctions (PSA Cert. 03008369)
  • 8/28/2020 for $209,100.00 via Goldin Auctions (PSA Cert. 03536155)

ARE HANK AARON ROOKIES SCARCE?

According to the PSA population report database, there are 4,947 graded examples with base grades and no qualifiers of this Hank Aaron rookie card. There are another 923 graded examples from PSA with “+” grades and another 377 graded examples with the “Q” status.

That’s just 6,247 total graded PSA examples without signatures.

Of those, only 25 examples are at the PSA 9 level without considering the 7 “Q” examples, and there are only 2 with the perfect PSA 10 grade.

There are also 319 various graded examples with the PSA/DNA certification for autographed Hank Aaron cards.

Was Hank Aaron really a better home run hitter than Babe Ruth? Here is a direct comparison and it was quite surprising.

OTHER GRADED POP REPORTS?

SGC’s population report includes 1,730 total graded examples of the 1954 Topps Hank Aaron rookie card. Of those, the highest graded examples include just 5 graded as SGC 9 as their highest graded examples.

Beckett’s population report includes another 891 graded examples in total, and its highest graded count is 2 examples at the BVG 8.5 grade.

And let’s not forget that there are still ungraded examples of Hank Aaron rookie cards out there. Here is what we noted about Hank Aaron’s rookie card populations as of October 2021:

  • PSA counted 4,680 base grades, another 825 examples with “+” grades and another 357 with qualifiers… a total of 5,862 total graded PSA cards at that time.
  • SGC counted another 1,433 graded examples, with the largest number at 3 (208 count).

AND JUST UNDER THIS GRADE?

What about going down just one half-point on the grading scale? Another stellar rookie Hank Aaron recent sale took place on August 15, 2022. That sale fetched $192,000.00 after the buyer’s premium for a PSA 8.5 grade in the Robert Edward Auctions 2022 Summer event.

WHAT ABOUT $10 MILLION?

What are the most valuable Hank Aaron items of any sort that have ever been sold? That may not be known because of the potential for privately negotiated transactions. One of the PSA 10 graded examples was on display at the Goldin booth at the 2021 National Sports Collectors Convention and it was pondered about being a $10 million card. Will that prove to be true? This was that photo a year ago.

1954 Topps Hank Aaron rookie PSA 10

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