Ichiro. The name sells itself.
Ichiro Suzuki had already cemented a strong, and likely everlasting baseball card market long before Tuesday’s almost unanimous vote for his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, headlining the class of 2025. The hitting machine, much like Derek Jeter among more recent HOF classes, really never needed a “Hall of Fame bump” for their respective card markets with everything from their rookie cards to modern autographed cards in current sets still being sought after.
That probably couldn’t be said, though, for 2025 classmate CC Sabathia, even with the starting pitcher earning first-ballot HOF status Tuesday like Ichiro. And it especially couldn’t be said for closer Billy Wagner, who earned his spot in Cooperstown in his final year on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot.
It’s been a minute since someone as universally known as Ichiro took center stage for a Hall of Fame class. While deserving of induction, players like Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, Scott Rolen and Fred McGriff carry significantly less sustained market weight than someone like Ichiro. So you’d imagine a shove back into the spotlight should increase the card prices for those players in the previous two HOF classes.
Let’s dissect the card markets for this year’s class and dive into whether a “Hall of Fame bump” actually existed for the players in the classes from the last couple of years (all sales information via Card Ladder).
His most expensive card sale occurred on Oct. 28, 2023, where Suzuki’s 2001 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection autographed rookie numbered to 250 with a gem-mint PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) 10 grade, pictured above, sold for $207,400. Nothing anywhere close to that has sold recently, with his highest card coming as a shared 2001 Topps Chrome Traded Refractor with Albert Pujols, also graded a PSA 10, went for $38,000.
What might be a bit surprising is how one of Ichiro’s popular rookie cards has tumbled leading up to Tuesday’s announcement, followed by a quick jolt less than a week ago. Here’s a glimpse at various sales for the past year of his 2001 Topps Chrome Traded rookie card with a PSA 10 grade (population: 352):
- Jan. 30, 2024: $1,550
- Feb. 28: $1,850
- April 5: $1,700
- May 5: $1,380
- June 2: $1,076
- July 17: $1,699.99
- Aug. 18: $1,363
- Sept. 21: $1,480
- Oct. 29: $1,159
- Dec. 1: $1,175
- Jan. 2, 2025: $1,170
- Jan. 18: $1,301
Still quite a nice haul for a base rookie card for one the greatest hitters to ever play. Will more hit the market now that Ichiro’s name is back in the news? It wouldn’t be a stunner.
Talk about a pre-Hall of Fame bump!
The four biggest sales all-time for Sabathia cards in Card Ladder’s index have happened since Dec. 10. Three of those four, including the top sale, occurred less than a week ago. It’s the first time any of his cards eclipsed the $2,000 mark and two of those cards jumped north of $3,000. (Here it’s worth noting that starting pitchers generally don’t command the same prices as position players in the card market.)
His most expensive sale came on Jan. 17, when his 1999 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor rookie numbered to 25 with a PSA 8 grade and a population count of only one (pictured above) sold for $3,500. Sabathia’s 1999 Topps Finest Gold Refractor numbered to 100 with a PSA 10 grade went for $3,250 on Dec. 10.
Meanwhile, Sabathia’s 1999 Bowman Chrome base rookie PSA 10 had all-time sales rankings of Nos. 3-8 occur within the past month, capping off at $299.99 on Jan. 14.
Now that he’s been selected for the class of 2025, it’s fair to expect an increased value for Sabathia’s cards, at least for the immediate future.
The biggest sale for a Wagner card came about a year ago when his 1994 Upper Deck SP Foil rookie with a PSA 10 grade sold for $1,800 on Feb. 24, 2024 on eBay. But the same exact card sold for only $1,204.14 on Oct. 3 at Goldin.
Three sales of Wagner’s 1994 Bowman rookie PSA 10 card went between $950 and $1,000 between March and August 2024. The most recent two sales in early January, though, only went for $775 and $700.
You’d imagine any recognition for Wagner would signal some kind of market for the closer. But it seems like only the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera can maintain reliever traction within the hobby.
(Dave Parker and Dick Allen will also be in this class, previously announced through the Classic Era process. Neither player saw any major jump in their all-time highest priced cards, though.)
What happened for other recent inductees?
Ichiro, Sabathia and Wagner will lend to the growing case study of whether HOF status significantly affects hobby values. It’s been a mixed bag the last couple of years.
Last year, Adrian Beltre garnered the most votes since Jeter for a spot in the HOF. One of the third baseman’s most recognized rookie cards took an initial boost, but has fallen dramatically since last year’s announcement.
Here’s the market for Beltre’s 1997 Bowman Chrome rookie card with a PSA 10 grade through the years:
- Feb. 15, 2021: $670
- Sept. 14: $450
- Dec. 18, 2022: $350
- Dec. 15, 2023: $390
- Jan. 23, 2024: $380 (announcement day)
- Jan. 29: $425
- March 11: $325
- June 23: $250
- July 25: $197.50
- Sept. 26: $150
- Dec. 18: $138.37
Beltre’s second highest sale of any of his cards occurred post-HOF announcement, though. His 1997 Bowman Chrome International Refractor PSA 10 sold for $4,800 on April 28, 2024. Mauer, Rolen (on a card by himself) and McGriff watched their highest card sales ever happen following their HOF announcements:
Mauer (May 12, 2024): $9,000 — 2002 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor autographed card, Beckett graded 9.5
Rolen (April 21, 2024): $6,300 — 1995 Bowman’s Best Refractor PSA 10
McGriff (May 3, 2023): $3,200 — 1986 Donruss autographed rookie PSA 10/auto grade 9
As for Helton’s card sales, his top post-HOF card ranks fifth on his list, with a 1996 Topps Chrome Refractor SGC 10 selling for $1,230 on April 21, 2024. His top card sale occurred not long before the 2024 class announcement, though. His 1993 Topps Bazooka autographed card in a PSA 7 sold for $2,550 on Dec. 4, 2023.
(Photo: ZORAN BOZICEVIC/AFP via Getty Images; card images: eBay/Goldin)
