As the decades passed and some of the early cards became very valuable, the introduction of price guides and the internet has helped many collectors find precious cards and also sell them at a very high price.

Some sports trading cards are worth well over 3 million dollars, with the famous Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card not even cracking the top 20 most valuable cards! Want to know who made the cut? Take a look at the most valuable sports trading cards on the market.

20. 1952 Topps Willie Mays – $509,217

In May of 2016, the Topps 1952 Willie Mays card was auctioned off at $509, 217, the card itself was the first Topps card to feature Willie Mays. While not his rookie card it is still very valuable as he would join the U.S. Army in May of that year.

Mays was a 24-time All-Star, 2-time National League MVP, the 1952 batting champion, and a four-time stolen base leader. He only won one World Series in 1954 with the San Francisco Giants.

19. 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente – $509,217

The adjusted price for the Roberto Clemente 1955 Topps card is $509,217. The card is presented in a horizontal image, rare in Baseball cards, and it is extremely valuable due to itbeing Clemente’s rookie card.

Clemente was a two-time World Series winner,15-time All-Star, 12-time Golden Glove award winner, and a four-time National League batting champion. His career was cut short at age 38 when he died in a plane crash en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

18. 1909-1911 T206 Ty Cobb – $520,323

In reality, the Ty Cobb card is a set of 4 cards, and some of the most desired collectors cards on the planet. The cards come with two different portraits and are valued at well over half a million dollars.

Cobb himself was an MVP, 12-time batting champion, 6-time stolen base leader, and MLB all century team. In 1994 his life was portrayed on the big screen by Tommy Lee Jones in the movie Cobb.

17. 1969/70 Topps Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – $534, 678

In reality, the card has Kareem’s given name of Lew Alcindor, and it is the only rookie card of the best offensive player in NBA history. The card was auctioned in 2016 and today has a value of $534,678.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was towering at 7′ 2″, he won six NBA titles with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. He is a six-time NBA MVP, two-time NBA Finals MVP, and 19-time All-Star.

16. 1910 Old Mill Shoeless Joe Jackson – $600,000

One of the rarest baseball cards in the world, and only a handful weremade during his playing days. Shoeless Joe Jackson is featured as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, a minor league team.

Jackson won one World Series with the Chicago White Sox, but he was also involved in the Black Sox scandal after the 1919 World Series where he, along with seven other teammates were accused of accepting bribes to throw the series. In 1920 he was acquitted of the allegations.

15. 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth – $640,343

Another rarity the card features Ruth as a pitcher and the reverse has a schedule for the team that season. At the time the Baltimore News made two sets of the two local teams, the Orioles and the Terrapins of the Federal League.

Babe Ruth is considered by many the greatest Baseball player to ever play. He won seven World Series, a twelve-time home run leader, and a 94 win pitcher. The Babe did it all!

14. 1968 Topps Jerry Koosman/Nolan Ryan – $652,352

Two great pitchers on one baseball card have made this card so valuable. For Ryan, it was his rookie card and it is one of the most sought after cards in this collection. The card has been printed numerous times but the one pictured is the true original print.

Nolan Ryan was a monster on the mound. He recorded well over 5,000 strikeouts, he was an 8-time All-Star, two time National League ERA leader, and a one time World Series champion.

13. 1909-1911 T206 Sherry Magee – $671,983

The T206 set is extremely valuable and is considered the most important card setby collectors. It is considered one of the “The Big Three” in the world of baseball cards.

Sherry Magee hit over 2,000 hits, 83 home runs, and won the World Series with the Cincinnati Reds. In 1911, Magee punched an umpire in a dispute over a third strike call, knocking him unconscious. He was suspended for 36 games.

12. 1909 American Caramel Shoeless Joe Jackson – $710,719

To many collectors this is Shoeless Joe Jackson’s rookie card, the card came with hard caramel candy treats. Jackson got his nickname when he removed his cleats after suffering a painful blister during a game. He walked to the plate without his shoes.

In the movie Field of Dreams, Jackson is portrayed by Ray Liotta, the film is about an Iowa farmer who hears a mysterious voice telling him to build a baseball field on his farm so various baseball players of the past can play once again.

11. 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle – $763,616

The card is the only recognized rookie card of Mickey Mantle. It was auctioned off in 2018 and sold for more than $700,000. The card is known to have many print lines and wax stains.

Mickey Mantle is a Yankee icon, he was a 20-time All-Star, seven-time World Champion, three-timeAmerican League MVP, and 1956 triple crown winner. His number 7 jersey was retired by the Yankees.

10. 1963 Topps Pedro González / Ken McMullen / Pete Rose / Al Weis – $763,826

This card is the official rookie card of Pete Rose. The card was sold in 2016 by Heritage Auction for $717,000. In the 1980s many counterfeit cards appeared during the collector’s boom of the 80s.

Rose himself is one of Baseball’s most infamous players, while he had a great career he was banned from the game when accusations arose that he gambled on baseball games while he played for and managed the Reds.

9. 1916 M101-5 Sporting News Babe Ruth – $763,826

The Babe is once again on this list as his rookie card is worth well over $750,000. In this case, Ruth is pitching as a Boston Red Sox right before his move to the New York Yankees. The card is unique because it features a blank back.

Ruth pitched 107 complete games, he had 17 shutouts and a career ERA of 2.28. In World Series play he went 3-0 on the mound and he was moved to the outfield in 1918.

8. 1909–11 T206 Eddie Plank – $779,548

The second most important card of the T206 set and the only one of this hall of fame pitcher. In 2012, it was sold for $700,000 and it is a card that is very difficult to find, although the reasons are unknown.

Plank was one of the best left-handed pitchers at the time, he had 327 career wins and was the all-time leader in wins for a left-hander until the early 1960s. Plank won 20 or more games on eight separate occasions and has the most shutouts for a left-hander at 69.

7. 2003–04 Upper Deck LeBron James / Michael Jordan – $900,000

Two of basketball’s biggest icons on one card. LeBron James and Michael Jordan. The card is one of the highest amounts paid for a modern trading card.

Jordan and James need no introduction, they are considered two of the greatest NBA players of all time. Today the debate rages on as to who is the greatest between the two.

6. 2009 Bowman Mike Trout Red Refractor- $922,500

Mike Trout began his career in 2009, and this modern-day MLB slugger’s card sold for just under 1 million dollars. At the moment he is an 8-time All-Star, 3-time AL MVP, 2014 RBI AL leader, and got into the 30-30 club in 2012.

Trout is considered the best player of his generation, he has obtained an array of individual awards and his card is rumored to be sold for over $3 million dollars in the future.

5. 2003–04 Upper Deck LeBron James – $1,845,000

LeBron James rookie card is one of the most valuable trading cards in the world. The four-time NBA champion’s card sold for over 1.8 million dollars in 2020. It’s hard not to think LeBron’s rookie card wouldn’t go at a high value. He is the best basketball player of his generation.

LeBron is more than a basketball player, he has turned into an icon, an actor, a brand, a social activist. LeBron James is one of the most successful athletes of this century.

4. 2013–14 Panini Giannis Antetokounmpo – $1,857,300

Giannis Antetokounmpo has done a lot in his career, a two-time NBA MVP, a 4-time All-Star, 2020 Defensive player of the year. Giannis Antetokounmpo looks like the next big player of the NBA.

The Panini rookie card sold for over 1.8 million dollars in a 2020 auction and broke the record for a Basketball card set by LeBron James rookie card only a few months earlier.

3. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle – $2,932,287

Mickey Mantle’s 1952 Topps card is the most important baseball card in the industry of trading cards according to some. While not his rookie card the 1952 Topps card is one of the most sought-after cards in the world.

The card was sold by retired NFL player Evan Mathis. It went for just under three million dollars, it set the record for the sale of a post-war card.

2. 1909–11 T206 Honus Wagner – $3,323,760

Considered the most important baseball card of them all, the Honus Wagner card was owned by NHL great Wayne Gretzky and it was sold at $2,800,000 in 2007. It is a rare baseball card, although the reasons are not known, some believe it is due to the promotion of tobacco use to children during its time.

In 2016 it was auctioned off at 3.3 million dollars and it is believed that only 50 to 200 cards were ever produced. Wagner himself was an 8-time NL batting champion, a 5-time NL RBI leader, and a 5-time NL stolen base leader. He won 1 World Series in 1909.

1. 2009 Bowman Mike TroutSuperfractor – $3,936,000

The most expensive and most valuable trading card in the world belongs to Mike Trout and Bowman. The 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Mike Trout Superfractor Autograph went for just under four million dollars. The card was sold by gambling consultant David “Vegas Dave” Oancea.

Trout has spent his whole career with the Los Angeles Angels, and has already hit over 300 home runs, 1,000 hits, and has a batting average of .304.

All these recordswere achievedafter Major League Baseball (MLB) was foundedin 1903 whenthe first World Series was heldbetween the winners of the American and National Leagues. With that said, we present the 25 MLB records that are impossible to be broken.

25. Bob Shaw: 5 Balks In One Game

Balks are one of the most uncommon things you’ll see on a baseball game. As a matter of fact, there have been only around 150 balks per season since 2000, consideringthat a full season has 2,430 games.

However, Bob Shaw once managed to do the unthinkable. He balked five timeswhen he was pitching for the Braves in a game vsthe Chicago Cubs in 1963. Most people don’t even know exactly what a balk is anymore,givenhow much the rules have changed.

24. Connie Mack: 3,948 Losses As Manager

Ownerships, investors groups, executives, and fans just don’t seem to have the slightest patience when it comes to losing. If the team isn’t winning, you better start trading players, signing stars, firing managers, or doing whatever you need to do to turn the franchise around.

So, that’s why no manager is ever going to come close to Connie Mack’s infamous record of 3,948 career losses as a manager. To put this number into context, the second on that list is John McGraw with 1,948 losses. Still, he does hold the record for most wins (3,731) as well, but that’s something that happens when you managefor 49 straight seasons.

23. Hack Wilson: 191 RBIs In One Season

Hack Wilson was the ultimate slugger during his prime. He held the record for most home runs in one season (56) in the National League, a milestone that stood for over 68 years. However, that wasn’t even his mostimpressive stat.

Notably, he only led the league in RBI’s twice in his career despite being a terrific hitter, but his 191 RBIs in 1930 isgoing to keep him in the history books for a longtime.

22. Barry Bonds: 73 Home Runs In One Season

Most people are reluctant to give any credit to Barry Bonds because of the controversies that often surrounded him. Obviously, die-hard fans don’t take steroid use lightly and for good reason, as players were basically cheating in the sport.

However, steroids or not, Bond’s 73 home runs in one season are still official and won’t be taken out of the record books unless someone tops them.

21. Sammy Sosa: 3 Seasons Of 60+ Home Runs

Obviously, all the great things Sammy Sosa did during his MLB career have an asterisk next to it due to the reasons we all know by now. But still, Sosa dominated among those sluggers who weren’t up to no good.

Sosa led the league in home runs twice, but his most impressive milestone has to be the 3 times he sent over 60 balls outside of the park (66 in 1998, 63 in 1999 and 64 in 2001). MLB could never prove Sosa was on PED’s, but he was found guilty of using corked bats during one of the biggest slumps of his career.

20. Joe Sewell: 115 Games Without A Strikeout

Sewell was a master at making contact. If you thought Ichiro Suzuki or Jose Altuve were hitting machines, well Joe Sewell was the first among this type of batters, as he still holds the lowest strikeout ratio in MLB history.

Joe struck out every 62.5 at-bats, and he once went 115 straight games without striking out. He struck out just 114 times throughout his 14-year career.

19. Ichiro Suzuki: 262 hitsIn A Single Season

Since his arrival to the MLB in 2001, the Japanese outfielder has set numerous records, among them getting 262 single-season hits in 2004. He broke George Sisler’s previous record of 257, which he achieved in 1920.

Ichiro also got more than 200 hits for 10 consecutive seasons, something no other player has been able to do in MLB history.

18.Barry Bonds: 2,558 Walks

During his 22-year career, Bonds broke several records that still stand today. Opposing pitchers were terrified of him and his ability to make contact. Additionally, he is the only player in MLB history to win seven MVP awards.

Although the previously mentioned records are already unlikely to be broken, the one that probably no one will even get close to is his 2,558 walks in his career, 688 of which were intentional.

17.Ed Reulbach: 2 Shutouts In TheSame Day

Ed Reulbach’s best season came in 1908 when he won 24 games in the National League and the World Series with the Chicago Cubs, which would be the team’s last championship until 2016. That season, he also did something that we will probably never see in the current era.

On September 26th, the Cubs played a doubleheader against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Reulbach was not just the opening pitcher for both games, he would become the first player in MLB history to throw two shutouts on the same day. Something no other player has even gotten close to achieving.

16.Orel Hershiser: 59 Innings Without Conceding A Run

Hershiser played 18 MLB seasons for five different teams, but 1988 would be his best season while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. That season, he would achieve a historic record of 59 innings without conceding a run.

Along with that, he would win that season’s National League MVP and was named the World Series MVP after winning the championship with the Dodgers. He also won the National League Cy Young award and the Gold Glove.

15.Rickey Henderson: 1,406 Stolen Bases

Henderson holds two hitting records, but his stolen bases stand out the most in his career. He stole a total of 1,406 bases, the most in MLB history and far ahead of the previous holder, Lou Brock, who stole 938.

His best season came in 1982 when he stole 130 bases. That would be the second-highest number recorded in a single season behind Hugh Nicol’s 138in 1887. If that was not enough, Henderson also holds the record for most runs scored with 2,295.

14. Tris Speaker: 792 Career Doubles

Without a doubt, Speaker was one of the greatest batters of all time. Tristram Speaker managed to get 792 doubles in his 22-yearcareer, during which he played for the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, and Philadelphia Athletics.

The only player who has ever come close to reaching his record was Pete Rose, who got 746 doubles in his 24-year career.

13. Sam Crawford: 309 Career Triples

Although he retired in 1917, he still holds the record for most career triples with 309. In his 19-year career, he played four of them for the Cincinnati Reds and 15 for the Detroit Tigers, where he became a legend.

Additionally, he has 12 inside-the-parkhome runs and was the first player to lead the American and National League in home runs.

12.Joe DiMaggio: 56 Consecutive Games with a hit

His streak started on May 15th, 1941, in a game against the Chicago White Sox, which would last until July 17th in Cleveland. In that run, he would go 56 straight games with at least one hit, surpassing George Sisler’s 41 and Willie Keeler’s 44 consecutive games.

In the years since, the only player who has come close to breaking that record was Pete Rose, who went 44 straight games with a hit in 1978.

11. Hank Aaron: 6,856 Total Bases

Hank Aaron was one of the most dominant batters in MLBhistory. In fact, he held the record for more career home runs (755) for 33 years until Barry Bonds broke that record. Still, he’s the all-time leader in total bases with 6,856; something unlikely to be matched.

If that wasn’t enough, Aaron also holds the record for the most RBIs (2,297), extra-base hits (1,477), and most straight seasons with 150+ hits (17).

10. Cal Ripken Jr.: 2,632 Consecutive Games Played

He was one of the best and most respected players of his era. He played his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles and would take part in 19 All-Star games, but his biggest achievement was breaking the record for most consecutive games played.

Ripken Jr. achieved that historic record by playing in every game from May 30th, 1982 to September 19th, 1998. He did not miss a single game for 17 seasons and would go on to play a total of 2,632 consecutive games, surpassing the previous record set by Lou Gehrig with 2,130 games played.

9.Ty Cobb: .366 Batting Average

The first Hall of Fame inductee at a certainpoint held90 individual records. Since retiring in 1928, many of thoserecords have been broken, but one of them still stands and is virtually impossibleto break.

During his 23-year career, he hada batting average of .366, something he achieved by surpassing .300 for 22 straight seasons.

8. Nolan Ryan: 5,714 Strikeouts

Considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time, “The Express” was well known for his polarizing fastball. In his 27-year MLB career, he would go down as the pitcher with the most strikeouts with 5,714. The only player who comes close to this record is Randy Johnson with 4,875.

If that wasn’t enough, Ryan also holds the record for most No-Hitters, achieving a total of seven throughout his career. The second player with the most No-Hitters is Sandy Koufax with four.

7.Walter Johnson: 110 Shutouts

The historic Washington Senators pitcher, considered by many the greatest right-handed pitcher of all time, played in the Majors for 21 seasons. In that time, he set a record that is almost impossible for any currentplayer to break: 110 shutout games.

Johnson was one of the first five players to be inducted in the Hall of Fame. Those five players were known as”The Immortals” and include greats such as Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth y Honus Wagner.

6.Pete Rose: 4,256 Career Hits

In 1985, Roseentered the MLB record books by surpassing Ty Cobb’s previous record of 4,192 career hits and going on to get a total of 4,256 career hits. They are the only players in history to get more than 4,000 hits.

In addition to the hitting record, Pete Rose led the league in hits for seven seasons, which was one shy of Cobb’s record. Six of those seasons were withthe Cincinnati Reds,and one for the Philadelphia Phillies. He also had a brief stint with the Montreal Expos.

5.Fernando Tatis: TwoGrand Slams InOneInning

Thereis a point of debate whether this is a record or just anachievement. Regardless, we wanted to include this on our list as it is one of the most remarkable things we have seen in baseball.

It occurred on Abril 23rd, 1999 in a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers. Playing at the time for the Cardinals, Tatis made history by becoming the first player to hit two GrandSlams in the same inning. Both home runs came off the same pitchers, Chan Ho Park. Those eight runs he scored also set another recordfor the most RBIs in a single inning.

4. Cy Young: 749 Complete Games

There’s a reason why the Cy Young award is called that way. Cy Young was one of the most dominant pitchers in the history of this beautiful sport, but his most impressive feature was his durability.

Young loved to go the distance every time he was out there, often completing games regardless of the outcome. With the way pitchers take care of their bodies right now, no one’s going to come close to his 749 complete games.

3. Charles Radbourn: 59 Wins

Charles ‘Old Hoss’ Radbourn was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball’s early days. Obviously, he didn’t face the kind of professional opposition most dart-throwers have to deal with nowadays, but his stats are still quite impressive.

As a matter of fact, Radbourn had 59 wins and 13 losses in 1884. Needless to say, no pitcher is going to pitch 72 games in one season.

2. Johnny Vander Meer’s Two Straight No-Hitters

Johnny Vander Meer enjoyed quite a successful 14-year career in the MLB. He made it to 4 All-Star Games, led the National League in strikeouts three times, and even won 1 World Series with the Cincinnati Reds.

However, none of that comes close to his most significant milestone: throwing two straight No-Hitters, which is something people don’t talk enough about nowadays.

1.Cy Young: 511 Career Wins

There have been many great pitchers over the years, but no one has ever come close to reaching Cy Young’s career win total of 511. He remarkably managed to win an average of 23 games a season during his 22-year career.

There is a reason why the award given to the best pitcher each season is named after him. He also holds the records for most innings pitched (7,356). All records that are impossible to break in today’s game as all teams limit their pitchers’ workload.