Signed PCA Debut Patch Rookie Card Being Auctioned for Hefty Price
The baseball card market has exploded over the last few years, taking it to levels I never could have imagined as a young kid. Back then, you were really doing something right when you landed the Ken Griffey Jr. Upper Deck rookie card, which I think went for around $60 or so if it was in mint condition. I recall a Frank Thomas rookie card that had a blemish in one of the printings, but my interest waned as I got into my teenage years.
What was once a hobby for young kids, one that I’d thought was dying off, has rebounded to become something that’s hard to afford without a six-figure job. Even that isn’t enough to get you into the upper tier of the market for one-of-one cards that feature actual autographs, patches from players’ MLB debuts, or both. Just like stocks, card values will trend along with player performance.
That means Pete Crow-Armstrong‘s MVP season is driving some serious interest in his card market. That is headlined by his 2024 Topps Chrome Update MLB Debut Patch Pete Crow-Armstrong Signed 1/1 Rookie Card, which is currently up for action at Goldin. You still have a few days left to bid, but you’d better have some very serious collateral.
Graded GEM MT 10 by PSA, with an autograph certified and graded GEM MT 10, this is about as immaculate a card as you’ll ever find. That’s why, as of this publication, bidding has reached $240,000. No, that’s not a typo.
Maybe if 300 of us pool $1,000 apiece, we can win the bidding and share ownership. Except that I have a sneaking suspicion even that won’t be enough to land it by the time the auction closes on September 29 at 9pm CT. Even if there are no other bids, the cost and buyer’s premium are already at nearly $300K.
I can’t help but think back to the days when two kids I knew used to steal money from the register at the liquor store where their mom worked to buy gum and cards. They also allegedly lifted one of those Griffey cards from their aunt. Things sure have changed over the last few decades, huh?
