The Top 50 Baseball Cards of All Time

Commemorating SABR’s 50th Anniversary, we took a look back at how baseball cards have depicted baseball over time. This list doesn’t represent our top cards but rather an overview of its evolution and what it represents for us today.

In 1977, Topps’ Curt Flood card represented the initial prod of change within baseball’s labor market and introduced collectors to the concept of Wins Above Replacement (WAR).

Early Life and Education

Contrary to cricket, which requires large expanses of land and can only be played during sunny weather conditions, baseball was played almost anywhere across America and this helped its spread.

As World War II commenced, many baseball stars joined the military. Bob Feller joined the Army while Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams became pilots.

At the same time, racial segregation began affecting baseball itself. Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers learned of an incident wherein one of their black teammates was refused accommodation during a road trip – this incident led to him to try and break down color barriers by breaking them.

Professional Career

Scholars have long examined working life tables for various professions; however, little research has focused on baseball players specifically. Like other occupations, career longevity of baseball players depends on age and performance – generally productivity steadily rises until reaching peak age at which it begins to decline (Lehman 1953; Schulz et al. 1994).

Ancillary factors that impact career length include both the time period in which and age at which players began their professional careers, as well as starting age. Panel A provides career survival curves by decade and shows that position players who started younger had longer and more stable careers upon entering major league baseball; their exit rates also tend to skew toward early exit due to higher dropout rates during their initial year of play.

Achievement and Honors

Players who made it into the 50-home run club made an indelible mark on baseball that continues to this day. From inner-circle Hall of Famers to PED-abusing superstars, these iconic players remain revered for their immense strength and incredible power in launching balls into the stands.

In 1997, MLB Commissioner Allan H. Selig honored Jackie Robinson by retiring his number 42 across all MLB teams and numerous card companies offered special releases and commemoratives commemorating this monumental event.

Only 31 players in MLB history have reached 50 home runs, with 10 having done it more than once. Of these 31 members, two teammates – Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris – became part of this exclusive club together.

Net Worth

In the past, owning a minor league baseball franchise was more of a hobby than an investment opportunity. But recently, thanks to increased fan interest in the sport and increasing franchise values, ownership has become more profitable than ever. FORBES estimates that the 20 most valuable Minor League Baseball teams are worth an average of $37.5 million, almost 35% more than we estimated in 2013. Since 2013, several new ballparks opened, leading to attendance increases of 75% or more at various teams. Charlotte Knights (International League/Triple-A) saw attendance increase to 670,000 following their new ballpark opening in downtown Charlotte in 2014. Robert Rich Jr. is estimated to be worth an estimated 4.3 billion after inheriting Rich Products food conglomerate from his father Robert.