24 Vintage Sports Cards That Could Pay Off Most Mortgages

When going through old sports cards, you may brush past one worth thousands or millions. These massively rare cards will blend into the rest of them, and you must pick out which are rare. These cards carry from sport to sport, and most of these cards had just been collected through regular sports card packages, where you had no idea that the card you just opened was worth a fortune. The sports cards that pay the most look just like the rest, so you may have to look at the information on the back, which will indicate how much the card is worth.

This old-time card holds plenty of rarity, with an estimated 50-100 copies to ever exist; the Honus Wager baseball card is the most expensive ever. The basic-looking card was sold for 6.6 million dollars back in 2021, which was one of the most significant prices for a baseball card ever.

A newer card with Mike Trout still playing, the rookie card of him is worth big bucks. Although collectors are unsure how many of these cards have been produced, the ones with his autographs will be worth much more. One of these autographed cards can run you up to 3.8 million dollars, which was sold in 2020.

The 1952 Mickey Mantle card is the holy grail for baseball and all sports cards. With Mickey Mantle being one of the greatest sluggers of all time, this only raises the card’s stock. This Mantle card was sold for 12.6 million dollars in 2022 but shattered the record for the most expensive card.

Steph Curry 2009 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Autograph

Steph Curry quickly became significant in the NBA, with the style of play being more focused on shooting, and he happens to be a fantastic three-point shooter. While adding an autograph to any card will make it more valuable, the Steph Curry card with the rookie patch and autograph is a 1-1 card, so it sold for a whopping 5.9 million dollars at auction.

LeBron James 2003-04 Rookie Patch Autograph Upper Deck Exquisite

With arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, this card fits him. This card features an 18-year-old LeBron James, his autograph, and a jersey piece. These three things combined make this card extremely rare, with only 23 out there. This card had sold at auction for 5.2 million dollars back in 2021. This card had collectors spending life savings on packs to find this specific card.

Luka Doncic 2018-19 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Autograph

This card features the new Luka Doncic, who had taken the league by storm and continues to pave the way to become one of the greatest basketball players ever. This card sold for 4.6 million dollars in 2021 and is a one-of-one card with a game-worn jersey patch and his autograph. Collectors have come out to believe that Luka’s mother, not him, had signed the card, which puts a toll on the price.

Only after a few years in the NFL did Patrick Mahomes already make an excellent name with many impressive accolades. This autographed football card had blown the previous record for the most expensive football card, selling for 4.3 million dollars, which broke the previous record by 3 million dollars.

The iconic 1933 set of baseball cards produced by Goudey includes four different Babe Ruth cards. The #53 card, also called the Yellow Ruth, is the most expensive one since it is so hard to get in good condition, so it sold for 4.2 million dollars. Another reason this card is so expensive would be Babe Ruth’s stats, with him being one of the greatest baseball players to even step foot on a diamond.