Last Updated on January 23, 2023
The 2000s baseball card list consists of 478 in total. So, shortlisting the most valuable baseball cards 2000s from this extensive directory will be a hassle if you’re planning to add some to your collection.
In this series, you can find cards of Miguel Cabera, Ken Griffey Jr, Mark McGwire, Tony Gwynn, and many more legendary players. Some may cost you up to $2,000 if you want them, including the player’s autograph.
As a professional baseball coach and ex-minor league player, I’m also a fan of stocking baseball cards, no matter the price. And I’ve gone through the complete lists from 70s Topps to the date.
There are more interesting facts about these cards. I will share the most expensive ones in this post, including their USPs. Let’s head into the main section to learn why I’ve considered adding them to the list.
“All the card prices and availability can fluctuate time by time depending on the market demand and supply. The author doesn’t have any intention to drive misleading information.”
#1 Most Valuable Baseball Cards Of The 2000s – Topps Stadium Relic Willie Mays Autographed Card
Player’s History
If there’s a baseball player you need to rank just after Babe Ruth, it’ll be none other than Willie Mays. This classic baseball player was a center fielder. However, he rolled his career with a giant score of 660 home runs, following the 714 home runs by Babe Ruth.
The Hall of Fame player was entitled to many awards and records. A few of them are 2 times MVP, Rookie of the Year, 24 Times All-Star, 12 Times Golden Glove, ML PoY, etc.
After this career as a player, he joined differently related and varied roles in baseball. I’ve also seen his appearance in many movies, series, and dramas. The most popular TV public appearances by Willie were Star Trek: Deep Space (episode 9), The Donna Reed Show, and What’s My Line, etc.
About the Card
“One thing I noticed unique about the 2000s cards is they have a conventional traditional design and borders, which you won’t see common in 90s sets.”
“The SR5 Willie Mays is one of the high-priced baseball cards on the market. Previously, most resellers used to sell the signed item for $1,100 to $1,200. But recently, the price skyrocketed to $7,500 on an auction held by the PSA on its website.
This price is applicable for PSA 7 graded cards. So, you can imagine the popularity of Willies still among youngsters.
During the captured time, Willie was playing for the San Francisco Giants. It’s manufactured and distributed by Topps. The card is auto-patched and not a reprinted version.
#2 Most Valuable 2000s Baseball Cards – Miguel Cabrera Rookie Card
Player’s History
Miguel Cabera is one of the iconic players of his era. This Venezuelan player is also entitled to be a Triple Crown winner. The list only had 27 players before 2000.
Currently, he’s playing as a hitter (mainly designated for his first baseman role) for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.
Miguel recently confirmed his retirement in the upcoming 2023 baseball season. It’s the perfect time to collect a card of this celebrity baseball player now, as he’s still in the plays.
Another reason his 2000 baseball cards are worth money is that Miggy (his pet name) has won back-2-back MVP awards as an American League player. It made his career more exciting. So, if you want to be a proud collector, Miguel Cabera deserves your attention.
About the Card
The season of 2000 was the most critical career block for Miguel Cabrera. During this period, he was playing for the Venezuelan Winter League.
It was produced by one of the renowned card manufacturers, Topps. They introduced 2 cards in total. The first one is the primary card without any autograph.
And the second one is a signature rookie card. On eBay, most collectors sell this card with a $2000 price tag.
“This card isn’t included in the Topps flagship collection of 2000. However, considering the player’s career and performance during the season, it really deserves a position on my list.”
#3 Most Valuable Combo Baseball Cards From 2000 – Topps Gold Refractor Derek Jeter and Alfonso Soriano
- Price for Gold Refractor: $1,700
Player’s History
This Derek and Alfonso set surely deserves your attention if you’re looking for another combo baseball card. Let’s dig into their career journey.
Derek was one of the famous short-stoppers, playing for New York Yankees. His popularity was so high that when this guy was elected to the Hall of Fame, he got 99.75% of the votes in 2020.
He brought home the World Series title 5 times for the New York Yankees. Because of his immersive contribution, he was considered an all-time career leader of the NYY.
On the flip side, Alfonso debuted his journey in the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in 1997. After 2 seasons, he switched to the New York Yankees to explore more opportunities.
This second baseman hit 412 home runs during his career. He’s the 7th time Major League Baseball All-Star owner. In 2014, this American baseball player retired from MLB.
About the Card
The cards are manufactured by the Topps again. These have silver borders on both sides. Regarding front-side lamination, Darek’s part has a gold refractor design. And for Alfonso, Topps added a silver refractor design.
Both cards are single-parallel. Please note that these cards don’t have any hard signatures of any players. I also couldn’t find any information regarding grading points online.
#4 Most Valuable Baseball Cards 2000s – Topps Finest For The Record #3B Ken Griffey Jr.
Player’s History
13 times All-Star Ken is the son of Ken Griffey Sr, a famous baseball player and coach during his era. Ken spent most of his career playing as an outfielder for Seattle Mariners. However, he’s pretty well-known as an iconic home run hitter.
This guy has pocketed 630 home runs throughout his journey. He ranked number 7th for his HR scores in the Major League Baseball most home run scorers. Ken is also acknowledged for the most consecutive games with home runs.
Because of his outstanding performance as a defender, he also grabbed 10 golden gloves till now.
The American was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. His last appearance as a professional baseball player was in 2010.
About the Card
Topps also featured Ken Griffey Jr. baseball cards in 2000, which is now a bit rare in the online market. The brand published it under its “Finest” series (the most demanding baseball cards series by Topps.)
Due to the lack of availability, his card prices are quite high, even without the autograph. However, according to my findings, you can find one at around $1,500. And it’s the original version (not a reprint) by the following manufacturer.
“You’ll get the required acetate and the company-authorized card serial number with the 86th Ken Griffey Jr. baseball card.”
You can also find a budget version of the 2000 Ken Jr. card, which is featured with Alex Rodriguez on the other side, at around $100
#5 Most Valuable Baseball Cards from The 2000s – Sandy Koufax Signed Baseball Card
Player’s History
Sandy Koufax played 12 MLB seasons in total as a Brooklyn Dodger. And during this journey, he achieved multiple awards and titles because of his remarkable performance.
He was recognized as the best pitcher between the years 1962 to 1966. Without that, the left-handed pitcher was also awarded Cy Young and MVP titles in the early 60s.
In 1972, Sandy was acknowledged with the Baseball Hall of Fame recognition. He was the youngest baseball player ever recognized with the title at 36. The demise of this prolific pitcher came due to severe arthritis in his left arm.
About the Card
I found two different branded valuable baseball cards featuring Sandy Koufax. The first one is the master collection from the American manufacturer Upper Deck.
The specialty of the card is that it’s labeled with a game-used jersey by Sandy. Because of that, it’s also introduced as a limited edition baseball card, only 250 pieces with
Sandy’s hard autograph ever produced. You can expect this baseball card at around $1,500 to $1,600.
And the second card also came with the player’s autograph, authenticated by PSA. Fleer, the manufacturer, captured Sandy’s 61s-62s season in this classic baseball card. On the secondary market, the price of this signed card is around $600 or above.
#6 MostValuable Baseball Cards From 2000s – Roy Halladay 2000 Topps #186 Signed Card
- Price for PSA 10 Gem Mint: $4 to $19.99
- Price for PSA 10 Gem Mint with Autograph: $917 (approximately)
Player’s History
Roy Halladay, also known as Harry Leroy, debuted as a professional Major League Baseball player in 1998.
During his career, he was one of the most dominating pitchers. He was able to conquer 2,117 strikeouts throughout his baseball career.
His notable achieved records and acknowledgment include;
- 8 Times All-Star
- Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame
- 2 Times MLB Wins Leader
- 2 Times Cy Young Awards, etc.
After experiencing severe shoulder injuries, Ray decided to say goodbye to professional baseball. His last MLB appearance was in 2013.
Unfortunately, this legendary player died in a plane crash in 2017 at only 40.
About the Card
The 186th of 2000 Topps baseball cards of Roy Halladay have multiple editions introduced till now. The retail version of the card price is pretty low. However, the premium edition with the Joe Orlando signature series can cost anywhere from $826 to $917.
The grade of the card condition is excellent and certified by the Professional Sports Authenticator.
Because of the unique number and tamper hologram, your version of the autographed card will always have the market value. Besides, it’s a limited edition.
“In the captured card moment, Roy was playing for the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2000 MLB season.”
#7 Most Valuable Baseball Card 2000s – Corey Patterson Baseball Card
Player’s History
I’m not a big fan of Corey Patterson. Because his career was so diverse and he changed to different teams frequently (12-14 teams).
However, his name also appears in the list of most valuable cards of the 2000s. This guy had an 11-year baseball career. He started as a Chicago Cubs in 2000.
Corey was mainly known for his tremendous performance as a center fielder. He also marked his presence with home runs (118 HR.)
The guy started his professional Major League Baseball career in 2000, where he stayed for 5 years. His last appearance was in St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. Afterward, he joined Brookhaven Bucks as a manager.
About the Card
There’s an exciting story about this card, which makes it worthy of being in your collection. Unlike other typical only autographed baseball cards, this one comes with a game-used bat’s wood piece. It undoubtedly makes the high price justified.
The card was made for an in-house collection by Beckett. But it was listed for auction by mistake with a similar baseball card of Chipper Jones in 2000.
After a few years, it was again out for public sale. But this time, only authorized advertisers and distributors are allowed to so, such as Vipr and Sports Memorabilia. The linked copies have Mint 9 grades authenticated by BGS.
On eBay, you can get a copy for $600. However, the SM version is priced at $900 on Amazon.
#8 Most Valuable Baseball Card 2000s – Topps Combos Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire
Player’s History
The next card consists of 2 different players, Sammy Sossa and Mark McGwire. If talking about Sammy, this Dominican-American player, debuted his MLB career in 1989 with Texas Rangers. However, most of the seasons he played were for the Chicago Cubs.
Sammy was one of the best game hitters during the 90s. He was credited with hitting 609 home runs throughout his professional baseball journey. He also hit 60 home runs in 2 seasons frequently.
Unlike Sammy, Mark, also known as Mark David McGwire, had fewer seasons. He started his MLB career in the mid-80s for Oakland Athletics. He was also famous for his aggressive home-hitting skills. Mark hit a total of 583 in 16 MLB seasons.
During his career, he was recognized with awards like “Rookie of the Year,” 12 Times All-Star, Gold Glove, 3 Times Silver Slugger, and many more. His team also won the World Series 2 times.
About the Card
Both players were pretty popular for their dominating playing, especially batting during their MLB career. You’ll find them both in the same frame in this BAS-certified Topps baseball card.
When the moment was captured, Sammy played for St. Louis Cardinals and Mark for Chicago Cubs.
It has the signature of both players on the front. BGS authenticates the grades of the cards.
#9 Most Valuable Baseball Cards from 2000 – Topps Auto Ivan Rodriguez
Want to add the best baseball catcher in the MLB? Indeed, you should check out Ivan’s card from Topps 2000 collection. But before learning about the card, let me share his notable career insights.
Ivan Rodríguez started his baseball career as a catcher for the Texas Rangers in 1991. However, he switched to different teams like the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, etc.
Throughout his career, he was awarded multiple prestigious awards for his unbreakable defensive performance. For example, Ivan received the AL MVP award and held the full catching record (2,227) in the history of Major League baseball.
Even though this fellow has a catcher’s foundation, he also has good home run scores in his pocket. Alone in Major League Baseball, he scored a total of 311 HRs.
He also has the best catch-stealing rate of 45.68% in the history of MLB. Because of his incredible performance in 20 seasons, Ivan was elected as a “Hall of Fame.” His last appearance in the pro league was in 2011 on behalf of Washington Nationalist.
About the Card
In the $580 to $600 price range, you can get this Ivan’s baseball card in the secondary market. It symbolizes his moments as a Texas Rangers. You’ll find Ivan playing as the catcher.
Topps also manufactures the card. And just like their other Finest autographed cards, there’s a Topps monogram on the front side, along with a hard signature by the player also.
On the back side, Topps shared his personal details. There’s also a callout section where they mentioned why he’s one of the best catchers compared to Johnny Bench.
#10 Most Valuable Baseball Card from 2000 – Topps Chipper Jones Chrome Version
Player’s History
It’s time to end this listing with the last player, Chipper Jones. Chipper started for the Atlanta Braves in 1993.
In a conference, Mark Teixeira said that Jones is the best hitter after Eddie Murray and Mickey Mantle. He scored a total of 468 runs during his MLB games.
Considering the batting average, he’s the only switch hitter with .300. Because of that, he achieved the title of “Batting Champion” early in his career.
He’s also the 2 times silver slugger owner, ranking with an average slugging score of .500. Without these, he has also achieved the 8th All-Star and MVP title for incredible performance in different games.
Because of his unforgettable input in baseball history, he was also recognized with the Hall of Fame in 2018 with a 92.5% vote. His last appearance was in 2012.
About the Card
Topps introduced C. Jones in their sports trading card lately. Otherwise, most baseball card collectors would grab this edition earlier. Topps published a total of 100 cards in this edition. However, I’ve found only a few original card series available online.
The card isn’t graded mint. So, you can expect to witness some wear and tear. If talking about the design, it’s a bit different from other Topps cards. For instance, the borders are black instead of gray or silver.
The card is also designed with a refractor. So, if you’re a fan of Jones and those glossy designs, check out this. Both official sellers (COMC) and traders offer the card for around $340 to $400.
It would be best if you read this article also to store your cards:
Baseball Card Storage Ideas | Organize Your Baseball Cards Best Way
Frequently Asked Questions
What newer baseball cards are worth money?
New baseball cards are generally worth around $20 to $99 if not autographed by the player. For hard autographed baseball cards, you can expect a price starting from $350 to $55,000, depending on the player’s popularity and the card’s supply.
Are any 90’s baseball cards worth money?
90’s cards are worth the highest price tag so far. For example, Derek Jeter’s rookie baseball card is offered in the secondary market for $100,000.
What years of baseball cards are worth the most?
Baseball cards are always worth the money, no matter the year they belong. However, the 1952s and the previous versions of baseball cards are worth the most.
Compared to the 20s cards, those cards are considered vintage and offered at an extremely high price by sellers and collectors. For instance, the cost of Mickey Mantle Topps’s baseball card is around $12.6 million.
What is the rarest card in baseball?
The Topps #311 Mickey Mantle is the rarest baseball card. Because of that, it’s also the most expensive baseball card.
How do I know if my baseball cards are worth money?
You can find the worth of your baseball cards in two ways. Firstly, find the other serial of the same card online to check how much other collectors are selling. You’ll get an idea about the average price base on that.
Another way to check your baseball card’s price is by using the Collx app. Simply get the app. Take a picture of your baseball card and upload it to your profile. It’ll return you with the expected current market price.
Wrapping Up
That’s the conclusion of my finding regarding the 10 most valuable baseball cards 2000s. In brief, PSA-certified or graded cards tend to price higher than ungraded cards. Besides, a player’s authentic signature is also a major price-influencing factor.
If you also love to collect expensive baseball cards, this shortlist of 2000s cards surely deserves your attention.
Hello everyone. My name is Jason Butler, and I live in California, America. I was a professional AAA Minor League Baseball player. I lost my chance of playing MLB for injury issues, but I did not lose my love for baseball. I attended the coaching training program and am now working as a coach in a small school in San Diego.
I always love to share my experience and knowledge if that can help you. Play baseball, and stay fit.