Top 10 Cards of 2022

A quick recap of my 10 favorite card pickups of 2022

Hey there, I hope this post finds you well in the midst of the holiday season.

I wanted to recap some of my favorite pickups from this year. I’ll introduce each card, and describe where, how, and why I purchased it. This is not a list of the most valuable, but my most favorite.

Let’s jump in.

#10 - 1955 Topps Harmon Killebrew (SGC 3)

Harmon Killebrew hit 573 homeruns, was an MVP, 13x All-Star, and Hall of Famer.

I grabbed this one at a Chantilly show in a packaged deal with another card on this list. I paid around $150 per card. It is a beautiful example of one of the more underappreciated Hall of Famers. The color and registration are fantastic. The corners were loved, but who cares!

Current value: Unknown, do not care

#9 - 1957 Topps Frank Robinson (PSA 3)

Frank Robinson hit 586 home runs, was a 2x MVP, Triple Crown winner, 14x All-Star, and Hall of Famer. All that said, Frank might be one of the 5 most underrated players of all time.

I grabbed this one in the Killebrew deal. I paid around $150 for the card. I had talked to a colleague who also collects cards and he pointed me to a dealer who had a few examples of this card. The centering is quite good for a 3 and the image is clear. I love that the team is referred to as the RedLegs here.

Current value: Unknown, do not care

#8 - 1960 Topps Carl Yastzremski (PSA 6)

Yaz is a member of the 3000 hit club, MVP, Triple Crown winner, 18x All-Star, and Hall of Famer.

This was a Chantilly card show pickup in April. I do not remember what I paid for the card, but I do remember seeing many examples of this card splattered with ink stains which is common for this set and card. There is a slight blemish on his left cheek, and the centering is clearly off, but this is a beautiful 6 in my opinion.

Current value: Unknown, do not care

#7 - 2001 Topps Gold Ichiro Suzuki /2001 (PSA 8)

Ichiro is a 3000-hit member, MVP, 10x Gold Glove winner, 10x All-Star, and will be the first Japanese-born player in the Hall of Fame.

This was a card I purchased from my friend Max on Twitter. These are hard to come by and I believe are an underappreciated parallel set in modern baseball. 2001 Topps was the first set I remember chasing with other collectors in my family. I do not think we will ever see another Ichiro in our lifetime. He is vastly underrated even with all his accomplishments.

Current value: Unknown, do not care

#6 - 1948-49 Leaf Stan Musial (PSA 1)

Stan the Man is a 3000-hit club member, 3x MVP, 24x All-Star, 7x Batting Champion, Hall of Famer, and doesn’t get enough credit for how good he was.

I recapped this pickup in a previous post, but I will add to my thought process behind purchasing this card. This Leaf set is beautiful, Stan was nuts, and it is a great example for the grade. I’d like to add Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, and Jackie Robinson from this set at some point. Those are on a long want list! I paid $900 for this card, which was above eBay comps (don’t sue me), and I would do it again without blinking.

Current value: Unknown, do not care

#5 - T206 Piedmont Cigarettes Christy Mathewson, Dark Cap (SGC 1.5)

Matty was a 300 game winner, 2x Triple Crown receipient, 5x ERA champion, WWI veteran, and part of the inaugural class of the Hall of Fame

I am on a very expensive journey of trying to collect cards of every Hall of Famer, with a focus on the first class which was loaded with GOATs.

This card was an addition to a pretty major trade at the last second at a recent Chantilly card show. It wasn’t what I was primarily after, but it added significant value to the trade in my favor (at least that is what I am telling myself).

Not even close to being centered, with a noticeable crease to the left of his likeness, I like to think this card was loved. The image of Matty is crisp and clear though, and I love the colors in the background. I did trade a pretty scarce 1909 W555 Mathewson in this deal, so I wanted to get something of his in return. More on that trade in cards #2 and #1.

Current value: Unknown, do not care

#4 - 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax (SGC 2)

The Left Arm of God was an MVP, 3x Cy Young award winner, 3x Triple Crown recipient, 5 ERA title winner, once perfect, and is a Hall of Famer

In a normal year this card would usually be #1 on my list. It has a great image of Sanford, bright colors, and was loved a bit back in the day. I like to think that Koufax knew he was great at such a young age, but he was too humble to ever brag about it. He just wanted to pitch and win.

I paid $700 for this card at the Chantilly card show and am happy to have it.

Current value: Unknown, do not care

#3 - 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente (SGC 1.5)

Roberto was a member of the 3000-hit club, MVP, 4x Batting Champion, 15x All-Star, and 12x Gold Glove winner. Please read that again…

I purchased this card from a former big-leaguer on the Net54 forums for $1000.

With the 50th anniversary of Roberto’s passing coming up, I suspect this card to jump in price. I believe it a must have for anyone who is interested in collecting vintage baseball cards.

Roberto Clemente’s influence on baseball is unquantifiable. Even at a young age I knew who he was and understood what he meant to the game of baseball. I believe he is one of the first players every new fan should learn about when being introduced to the game’s history.

Current Value: priceless

#2 - 1954 Topps Henry (Hank) Aaron (PSA 1)

Hank hit 755 home runs, was the Home Run King for 33 years, MVP, 25x All-Star, and Hall of Famer

I once bought an example of this card that Henry signed later in his life. It was a nicer example card wise, but an Aaron rookie card is an Aaron rookie card…

I traded that autographed example in a previously mentioned large deal at the Chantilly card show and I made sure to get an Aaron in return.

This card will likely be upgraded at some point, but like the Clemente, I see it as a must have for any vintage baseball card collection.

Henry went through things many of us will never have to experience. He carried the torch that Jackie Robinson handed him and did it with grace. When I think of “Blue Chip” cards, this is definitely on the list

Current value: priceless

#1 - T206 Piedmont Cigarettes Walter Johnson Portrait (PSA 2)

The Big Train won 417 games, was a 2x MVP, 3x Triple Crown winner, won 5x ERA titles, and was part of the inaugural Hall of Fame class

There may not be a more dominant pitcher in baseball history than Walter Johnson.

This was the focus of the previously mentioned monster trade at the Chantilly card show. I traded the 1954 Topps Aaron card that was autographed and the 1909 W555 Christy Mathewson for this card, the 1954 Topps Aaron listed above, and the T206 Mathewson dark cap listed above. I added some cash to the deal.

The image on this card is fantastic. Walter’s face is clean as is the rest of his likeness. The yellow background is bold. The slight scuffing/paper loss at the top does not bother me, nor does the rounded corners. This card was loved but kept in great condition for being 100+ years old.

Add this card to the list of vintage baseball card blue chips.

I am very happy to own this copy.

Current value: Unknown, do not care

Recap and Thoughts Going into 2023

I had no idea that these 10 cards would be in my collection when I started this year. I totally refocused my collecting approach this year (more on this in future posts), and I am happy about it.

I do not know what a top 10 will look like in 2023, or if I will even have 10 card purchases to show off. Either way, I will still continue to track down great baseball cards and add them to my collection.

Comment below what your favorite card pickup is this year!