It’s always great when you can turn a hobby into an investment opportunity. That’s why so many people collect baseball cards, and their love for the sport makes them meticulous when choosing a particular brand.
To help you decide, we’ve listed our top three baseball card brands here.
Topps
Topps is undoubtedly one of the best baseball card brands. They are the early contender and provider of history’s best cards that survived the 90’s crash, and today, they hold exclusive MLB rights. When you think of your favorite star, their most prized card is almost always a Topps card. Your father’s favorite player’s most valued card is also probably from Topps. In addition, Topps also produces Bowman and the subsequent Bowman line of cards. Bowman is typically more popular among rookie and prospect card collectors as the Bowman versions of these cards tend to have more value.
Upper Deck
Almost every facet of the 1989 Upper Deck Baseball set was an improvement beyond what collectors had come to expect from baseball card collections. The card material was of higher quality, with anti-tamper packaging and a hologram to protect the cards from counterfeiting.
Although Upper Deck’s time in baseball was short, the company successfully secured one of the most famous cards and landed a huge hit with the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. 2010 was the last official Upper Deck baseball release.
Panini
Panini only started producing baseball cards in 2009, so the company is still relatively new compared to other baseball card brands. However, it quickly established itself as one of the few competitors today, rivaling Topps in sales and demand.
Topps (or Bowman) and Panini are today’s two active baseball card companies. Topps operates under an MLB license, whereas Panini does not. This means that Panini cards are manufactured without team logos. Panini does have an MLBPA license which allows them to produce still authentic memorabilia and autographed cards that are just as highly sought after as their Topps brand counterparts. Although Panini lacks the team logos, some collectors prefer Panini’s sleek card designs.
Bottom Line
While arguing against these three baseball card brands is complex, many more could’ve been added to the list. The nice thing is that all these brands offer something unique, so there’s something for every taste.
As the sports card industry makes a comeback, many seasoned collectors are looking to sell some of their treasured items, and some novice collectors are looking for ways to keep their cards in good condition. Luckily, we at American Legends can help with both of those things. Just contact us, and let’s start trading.
New to baseball card collecting? Here’s a quick summary:
Topps: Topps cards generally hold value, particularly vintage cards and those of star players. Their current exclusive MLB license often makes them more desirable.
Upper Deck: Upper Deck is known for its high-quality cards, especially those from the 1990s. Cards with autographs and memorabilia can still be quite valuable.
Panini: While Panini doesn’t have an MLB license or the history of the other two brands, their cards with autographs and memorabilia are valuable based on their unique designs.
Thinking about selling your cards? Consider these key factors:
- Player Performance: When a player is performing extraordinarily well, experiencing a breakout season, or is getting a lot of media buzz, demand for their cards across all brands often increases, which can potentially drive up prices.
- Rookie Cards: The best window of time to get the biggest value out of selling rookie cards of promising players is usually early in those players’ careers, especially when the players show a lot of potential.
- Rare and Popular Cards: When a brand releases unique designs or does a limited print run of a certain series, those types of cards from all three top brands, Topps, Upper Deck, and Panini, can become highly sought after during periods of overall high demand.
