2023’s Most Graded 1950s-1980s Cards in Each Sport

When the intake staffers at authentication and grading companies open a package, there’s still a pretty good chance there’s a 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. card inside.  PSA, SGC, Beckett and CSG graded nearly 14,000 of the Hall of Famer’s most famous card in 2023–over 6,000 more than any other sports card from the 1950s,’60s,’70s or 80s.  

Numbers compiled by Gem Rate for Sports Collectors Daily show there are now nearly 161,000 graded copies of the ’89 Upper Deck Griffey in those four holders overall.  

The second most graded sports card from those four decades in 2023 was the 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson rookie card.  Over 7,800 were added to the combined population reports last year, bringing the overall total of encapsulated Rickey rookies to nearly 51,000.

The third most graded card was the 1986 Topps Jerry Rice rookie at 6,368, just ahead of the 1984 Dan Marino rookie (5,252). The fifth most graded 1950s-80s card over the last 12 months was the 1989 Hoops Michael Jordan at 5,130. 

All five of the most graded 1980s basketball cards were of Jordan. The 1988-89 Fleer base card (4,366), the 1989-90 Fleer (3,162), 1988-89 Fleer All-Star (3,082) and his ever popular 1986-87 Fleer rookie card (2,853) rounded out the top 5 ’80s basketball rankings.

Mickey Mantle dominated the 1950s and 60s baseball submissions with four of the top 10 cards from those two decades featuring the Yankees icon. Mantle’s 1966 Topps card (#50) was graded 2,845 times. His 1958 Topps All-Star (#487) was shipped back to customers 2,818 times while the 1968 Topps Mantle (#280) was graded 2,799 times.

Likewise, Jim Brown cards led the way in 1950s and ’60s grading work, with 896 copies of his 1958 Topps rookie card and 592 examples of his 1959 Topps leading all 1950s football submissions, followed by the 1957 Johnny Unitas rookie, the 1958 Topps Bart Starr and the ’59 Unitas rounding out the list.

Brown’s 1964 Philadelphia (613 graded) and 1960 Topps (521) were part of a 1960s football top 5 that was led by the 1969 Topps Joe Namath (624) and the 1966 Philadelphia Gale Sayers rookie (613).

The 1970s football submissions were not surprisingly topped by Walter Payton’s 1976 rookie card at 2,944, well ahead of the 1971 Topps Terry Bradshaw rookie. 

Nearly 3,000 1975 Topps George Brett rookie cards joined the ranks of the graded in 2023.  The rest of the 1970s baseball top 5 included the 1979 Topps Ozzie Smith rookie (2,625), the 1975 Topps Robin Yount rookie (2,307), the 1978 Topps Eddie Murray rookie (2,307) and the 1973 Topps Mike Schmidt rookie (1,878).

While there aren’t many 1950s basketball cards issued, grading companies did see 116 copies of Bill Russell’s rookie card and even more of his Celtics teammate, Bob Cousy (183).  

The most graded hockey cards included the usual names with Wayne Gretzky’s 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee rookie card outpacing submissions of the Topps version (2,125 to 1,799).  Only a few other vintage hockey cards were graded more than 1,000 times last year.

Other notable 1950s-80s cards graded including the 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan/Jerry Koosman rookie (2,729), the 1968 Topps Johnny Bench rookie (2,612), the 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax rookie (1,386), the 1972-73 Topps Julius Erving rookie (1,059), the 1969-70 Topps Lew Alcindor rookie (701) and the 1966-67 Topps Bobby Orr rookie (178).

Check out the full lists below:

Most Graded Vintage Sports Cards in 2023

BASEBALL (1980s-1950s)

1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr  1                      13,917

1980 Topps Rickey Henderson 482                       7,835

1989 Fleer Bill Ripken FF Error 616                      4,589

1989 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr 33                            4,580

1989 Fleer Ken Griffey Jr 548                               4,564

 

1975 Topps George Brett 228                               2,998

1979 Topps Ozzie Smith 116                                2,625

1975 Topps Robin Yount 223                                2,307

1978 Topps Eddie Murray 36                                2,133

1973 Topps M.Schmidt  615                                 1,878

 

1966 Topps Mickey Mantle 50                               2,845

1968 Topps Mickey Mantle 280                             2,799

1968 Topps J.Koosman/N.Ryan 177                     2,729

1968 Topps Johnny Bench   247                           2,612

1969 Topps Reggie Jackson 260                          2,247

 

1958 Topps Mickey Mantle All Star 487                2,818

1959 Topps Mickey Mantle Base 10                     1,671

1959 Topps Hank Aaron Base 380                       1,458

1959 Topps Bob Clemente Base 478                   1,395

1955 Topps Sandy Koufax Base 123                   1,386

BASKETBALL (1980s-1950s)

1989 Hoops Michael Jordan 200                          5,130

1988 Fleer Michael Jordan 17                              4,336

1989 Fleer Michael Jordan 21                              3,164

1988 Fleer Michael Jordan All-Star 120               3,082

1986 Fleer Michael Jordan 57                              2,853

 

1972 Topps Julius Erving 195                              1,059

1970 Topps Pete Maravich 123                              708

1970 Topps Lew Alcindor 75                                   701

1971 Topps Pete Maravich 55                                672

1978 Topps Julius Erving 130                                589

 

1969 Topps Lew Alcindor 25                               1,060

1969 Topps Wilt Chamberlain 1                             640

1969 Topps John Havlicek 20                                434

1969 Topps Walt Frazier 98                                   412

1969 Topps Oscar Robertson 50                           405

 

1957 Topps Bob Cousy  17                                   183

1957 Topps Bob Pettit 24                                      131

1957 Topps Bill Russell 77                                    116

1957 Topps Bill Sharman 5                                   100

1957 Topps Dolph Schayes 13                               93

FOOTBALL (1980s-1950s)

1986 Topps Jerry Rice 161                                 6,368

1981 Topps Joe Montana 216                            5,252

1984 Topps Dan Marino 123                              3,685

1989 Score Barry Sanders 257                         3,590

1984 Topps John Elway 63                               3,446

 

1976 Topps Walter Payton 148                         2,944

1971 Topps Terry Bradshaw 156                      1,335

1970 Topps O.J. Simpson 90                           1,326

1972 Topps Roger Staubach 200                     1,187

1979 Topps Earl Campbell 390                         1,014

 

1969 Topps Joe Namath 100                              624

1966 Philadelphia Gale Sayers 38                     613

1960 Topps Jim Brown 23                                  521

1969 Topps Larry Csonka 120                           479

1964 Philadelphia Jim Brown 30                       454

 

1958 Topps Jim Brown 62                                 896

1959 Topps Jim Brown 10                                 592

1957 Topps John Unitas 138                             522

1958 Topps Bart Starr 66                                   297

1959 Topps Johnny Unitas 1                              288

HOCKEY (1980s-1950s)

1981 Topps Wayne Gretzky 16                        1,165

1985 O-Pee-Chee Mario Lemieux 9                1,113

1985 Topps Mario Lemieux 9                           1,057

1984 O-Pee-Chee Steve Yzerman 67             1,010

1989 O-Pee-Chee Joe Sakic 113                       937

 

1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky 18             2,125

1979 Topps Wayne Gretzky 18                       1,799

1971 O-Pee-Chee Guy La Fleur 148                 380

1978 Topps Mike Bossy 115                              357

1971 Topps Ken Dryden 45                              353

 

1966 Topps Bobby Orr 35                                178

1969 O-Pee-Chee Tony Esposito 138             150

1968 Topps Bobby Orr  2                                 136

1969 Topps Bobby Orr 24                                127

1967 Topps Bobby Orr 92                                  95

 

1954 Topps Gordie Howe 8                             111

1953 Parkhurst Jean Beliveau 27                     95

1951 Parkhurst Maurice Richard 4                   81

1958 Topps Bobby Hull 66                                81

1951 Parkhurst Gordie Howe 66                      79

 

About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for over 40 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected].