It had been ten years since the glory days of the Milwaukee Braves but Eddie Mathews, whose career began in the early 1950s when most teams still traveled by train, was still swinging on the night of July 14, 1967. In the Houston Astros lineup after a trade from the only franchise he’d ever known, Mathews climbed to a summit only six other players in history had reached at that time: 500 home runs.
The blast at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park came off Juan Marichal and marked the first time a Hall of Fame hitter reached 500 against a Hall of Fame pitcher. Mathews hung on through 1967 and landed with the World Series champion Detroit Tigers in 1968, finishing with 512 homers.
He’s an Astro in the 1967 Topps set but Eddie Mathews baseball cards begin with the arrival of Topps in 1952. Months after making his debut with the Boston Braves, 
Mathews was put into the final series of the company’s debut issue as card #407. Today, while not as valuable as the iconic Mickey Mantle card, Mathews sells for a pretty penny, when you can find them. Even low to mid-grade copies sell for four-figure prices.
Mathews traveled to Milwaukee with the Braves in 1953 but is still shown with a Boston cap on both the Topps and Bowman sets that year. Both issues provide a nice, quality early career image at a much lower price point than the ’52. The ’53 is a double print and quality mid-range Topps examples can be had for $90-150
. The Bowman card shows him taking a cut for the photographer. You can own a mid-grade ’53 Bowman Mathews for a little over $100.
One of Mathews’ nicest cards is the 1954 Topps issue. You can find a very solid EX/NM example for around $100 or even less.
A
s the only player to have seen action for the Braves in Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta, Mathews shows up in the 1966 Topps set, the team’s first south of the Mason-Dixon line. Topps chose to airbrush the “M” off his cap, a fact that had to sting young Wisconsin collectors who opened packs that spring.
Mathews also appears in many regional and secondary sets in the 1950s and 60s including Post Cereal, Red Man, Johnston Cookies and others.
You can see the current ‘most watched’ Mathews cards on eBay right now via the live list below.
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1954 Topps Set Break # 30 - Eddie Mathews PSA 5.5 EX+
16 bids - Price: $64.00 - Watchers: 26
Item #324609124822
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1954 Topps #250 Ted Williams
11 bids - Price: $202.50 - Watchers: 26
Item #353492453575
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1954 Topps Set Break # 30 Eddie Mathews EX-EXMINT *GMCARDS*
28 bids - Price: $152.50 - Watchers: 21
Item #384149672187
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1955 Bowman Eddie Mathews #103 PSA 7 NRMT
9 bids - Price: $81.00 - Watchers: 21
Item #144032580334
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1958 Topps #487 Mickey Mantle all star
11 bids - Price: $50.00 - Watchers: 21
Item #313526693528
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1954 Bowman Eddie Mathews #64 PSA 6 EXMT
13 bids - Price: $60.00 - Watchers: 20
Item #402830651838
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1954 Bowman Eddie Mathews #64 PSA 7 NRMT
12 bids - Price: $68.00 - Watchers: 20
Item #144032566446
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1956 Topps #79 Sandy Koufax
10 bids - Price: $71.00 - Watchers: 19
Item #353492465369
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1956 TOPPS #107 ED EDDIE MATHEWS HOF GRAY BACK PSA 7.5 A3077242-133
12 bids - Price: $79.00 - Watchers: 18
Item #363393931729
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1959 Topps Hank Aaron & Eddie Mathews FENCE BUSTERS, WHITE BACK #212 PSA 7 NRMT
13 bids - Price: $175.00 - Watchers: 17
Item #144032619890
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1956 Topps Eddie Mathews #107 PSA 7 NRMT
17 bids - Price: $187.50 - Watchers: 16
Item #353486308360
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1957 Topps Eddie Mathews #250 PSA 7 NRMT
8 bids - Price: $65.00 - Watchers: 16
Item #402830720233
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1959 Topps Eddie Mathews #450 PSA 7 NRMT
10 bids - Price: $127.50 - Watchers: 16
Item #402830725162
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1962 Venezuela Topps Eddie Mathews #30 PSA 2 GD
4 bids - Price: $32.07 - Watchers: 15
Item #144032685935
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1956 Topps Eddie Mathews #107 PSA 4 VGEX
10 bids - Price: $26.00 - Watchers: 14
Item #144032613162
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1957 Topps #170 Duke Snider
3 bids - Price: $5.59 - Watchers: 14
Item #313526683611
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1962 & 1963 Topps # 30, #275 Eddie Mathews *Braves HOF LOT X2
5 bids - Price: $7.50 - Watchers: 14
Item #274792050196
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1958 Topps #476 Stan Musial all star
4 bids - Price: $3.25 - Watchers: 13
Item #313526689435
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1964 Topps Stand Ups Set Break # 47 Eddie Mathews SP PSA 7 NM
8 bids - Price: $65.00 - Watchers: 13
Item #324620094203
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1957 Topps Stars HOF lot: Mathews Fox Doby Newcombe Roberts Kell Score Boyer RC
17 bids - Price: $89.07 - Watchers: 12
Item #114789262212
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