If you collect Hall of Fame rookie cards, adding the members of the 2017 class isn’t going to break the bank. If you collect autographed baseballs, the price for Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez is about to go up.
Such is life for collectors in the wake of Wednesday’s news that the 2017 Hall of Fame Induct
ion ceremony will feature three players—and just missed having four.
Within minutes of the announcement on MLB Network, TriStar Productions confirmed that Bagwell would make his first autograph appearance as a Hall of Famer on Sunday, February 12 at the company’s Houston show. He’d already been announced as a guest—but only if he reached the required 75% of ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Prices have been set at $105-$155 but each inscription will cost an extra $39.
You can buy Bagwell autographs online with a signed bat among the offerings at $275.
Bagwell:“It’s a weird thing to be a Hall of Famer. I wrote it on a ball tonight. It was kind of crazy.”
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) January 18, 2017
Jeff Bagwell Rookie Cards
Rookie cards of Bagwell can be found in 1991 products, some of which were produced in such massive quantities that they won’t likely ever cost more than the change in your pocket. However, there have been increases—small ones—in high-grade examples of his less common rookie cards. The ones to watch include his 1991 Topps Traded Tiffany. The price of PSA 9 examples has risen from an average of about $37 a year ago to nearly $50 over the last three months. Bagwell’s regular ’91 Topps Traded is still available for under $15 in a graded 9 holder but that’s up from the $3-5 collectors were paying a year ago.
Another option is the 1991 Stadium Club ‘Members Only’ card, which has ticked up a bit leading up to the Hall of Fame announcement but could still be had for $10-$15 earlier this week. There hasn’t been much change in Bagwell’s 1991 Leaf Gold Rookies card, with mint, graded copies hovering around $10 in recent weeks.
Ivan Rodriguez Rookie Cards
Pudge Rodriguez wasn’t exactly a shoo-in but a couple of collectors may have had an inkling he’d get in. Two PSA 10 Rodriguez rookies from that 1991 Topps Traded Tiffany set sold for nearly $400 on eBay early Wednesday.
There’s been little change in the value of 9s with most selling for around $35.
Rodriguez, too, appears in more run-of-the-mill sets in 1991 and ’92 with most costing very little.
Tim Raines Rookie Cards
Raines appeared in a standard rookie card in 1981, then got his own card in the first Topps Traded set later that fall. Mint condition Traded Raines cards have doubled in price since early 2016, going from $38-$40 to around $80 now and it’s likely they’ll continue to climb a bit—at least until later this year.
Raines’ regular Topps rookie card has jumped from around $20 in a Mint 9 last winter to about $35. However, you can own a nice ungraded one for just a few dollars. He also appears in the 1981 O-Pee-Chee set, which is far less common than the American issue.
Raines’ 1981 Donruss card is common but sometimes a challenge in high-grade. PSA 9 examples have climbed from around $14 to around $35.
Raines also has a 1979 minor league card and appeared on several unique oddball card sets in the early 80s.
Related Stories:
Houston Show Returns with Plenty of Autographs
New Find of 1990 Topps “Blackless” Errors Revives Interest in Printing Anomaly
1981 Topps Baseball Capped A New Era For Cards
Raines Puts Expos Back on Topps as Beltre Gets NOW Card, Autograph Deal
Bagwell Rookie Cards Among the Most Affordable Hall of Famers
7 Fun, Early Tim Raines Baseball Cards
A Catalog of 1980s Baseball Card Boxed Sets
