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You are here: Home / Sports Card News / Vintage Sports Card News / Hottest Willie Mays Baseball Cards
Mile High Card Co.

Hottest Willie Mays Baseball Cards

May 6, 2016 By Rich Mueller

The graceful stride of long ago has been replaced by the guiding hand of an aide.  We all wind up in that arena someday, if we’re lucky.  But when those legs were toned and those arms could turn a fastball into a missle…  

It’s those memories that send collectors in search of vintage Willie Mays cards on eBay or scouring the tables at a card show for more.

Willie Mays rookie cardIn his familiar number 24, Mays amazed baseball fans with dazzling catches and tape measure home runs. A career .302 hitter, Mays hit 660 home runs and drove in more than 1900 runs during his 22 year career.  He was an icon to New York Giants fans in the 1950s and San Francisco backers once the team moved west in 1958.

Willie Mays 1958 Hires test

Mays won 12 Gold Gloves as an outfielder during his time with the Giants, tying him for the most ever with Roberto Clemente. Mays’ wizardry in the outfield, turned in a career fielding averaging of .981, to go along with 195 assists from center field.

1959 Topps Baseball Thrills Willie MaysIn 1972, Mays was traded to the New York Mets, bringing his career full circle. In his last two seasons with the Mets, Mays registered as the oldest regular position player in Major League Baseball. Unfortunately, his best hitting years were behind him, although his fielding percentage was still on par with what he had produced years earlier.

His gorgeous 1951 Bowman rookie card is considered among the greatest of all post-War issues.  While Mays rookie cards can be found pretty regularly, near mint and better examples aren’t as plentiful and have been rocketing upward in step with other vintage Hall of Famers. A graded NM/MT 8 that you could have bought for under $10,000 five years ago cost one recent bidder $51,875.

Mays was a constant for Topps, once the company produced his 1952 rookie card (#261). He became fast friends with Topps executive Sy Berger, who watched him perform his magic at the Polo Grounds as the bubble gum card maker was becoming a major player in the Willie Mays 1952 Topps PSA 8bubble gum card business.

He regularly appeared in Topps sets from 1952-1973, both as the primary subject, on In Action and multi-player cards and, of course, on some star-packed League Leader cards during his prime.

There are several Mays’ cards that won’t break the bank, but collectors should expect to spend a more substantial amount to obtain some of the best Mays’ cards available.

Both were sensational but Mays’ Bowman rookie card has long lagged behind that of fellow 1951 rookie Mickey Mantle. Currently, Mays rookie cards in near mint (7) grades usually sell for less than half of what Mantle’s rookie cards so.  Does that mean Mays rookies are undervalued?  Quite possibly.  However, there are others to consider, too.

Here’s the list of the 25 hottest Willie Mays cards on eBay right now.

1951 Bowman Willie Mays ROOKIE RC #305 PSA 3 VG 1951 Bowman Willie Mays ROOKIE RC #305 PSA 3 VG
53 bids - Price: $10,908.00 - Watchers: 206
Item #143950068397
1952 Topps Willie Mays #261 PSA 2 GD (PWCC-E) 1952 Topps Willie Mays #261 PSA 2 GD (PWCC-E)
41 bids - Price: $8,700.00 - Watchers: 199
Item #143950068482
1951 Bowman Willie Mays Rookie Card RC #305 PSA 4 VG EX 1951 Bowman Willie Mays Rookie Card RC #305 PSA 4 VG EX
57 bids - Price: $15,000.00 - Watchers: 178
Item #294021173825
1956 Topps Willie Mays #130 PSA 8 NM-MT (PWCC-A) 1956 Topps Willie Mays #130 PSA 8 NM-MT (PWCC-A)
45 bids - Price: $4,050.00 - Watchers: 134
Item #353389360470
1951 Bowman Willie Mays ROOKIE RC #305 SGC 3 VG 1951 Bowman Willie Mays ROOKIE RC #305 SGC 3 VG
64 bids - Price: $9,089.00 - Watchers: 133
Item #143950068396
1951 Bowman Willie Mays Rookie Card RC #305 PSA 4 VG EX 1951 Bowman Willie Mays Rookie Card RC #305 PSA 4 VG EX
52 bids - Price: $8,600.00 - Watchers: 128
Item #203284669265
1952 Topps #261 Willie Mays Rookie PSA 3 beauty!!! 1952 Topps #261 Willie Mays Rookie PSA 3 beauty!!!
21 bids - Price: $2,950.00 - Watchers: 124
Item #333898667550
1952 Bowman SETBREAK #218 Willie Mays New York Giants HOF PSA 7 " LOOKS NICER " 1952 Bowman SETBREAK #218 Willie Mays New York Giants HOF PSA 7 " LOOKS NICER "
23 bids - Price: $6,100.00 - Watchers: 123
Item #383967104097
1952 Bowman Willie Mays #218 PSA 5 EX 1952 Bowman Willie Mays #218 PSA 5 EX
40 bids - Price: $3,236.86 - Watchers: 97
Item #402694247208
1956 Topps Willie Mays #130 PSA 5 EX 1956 Topps Willie Mays #130 PSA 5 EX
29 bids - Price: $535.00 - Watchers: 95
Item #353389360469
1952 Bowman Willie Mays #218 PSA 5 EX 1952 Bowman Willie Mays #218 PSA 5 EX
22 bids - Price: $1,920.00 - Watchers: 88
Item #353389355548
1959 Topps Willie Mays #50 PSA 8 NM-MT 1959 Topps Willie Mays #50 PSA 8 NM-MT
46 bids - Price: $1,926.00 - Watchers: 87
Item #402694255025
1954 Bowman Willie Mays #89 PSA 6 EXMT 1954 Bowman Willie Mays #89 PSA 6 EXMT
36 bids - Price: $994.97 - Watchers: 85
Item #143950069168
1954 Bowman Willie Mays #89 PSA 8 NM-MT (PWCC-S) 1954 Bowman Willie Mays #89 PSA 8 NM-MT (PWCC-S)
38 bids - Price: $4,700.00 - Watchers: 82
Item #402694250136
1952 Topps Willie Mays #261 PSA EX 5 Investment 1952 Topps Willie Mays #261 PSA EX 5 Investment
20 bids - Price: $6,355.00 - Watchers: 82
Item #274694760117
1952 Bowman Willie Mays #218 PSA 6 EXMT 1952 Bowman Willie Mays #218 PSA 6 EXMT
33 bids - Price: $1,913.00 - Watchers: 80
Item #224355551827
1957 Topps Willie Mays #10 PSA 8.5 NM-MT+ 1957 Topps Willie Mays #10 PSA 8.5 NM-MT+
52 bids - Price: $5,657.00 - Watchers: 79
Item #402694253695
1954 Topps Willie Mays #90 PSA 5 EX 1954 Topps Willie Mays #90 PSA 5 EX
59 bids - Price: $1,375.00 - Watchers: 75
Item #353389359166
1960 Topps Willie Mays #200 PSA 8 NM-MT 1960 Topps Willie Mays #200 PSA 8 NM-MT
28 bids - Price: $1,280.00 - Watchers: 68
Item #353389362036
1951 Bowman Willie Mays Rookie #305 PSA 4 VG-EX 1951 Bowman Willie Mays Rookie #305 PSA 4 VG-EX
8 bids - Price: $7,000.00 - Watchers: 68
Item #124588297443
1958 Topps Willie Mays #5 PSA 8 NM-MT 1958 Topps Willie Mays #5 PSA 8 NM-MT
32 bids - Price: $2,250.00 - Watchers: 66
Item #353389360966
1958 Topps Willie Mays #5 PSA 8 NM-MT 1958 Topps Willie Mays #5 PSA 8 NM-MT
36 bids - Price: $2,075.00 - Watchers: 66
Item #143950072950
1955 Bowman Willie Mays #184 PSA 7 NRMT (PWCC-A) 1955 Bowman Willie Mays #184 PSA 7 NRMT (PWCC-A)
27 bids - Price: $2,358.00 - Watchers: 64
Item #143950070490
1963 Topps Willie Mays #300 PSA 8 NM-MT 1963 Topps Willie Mays #300 PSA 8 NM-MT
34 bids - Price: $1,448.88 - Watchers: 64
Item #143950076004
1972 Topps Willie Mays #49 PSA 9 MINT 1972 Topps Willie Mays #49 PSA 9 MINT
31 bids - Price: $791.00 - Watchers: 59
Item #143950081965
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Rich Mueller

About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for more than 30 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected]

Filed Under: Popular Stories, Vintage Sports Card News Tagged With: 1951 Bowman Willie Mays, Willie Mays baseball cards, Willie Mays cards, Willie Mays rookie card

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click one and make a purchase, we receive a commission.  The revenue is what helps keep SC Daily afloat!

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