The Most Expensive Mark McGwire Cards of All-Time

To start the list off, we have the quintessential Mark McGwire grail. This 1985 Topps Tiffany rookie takes up seven of the eight highest Big Mac sales ever, and it’s one of the most coveted cards from the junk wax era. Topps Tiffany cards have a notoriously lower print run than regular sets from the time, and they were printed on a higher-quality cardstock.

The photo shows a then 21-year-old McGwire when he was on the U.S.A national team, long before his tenured stays in Oakland and St. Louis. There are only 35 PSA 10s of this card, and it has sold for as high as $30,000 from a 2021 eBay best offer.

**Note: the card photographed above is from an April 2021 PWCC auction, which sold for $27,800.

It is almost laughable that this card sold for less than $6,000. On the left, we have arguably the three greatest Yankees of all time. And while Sosa and McGwire share their load of controversy, they are still extremely relevant players to baseball’s lore. This 2002 Upper Deck booklet last sold in 2020, and we are willing to bet it would go for a lot more at auction today.

We’ve talked extensively about how influential Precious Metal Gems (PMGs) are in the hobby. This rendition from 1999 features McGwire coming off of his historic ‘98 campaign. Given their design, PMGs are susceptible to wear and tear over time. Nevertheless, this copy still managed a PSA 7 grade, making it the biggest McGwire PMG sale of all time.

Here is another PMG, but this one stems from the inaugural 1998 set. It has a better grade and comes from Big Mac’s historic season, yet the ‘99 copy has consistently higher sales. Regardless, this is a phenomenal addition to any late-90s baseball card collection, and you will never go wrong with early numbered cards.

The design on late 90s Flair cards is some of the best we’ve ever seen in the hobby, and this is a prime example. We see two action shots of the Cardinals’ first baseman on this one, both in the field and at the plate. It is also a 1/1 masterpiece, receiving a coveted BGS 9 grade along the way. This ‘99 McGwire was last sold in August 2022.

Tied at six is the one and only logoman patch autograph on the list. For years now, Topps Dynasty has been a mainstay in high-end baseball cards. They’ve consistently curated the best patches and signatures of the game’s greats, which is why they’re always a big-time release. This 1/1 logoman also graded as a BGS 9.5, and it sold for right at $3,000 in July 2022.

Relics just don’t get cooler than this. This 1/1 signature from Topps Tier One features the knob of a game-used bat from McGwire’s playing days. Bat knobs are the big chaser in Tier One, and they typically run between one in every 700-800 boxes. Pulling one of these is no small feat, so it’s no wonder why this one sold for $3,000 as well.

1993 was the first year of Topps Finest, a revolutionary optichrome trading card. Early Finest designs have held up very well throughout the hobby’s history, and many modern sets draw inspiration from them. This ‘93 McGwire refractor is visually striking and a must-have for any high-end 90s baseball collector. Only a Pop 39, it has traded for as high as $2,500 on eBay.

While Panini has never held rights to the MLB license, they’ve still been able to produce some incredible cards sans logos. Panini Flawless is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular-looking sports cards ever made, and you can see why with this McGwire dual-patch signature. The jersey relics include a piece of the St. Louis logo, which is accompanied with some sweet on-card penmanship. It last sold for $2,500 during a November 2022 auction.

3 years ago, Topps rolled out their Project 2020 set, where artists were able to take creative liberties with some of the most iconic Topps rookies of all time. Some of these artist renderings, like the Ermsy Mike Trout rookie, became very sought after within the hobby. Artist Matt Taylor took a futuristic approach when redesigning the wood-grained 1987 Topps McGwire, and the result is awesome. This is the gold-framed 1/1 from the set, and it sold for just north of $2,000 in December 2021.