All Vintage Cards Large Cap Value Baseball Portfolio
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The All Vintage Cards Large Cap Baseball Portfolio is derived from our initial work in building out our initial baseball card value portfolio.ย
As we discussed in our introduction piece, we are launching three portfolios for each major sportโLarge Cap, Mid Cap, and Small Cap.
For those not familiar with the lexicon, this corresponds to mutual fund portfolios in the investment world.ย Large Cap within the investment space equates to a portfolio of the equity marketโs largest companies by market value.ย ย
For this All Vintage Cards Large Cap Value Portfolio we have selected ten cards, each with a value of $3000 or more.ย Notably we have repeated a lot of our work already for this portfolio from our initial Value writeup.
Note that these selections are based on what we perceive as โrelativeโ value in the marketplace, meaning that we think these cards offer a good value versus other comparative cards.ย
I will also note that this information is not investment advice, nor are we making any promises in relation to future performance.ย Please use your own judgment and budget when accounting for any acquisitions of cards in this portfolio.ย
Please also see ourย All Vintage Cards Small Cap Valueย andย All Vintage Cards Mid Cap Valueย portfolios.ย
1888 Goodwin Champions (N162) Cap Anson
Estimated Cost โ Good Condition: $5000
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio:ย ย There might not be a more beautiful vintage baseball set than the 1888 Goodwin Champions set. ย Featuring the new commercial printing technologies of the era, the Goodwin set is a marvel of colors.ย
Current PSA Population:ย ย The Goodwin Champion cards arenโt rare, but they are scarce and for the baseball subjects, itโs likely that less than 100 for each are in existence. As for PSA population, only 62 have been graded, making it available, but not plentiful like some other early baseball sets.
1888 N162 Goodwin Champions Sure Shot Dunlap ~~ SGC 1 sharp ~~ TOUGH Pittsburgh
 | $599.99 Buy It on eBay for only: $599.99 Buy It Now on eBay |
1888 Goodwin Champions Tobacco N162 John L Sullivan PSA 1
 | $1,015.60 Buy It on eBay for only: $1,015.60 Buy It Now on eBay |
1888 N162 Goodwin Champions - JACK DEMPSEY HOF boxer #17 - Boxing card SGC 1.5
 | $1,250.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $1,250.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909 Philadelphia Caramel (E95) Ty Cobb
Estimated Cost โ VG Condition: $4000
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio: I feel that the E95 set is just generally underappreciated and if we look at the scarcity of the Cobb versus his T206 cards, there is good relative value. ย The card features Cobb in a portrait pose featured in his Detroit jersey with a striking red background.ย
Current PSA Population: Take a look at the population difference between the T206 and the E95. ย The E95 has been graded less than 1/10th as many times as the red portrait yet they have nearly equivalent prices. ย That spells VALUE to me.ย
1909 E95 Philadelphia Caramel Ty Cobb PSA NM 7 - POP 4
 | $95,000.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $95,000.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909 E95 Philadelphia Caramel Ty Cobb SGC 1 Detroit Tigers HOF CENTERED!
 | $4,299.99 Buy It on eBay for only: $4,299.99 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909 E95 Philadelphia Carmel - TY COBB - PSA 1
 | $3,150.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $3,150.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909 T206 White Borders Cy Young (Portrait)
Estimated Cost โ VG Condition: $4000ย
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio:ย This is a T206 card that still feels a bit undervalued to me, mostly relative to the Cobb cards in the set. Now, if you donโt know, the portrait cards tend to hold a premium over any other player poses, such as the oneโs that have multiple poses in the set, such as Young.ย
Current PSA Population:ย The Young green portrait card is a high demand card with no shortage of supplyโPSA has graded nearly 800 copies of the Young card. ย However, it is Youngโs most sought after card and will likely be a solid investment for the foreseeable future.
1909-11 T206 Piedmont Cigarettes Baseball Cy Young Portrait SGC 5
 | $14,000.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $14,000.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
Cy Young 1909 T206 Sweet Caporal Portrait PSA 4 ๐ฅ๐๐
 | $5,999.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $5,999.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909 T206 Sweet Caporal 150/25 Cy Young Portrait SGC 2 GD Nice Color
 | $2,799.99 Buy It on eBay for only: $2,799.99 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909 American Caramel (E90-1) Honus Wagner (Throwing)
Estimated Cost โ Good Condition: $4500
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio:ย The E90-1 set is often referred to as the โCaramel Monsterโ for its larger size (118 cards), star power, and fairly easy availability. ย Still, it tends to get lost in the shuffle among the other popular tobacco issues from the era. ย Wagner has both a batting and throwing card from the set, but I like this one better as it provides a full look at Wagner.ย ย
Current PSA Population:ย PSA has graded only 17 copies of the โthrowingโ Wagner, so itโs a tough find, but if you can target a lesser condition one at around $3000-$4000, itโs a great deal on a relatively scarcer card.ย
1909 E90-1 American Caramel Eddie Collins - PSA 5
 | $3,245.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $3,245.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909 E90-1 HONUS WAGNER BATTING AMERICAN CARAMEL PSA GRADED RARE ICONIC CARD
 | $7,500.00 End Date: Sunday Nov-16-2025 16:01:06 EST Buy It on eBay for only: $7,500.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909 American Caramel Co. (E90-1) Jake Stahl SGC 2.5
 | $1,725.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $1,725.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909 Dockman & Sons (E92) โ Christy Mathewson
Estimated Cost โ VG โ $3500
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio:ย The Mathewson Dockman and Sons card could be one of the most beautiful vintage cards in the history of the hobby. ย The majority of the set has images shown vertically, but the horizontal image of Mathewson makes for one gorgeous card.ย
Current PSA Population:ย As far as PSA goes, there are only 35 copies of the Mathewson card (note his name is misspelled โMatthewsonโ on the frontโ) that have been graded.ย Compare that toย over 700 for Mathewsonโs T206 portrait card and you can see the relative scarcity. ย
1911 T205 Gold Borders Ty Cobb
Estimated Cost โ Good Condition: $3800
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio:ย Overall, I thinkย the T205 set is generally underappreciated. ย Vintage collectors typically flock to the T206 set with its beautiful lithography and amazing colors. ย The T205 Cobb is one of the better investments from the set.ย ย
Current PSA Population:ย On average, PSA has graded more than double the amount of T206 cards, making the T205 set about twice as scarce as the T206 set. ย
1911 T205 Ty Cobb
 | $14,800.00 End Date: Monday Nov-17-2025 12:38:30 EST Buy It on eBay for only: $14,800.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1911 T205 TY COBB Piedmont Tobacco Card Gold Border Nice Corners PSA AUTHENTIC
 | $1,995.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $1,995.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1911 T205 Ty Cobb Gold Border PSA 2 Detroit Tigers HOF RARE GREAT COLOR
 | $4,400.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $4,400.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1915 Cracker Jack Ty Cobb
Estimated Cost โ Poor to Good Condition: $10K
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio:ย Cracker Jack cards have such a classic look and itโs no surprise that the two sets are among the most popular in the hobby. ย The nostalgia of the โCracker Jackโ name and its association with baseball make this a highly sought after issue for all collectors. ย The Cobb pose on the card is just perfect.ย
Current PSA Population:ย PSA has only graded 139 copies of the Cobb Cracker Jack card, making this is a fairly hard to find card. ย The high demand for the card has made this one quite expensive and only for those with fairly deep pockets.ย
1914 Cracker Jack Ty Cobb #30, PSA 1
 | $45,000.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $45,000.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1915 Cracker Jack Ty Cobb #30 PSA 7
 | $131,250.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $131,250.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1915 Cracker Jack #30 Ty Cobb - SGC 4
 | $55,000.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $55,000.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1923 W515-2 Babe Ruth Strip Card #47
Estimated Cost โ Good Condition: $3000
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio:ย A value list wouldnโt be complete without a couple of strip cards.ย If you donโt know by now,ย Iโm a big fan of the strips thus this Ruth is just one example of what I think is a good value in todayโs market. Note that Ruth has two cards in the W15 set but I prefer #47.ย
Current PSA Population:ย The W515-2 #47 (say โThe Littleโฆโ at the top of the card) is tougher to find than Ruthโs W515-1 but either way, I think both make a great long term investment.
1923 W515-1 # 3 Babe Ruth SGC 4.5 - TOT GRADED POP = 86
 | $6,500.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $6,500.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
Babe Ruth 1923 W515-1 #3 Hand Cut PSA 5 Freshly Graded Centered Looks NM Yankees
 | $6,523.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $6,523.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1923 W515 Babe Ruth* Hand Cut* Rare ** Low Pop
 | $25,000.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $25,000.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1949 Leaf Jackie Robinsonย
Estimated Cost โ Poor Condition: $6000
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio:ย Jackieโs 1948 Leaf card is considered by most collectors to be his true โrookieโ card. Robinsonโs image is grainy and maybe not the most appealing of all his cards, but it has become a very high demand card for vintage collectors.
Current PSA Population:ย Condition issues plagued the 1948 Leaf set, notably poor centering and staining. Thus, finding one in nice condition can be a challenge. PSA has graded a total of 40 Excellent-Mint (PSA 8) versions and only 8 Mint (PSA 9) copies. ย Lower grade copies of Robinsonโs Leaf card are easier to come by but still will run you into the thousandsโexpect to spend close to a minimum of $6,000 on a poor to fair copy of the 1948 Leaf Robinson.
1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson #79 Iconic Rookie Card Dodgers Centered Color PSA 1 PR
 | $10,000.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $10,000.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1948 LEAF #79 JACKIE ROBINSON ROOKIE RC PSA AUTHENTIC ALTERED
 | $4,000.00 (1 bid) End Date: Monday Nov-17-2025 16:47:00 EST Bid |
โพ 1948 OLD GOLD JACKIE ROBINSON SGC Kneeling Dugout Dodgers Rare Rookie 1st ROY!
 | $1,999.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $1,999.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1952 Topps Willie Mays
Estimated Cost โ Poor Condition: $3000
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio:ย Although not his true rookie card, the 1952 Topps Willie Mays card is the first Topps card to feature Mays and isย one of the most valuable cards in the hobby. ย This might be considered as an odd selection for a โValueโ portfolio, but we think the Mays is mostly undervalued in comparison to the more popular 52 Topps Mickey Mantle card.ย ย
Current PSA Population:ย
The card isnโt truly scarce, PSA notes that over it has graded over 1600 cards, yet it is pretty rare to find one in mint condition, as only 13 have garnered a PSA 9 grade, with only one perfect 10.ย ย
High-grade versions of the card have reached monumental sales records in recent years.ย ย Five PSA 9 versions of the Mays card were sold in 2017, with prices ranging from $235,000 to $478,000.
1952 Topps Willie Mays #261 PSA 5
| $15,750.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $15,750.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1952 willie mays topps sgc Authentic Best Looking Authentic Iโve Ever Seen
 | $5,100.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $5,100.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1952 Topps Willie Mays Rookie Card #261 HOF RC - Certified SGC 1.5 (Fair)
 | $2,930.75 Buy It on eBay for only: $2,930.75 Buy It Now on eBay |
