Rookie baseball cards are prized by serious and part time collectors for good reason. Who wouldn't want a Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle rookie card?

Not all rookie baseball cards are valuable of course. But some have been known to be worth a small fortune. Mastro Auctions in Burr Ridge,Illinois sold a 1951 Mickey Mantle rookie card for $160,000 in 2007.The card came from a collection owned by 89-year-old Lionel Carter of Evanston,Illinois who started collecting baseball cards when he was 15.

Not everyone can afford to spend that kind of money but there are still some very good bargains available. Who knows which rookie card will be the next card to be so valuable?

Part of the thrill in collecting rookie cards is keeping up with the players as their careers progress. Some players don't make a huge impact their rookie year and it may take a couple of seasons for them to become stars. Others come on the scene and seem to be destined for the Hall of Fame from the start.

We specialize in the best baseball rookie cards and have one of the largest selections available. Rookie cards are an interesting collectible and many can increase substantially in value.

Since most baseball rookie cards are priced affordably in the beginning, this gives collectors the opportunity to buy cards that may give a significant return on their investment in years to come.

Most rookie baseball cards gain value when the player proves himself after more than one season. Many times a major league baseball rookie will have a great season in their first year, but injuries or other factors will take their toll. Just because a player has an outstanding first season is no guarantee that seasons to come will be as good.

Growing up I was an avid baseball card collector. I remember going to the drugstore or the five and dime stores and there were huge displays of Topps and Fleer cards. They came with a flat piece of bubble gum and cost just a few cents. As I grew older I became less interested in these bubble gum cards, but I had a huge collection built up.

When I was a teenager our family moved to another house and my collection was thrown away. Man, what a mistake that was. Some of those cards would be worth a pretty penny today. But who knew those baseball cards would be so valuable later?

This site was created partly because of my misfortune and partly because of my love for baseball. Baseball cards are a part of America and are truly an American original. Collecting them is as fun today as it was when I was growing up. Maybe the next rookie baseball card you buy will someday be worth a lot of money. It wouldn't surprise me.

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