Some of the most beloved cards in all of baseball history come from Topps Baseball. The inaugural set, released in 1952, includes what is arguably the most important card in Hobby history: the ‘52 Mickey Mantle rookie card. In August 2022, a ‘52 Mantle in near-mint condition (SGC 9.5) shattered auction records when it sold for more than 12 million dollars. If price is a proxy for importance, the Topps Flagship ‘52 Mantle is the most important card by a mile.
Other iconic Flagship rookie cards are the 1987 Bo Jackson, the 2011 Mike Trout, the 2024 Elly De La Cruz, and the 2025 Dylan Crews. Unlike the Mickey Mantle, these four classics won’t trade for the cost of a Beverly Hills mansion. However, for many collectors, each of these rookies has tremendous historical and personal significance. For collectors born in the 1970s and 1980s, the Bo Jackson rookie card is remembered as one of the most iconic from their youth. For millennials, it’s the Mike Trout card. And ten or twenty years from now, it will be the Elly De La Cruz and Dylan Crews RC for Gen Z.
Debut Year
1952
Licensor
MLB
Value Level
Accessible
