The valuation for a near GOAT chase card versus a non-GOAT HOFer chase card is huge. The lists are not based on absolute appreciation in value but rather based on comparative appreciation in value. We are not talking about 1,000% or 10,000% increases. We are talking about exponential and quantum jump type of growth that 1000X or more over a few decades with little initial investment threshold, little no maintenance and transaction fees and almost no barrier to investment entry. Most of these types have a few things in common. They are very or relatively new at the time, have growth potentials but very few people understand its potentials and future applications and very few people heard about the company nor its industry. They were relatively small start-up endeavors and were considered risky investments. They were also usually not the first to do what they did in their broad category as they learned from the experiences of their predecessors and created their own sub-niches.
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Collectible sports base rookie cards to sell list for July of 2026.
Aaron Judge (Baseball): Unfortunately he is too injury prone to be considered the GOATesque. With a prime Ben rice and Jasson Dominguez rising up, Aaron Judge likely won’t be seen as the greatest Yankees in his era for too long especially give his championship record. I don’t believe his terminal base rookie value is above $20 wholesale at this point of his career. I believe his base rookie cards will likely be around the same range as Jeter’s which is around a few dollars after he retires.
Mike Trout (Baseball): Unfortunately he is too injury prone to be considered the GOATesque. The advanced metrics and the playoff lack of success will probably not be seen too favorably in the future. He also has some other potential issue(s) that once MLB stops protecting his reputation, these things will likely decrease his card values significantly. I don’t believe his terminal base rookie value is above $10 wholesale at this point of his career. I believe his base rookie cards will likely be around the same range as Cabrera’s which is around a few dollars after he retires.
Shohei Ohtani (Baseball): He is definitely a GOATesque level player now. His biggest issue is his marketability and starting out too late in the MLB. Durability will likely also be a major concern. He also has some other potential issue(s) that once MLB stops protecting his reputation, these things will likely decrease his card values significantly. I think his rookie cards will probably grow by a few hundred by the time he retires but in terms of relative appreciation against the base cards with the best ROIs, I think there are better ROIs elsewhere.
Michael Jordan (Basketball): Jordan’s GOAT will continue to be diluted as many players will establish records he never accomplished. His rookie cards are way over priced given how much more of rookie cards are available versus that of Mantle and Ruth. Jordan was also never 20 times greater than Kareem and therefore Jordan’s cards are way overvalued even given Kareem’s rookie cards came out of a time that was not the junk wax era and Kareem is strongly in the GOAT conversation. Also, Nevermind Jordan’s endless controversies regarding topics that are rarely discussed in glaring negative lights. I believe once people give Lebron his flowers and he achieve even more, Jordan’s base rookie cards will likely hoover back to the low thousands of USD in higher grades.
Lionel Messi (Soccer/Football): History will likely view Ronaldo and Pele differently than they do now due to various reasons for reasons that are super obvious now but no one dare to really talk about in the perspective that should revolve around these conversations. His rookie cards are maybe a hundred dollars which is decent, however, I believe there will be good reasons to why his base rookie cards will likely stay in the upper hundreds to lower thousands for years to come. I believe there are better ROIs out there.
Muhammad Ali (Boxing): As the country shift in its ideology on definition of love for thy country and shore up its religious system, Ali and the likes of Kareem, Hakeem and Tyson will likely be marginalized. I think Western Europe will essentially no longer tolerate blatant display of certain behavior which frequently result in overreacts. I believe Tyson can defeat Ali in his prime. I also believe boxing fans generally do not buy a lot of boxing cards and I also believe Ali’s rookie cards are relatively illiquid. I also believe Ali’s rookie cards is probably really only worth a few hundred USD now but are currently over priced.
Trinity Rodman (Soccer/Football): Marketability and durability will be big concerns. And of course, the topic that will always follow when discussing Trinity Rodman is Dennis Rodman who is great player but most people are just not too sure about the role model part. I think Trinity Rodman rookie cards will stabilize around less than $100 over time. I think these rookie cards will probably not appreciate by much, I think there are better ROIs elsewhere.
Patrick Mahomes (American Gridiron Football): Unfortunately the GOAT QB conversation will only have room for one GOAT. Quarterbacks are frequently defined by championships which most people see the QB as the in the field general and leader who orchestrates and lead a team to a championship. Mahomes plays for a small market team, not extremely marketable and is injury prone. He will also likely not obtain the passing yards, TD and Super Bowl by a QB records. I think he will need at least eight Super Bowls to be considered as the GOAT which I highly doubt will happen given his age, career trajectory and foreseeable team roster. I think his base rookie cards will likely have a terminal value of around $20. I think there are better ROIs elsewhere.
I know this list is not exhaustive and doesn’t include many other players like Tom Brady, Bryce Harper, Jalen Hurts, Kareem, Russell, Chamberlain and many others but then again, I don’t think people really view them as true GOATs and I think their base rookie cards prices are not that unreasonable at the moment.
Collectible sports base rookie cards to buy list for July of 2026.
Lance Armstrong (Cycling): Without talking about his controversial past, his on the track performance as an American GOAT and a near GOAT in his sport, I think $3 USD at wholesale for his true rookie card is almost hard to believe considering how much they were a decade or two back. I think with increasing openness to legalization of certain things, people in the future will view these kinds of controversies much different than how they view these things now. I foresee a 10X increase in the next two decades for his base rookie cards.
Barry Bonds (Baseball): Without talking about his controversial past, his on the field performance as one of the GOATs in his sport, I think $1 USD at wholesale for some of his rookie cards is almost hard to believe considering how much they were a decade or two back. To date, no one is even close to his single season and career home run records. I foresee a 30X increase in the next two decades for his base rookie cards.
Lebron James (Basketball): Phenomenal Beginnings from 2003-2024 is selling for about $5 each at retail, probably less at whole sale. Lebron 2003-2024 Fleer Ultra H2 Hummer card plus model Hummer car set for around the same retail cost 20 plus years ago around $35-$40 USD. Lebron lives in the age of social media hence he get hated on a lot. The truth is his life is probably no more controversial or perhaps less controversial than many of the so called GOATs and GOATesque players of his era and near his era. Your TPC believe Lebron is the GOAT or at the very least one of the GOATs. Depending on his next move, I believe he will likely play another three to five years and will either be very close or exceed the 50,000 regular season points mark. I also think he might win a championship or two while playing on the same team as one or both of his sons in the NBA. I also believe he will likely become a $10 billionaire. Lebron appears to be investing very well into very promising ventures. More importantly, Lebron has capable and loyal people around him and a loving family. I foresee a 10X increase in the next two decades for his base rookie cards.
The rest of the list and its discussions are from my previous post(s).
Ben Rice (Baseball): Reaching prime with the right statistics while playing for a world-class icon of a team. Higher multipliers due to reasons that I cannot fully disclosed due to social contract reasons. At around $1 USD wholesale for his rookie cards, I foresee a 30X increase in the next two decades for his base rookie cards.
Nick Kurtz (Baseball): Higher elite professional average expectancy remaining. Higher multipliers due to reasons that I cannot fully disclosed due to social contract reasons. At around $1 USD wholesale for his rookie cards, I foresee a 30X increase in the next two decades for his base rookie cards.
Drake Baldwin (Baseball): Hit the right indicators at the right age. Followed up with good second year trends on a good and storied franchise with recent championship. Many GOATs are rookie of the year winners. At around $1 USD wholesale for his rookie cards, I foresee a 15X increase in the next two decades for his base rookie cards.
Jasson Dominguez (Baseball): Plays for a marquee franchise, still young, been talked about for years, probably just need to learn to field better which is likely not difficult if he becomes a designed hitter. At around $1 USD wholesale for his rookie cards, I foresee a 15X increase in the next two decades for his base rookie cards.
Chet Holmgren (Basketball): His potentially generational beef with Wemby may work out like Bill Russell versus Wilt Chamberlain comparisons. One has too many rings for ten fingered to each wear one and the other is not primarily known as a winner but has significantly more on the personal career statistics and may have lots of stories some of which I don’t think would be appropriate to discuss here. With or without film, historically speaking after both retires many years later, if it were the case, the distinction between a top 40 player versus a top 50 player or whatever will come down to what first comes to mind to people who remember them. Chet’s cards value will likely be pegged to a ratio of whatever Wemby is at whether that’s plus or minus. I don’t waste money on buying Wemby cards just like I don’t buy David Robinson or Tim Duncan’s cards anymore even though many of their rookie cards are around a dollar or two each now. At around $1 USD wholesale for his rookie cards, I foresee a 15X increase in the next two decades for his base rookie cards.
Cade Cunningham (Basketball): Pistons are frequently perceived as a tough team for whatever historical reasons. As a guard, his height alone is relatable for many people. I think he is a regional story who may become a national or international story once he starts to win in the playoffs more consistently. I am not particularly attracted to his playing style or anything else. I just think from a statistical standpoint, his cards are very undervalued right now. At around $1 USD wholesale for his rookie cards, I foresee a 15X increase in the next two decades for his base rookie cards.
Bronny James (Basketball): If I think as the same way as other people, I wouldn’t be the permanent contrarian. There are really a few intriguing things about him that will resonate with people despite the hate he sometimes may get. His story of perseverance health wise and humbleness for someone who is in his situation is quite rare. He is pretty mentally tough and is quite wise for his age. People will look his stats and say all kinds of things. I don’t need to repeat it here. However, you have to see the forest for its guano not just s*** that one needs to spend money to clean up. This is a liability to asset double swing if one gets this valuation correctly. The father-son due is a combined story not just a singular story. That means stats can also be split among two players as in first father son duo reach xxxxx of points, assists, steals, regular season games, playoff games etc. Lebron is a historical figure of significant importance hence his scions who are part of this story will be as well. It is an inspirational tale about life and not just about sports. Lebron has at least a few more records to chase (tie for playing in most decades in the NBA, 50,000 regular season points, playing with his two sons in the NBA and in an NBA game on the same team). At around $1 USD wholesale for his rookie cards, I foresee a 10X increase in the next two decades for his base rookie cards.
Dalton Rushing (Baseball): Plays for a marquee team. Higher multipliers due to reasons that I cannot fully disclosed due to social contract reasons. At around $1 USD wholesale for his rookie cards, I foresee a 10X increase in the next two decades for his base rookie cards.
Paolo Banchero (Basketball): I am not particularly attracted to his playing style or anything else. I just think from a statistical standpoint, his cards are very undervalued right now. At around $1 USD wholesale for his rookie cards, I foresee a 10X increase in the next two decades for his base rookie cards.
James Wood (Baseball): Higher elite professional average expectancy remaining. Hit the right indicators at the right age. Followed up with good second year trends. At around $1 USD wholesale for his rookie cards, I foresee a 10X increase in the next two decades for his base rookie cards.