Hank Aaron’s rookie card now worth the same as his rookie salary

The Topps company turned 60 years old this year, which means it was only four when it produced Hank Aaron’s rookie card. If you have one, and have kept it in pristine shape, it could be worth as much as $5,000; or exactly the same as Aaron’s salary that season with the 1954 Milwaukee Braves. The trick, of course, is finding that Davy Crockett footlocker in the attic where all those valuable baseball cards reside.

“That’s a long time ago, and people treated their baseball cards differently than they do now,” said Aaron, who talked with Off The Bench recently by phone. Aaron has been a Topps spokesman for 20 years, and is promoting the company’s 60th anniversary activities.

“In looking at the cards now, they’re much thicker and better quality than when I was young,” Aaron said. “And kids treat them differently now. They’re into collecting, and a lot of adults too. But when my rookie card came out, you’d likely see it clipped to the spokes of a kid’s bike with a clothespin.”

According to Sports Collectors Daily, ten PSA 8 Topps Aaron card sales have been recorded since last year, and all but three have sold for $4,515 or more. And three have sold via eBay’s Buy it Now program since August, the last one for $5,000.

Mirroring real life during his career, Aaron’s cards have been somewhat overlooked when compared with those of Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente. But the tide is changing.

In Collecting Sports Legends, The Ultimate Hobby Guide, the Hank Aaron rookie card is rated as the 16th most important sports card of all-time, ahead of some of the hobby’s most expensive cards. While readily available in a variety of grades, the respect and value may be catching up to that lofty perch.

For his part, Aaron said that when he received his first Topps card, he just set it next to his locker and admired it. “My teammates all thought it was great,” he said. “It was really something special.”

Other Aaron observations: He thinks MLB “is in fine shape, overall,” that interleague play “has been received well and is good for the game,” the up-and-coming hitter who stands out in his mind is Jason Heyward, and he’s “happy the Giants won the World Series. Although I’d prefer to see the Braves win it.”

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Topps is inserting one of every six packs of 2011 Topps Baseball series 1 with special code cards. Fans can enter their code online to receive an original vintage Topps card (Oscar Gamble, I hope!) and a chance to take part in the Topps Diamond Dig. Prizes include rare diamond embedded cards, a diamond engagement ring (whoa, look out, guys!) and a Topps diamond commemorative ring. More info: www.topps.com.