There was a time when it seemed like Mark McGwire was on a surefire trajectory to wind up in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The slugger had crushed Roger Maris' single-season home run mark – a record that would later fall to Barry Bonds – and had a career total of 583, a number that would seemingly earn him entry to Cooperstown. People showed up early to games to see him launch batting practice missiles that seemed destined to land in neighboring states.
That career trajectory would be altered when it came to light that a lot of the players of that era were taking performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). This came to light during what seemed like a relatively innocent moment – a reporter noticed during an interview that there was a bottle of andrestione in McGwire's locker. That reporter looked it up…and then the pall of suspicion fell hard on McGwire and his fellow players.
Ultimately, there would be drug testing that began in 2003 – McGwire had retired after the '01 season, so he never technically failed any tests. It wasn't until his former teammate Jose Canseco mentioned in a tell-all book that he used to inject McGwire himself that everything went sour.
The result has been that McGwire, once destined for legendary enshrinement, is now an outcast in terms of that sort of recognition. Another thing that has been affected is that his sports card values severely dipped. People who had the most valuable Mark McGwire baseball cards no longer held things that could pay for children's college education – he did not turn into this generation's version of Mickey Mantle, whose rookie card can sell for over $1 million.
That is not to say that he does not have cards that are worth anything. The best Mark McGwire rookie cards in pristine condition can still fetch a pretty good price. You will just have to temper your expectations.
Remember, the collectibles market can fluctuate a lot – so when doing research on these cards, try to find something that is recent, since you don't want to be going on old information when figuring out the best price. Use trusted resources, not a blog that was created three days ago.
Another thing to bear in mind is that when you are looking at these cards, it can be hard to find a common baseline for the price, since the introduction of sites like eBay can allow people to put things up for sale … and they can either grossly undervalue them or be overwhelmingly optimistic and list something for far more than its value, hoping that someone takes a bite. Still, here are the most valuable cards:
1985 Topps Tiffany
This card shows McGwire not in an Oakland A's uniform or even in one of his Minor League uniforms. Instead, he's shown in his Olympic uniform when he represented Team USA in the 1984 Olympics. He's beaming at the camera while holding a bat.
While this card might be almost identical in appearance to the regular 1985 Topps card, there are a couple of things that make it stand out. The first is that the image on the front is sharper in appearance compared to the other one. The other thing is that when you flip the card over, the lime-green color is much more vivid than the relatively muted one from the traditional pack.
Another thing that makes this more valuable is that it had a limited run – only 5,000 factory sets were printed. That’s extremely low compared to others, which number much higher, especially when Topps decided to basically flood the market in '86 and '87 and beyond. So, if you find a mint Mark McGwire Tiffany card, you could stand to make a decent chunk of change from selling it.
How much could you make? Depending on the market, it could even fetch thousands. This depends on the condition of the cards, too, and if they are autographed (not personalized), then the value could go up even more.
1985 Topps
While this is not as special as the Tiffany version, it is still a desirable card to have in your collection. This may be considered his rookie card by some, while others may prefer to get the ones that first show him wearing an Oakland A’s uniform. Still, if you want to get a card that was made by one of the bigger card companies, this is the one to get.
It can be a bit hard to get the highest quality card due to circumstances that are beyond your control. When the people at Topps cut the sheets, there were some problems with how the backs lined up. That means that some of the cards are off-center, which devalues them, even if they have edges sharp enough to cut diamonds.
1987 Leaf #46 “Rated Rookie”
Leaf was basically Donruss, except it was sold in Canada. There would be a Leaf logo where the Donruss one would normally be found. The thing that makes this Leaf card more valuable than its Donruss counterpart is that it is scarce to find.
The card looks the same, otherwise, but if you find this one, you would benefit from having it in your collection, thanks to it being rare. There was also something about the Donruss/Leaf designs that were more pleasing to the eye than other cards of that era, even with the whimsical font of the player names on the front of the Topps ‘87 cards.
1991 Topps Desert Shield Mark McGwire #270
This card was printed during a time when American patriotic fever was at a high again, given that President George H.W. Bush had sent forces over to Kuwait in Operation Desert Shield. The company created this set to be sent over to the troops that were serviced there. McGwire’s card happened to have an error on it, though, which increased its value.
No, the error is not the photo of him sliding into third base, given that he didn’t hit a single triple between 1989 and ‘98, breaking that streak with a lone three-bagger in ‘99. Ironically, he did steal some bases during that span. The error had his slugging percentage as 618 rather than as .618 for his '87 season.
1985 Frank Chong Modesto A's Mark McGwire #17
One problem that some people have when writing about McGwire is remembering how to spell his last name. Some of these cards have that issue, spelling it “McGuire,” which is a perfectly common way of doing that. It’s just not his last name.
So there are some copies that some poor sap printed before someone else noticed and said, “Hey, it’s McGwire!” There is no word if he was fired, or not.
When it comes to this card, though, you need to be careful since it has been forged a lot. If you do come across it, make sure that you get it authenticated before you buy it to protect yourself.
1987 Topps Tiffany #366
This is another McGwire card from a rare set, but it is not as rare as the 1985 one, due to more of them being made compared to the 5,000 from '85. That dilutes the value of it a bit more. The regular Topps cards were even worse in terms of over-saturating the card market.
The production value of this card is much higher than the typical Topps card from this era, which is not so affectionately called “Junk Wax.” The card is slicker and more glossy. This is a great find in terms of higher-end cards to add to your collection.
1982 Anchorage Glacier Pilots Mark McGwire
Another card from when McGwire was a young one. You can tell it’s from the early 1980s because he has the John Denver-style haircut under his cap. One wonders if he had any idea that he would enthrall a nation as both a rookie and over a decade after that rookie year.
This is not even a Minor League card, since the Anchorage Glacier Pilots are part of a collegiate summer league. McGwire played there in between his seasons at USC. It’s still a nice thing to have in your collection.
1993 Topps Finest Refractor Mark McGwire #92
This was during a time when card companies really liked to do some funky things with their products. They had all kinds of glossy effects with colors and made some of them shiny enough to be seen from the International Space Station.
Collectors like this card since it looks unique…plus, 1993 was the first year that Topps introduced this card to the market and they made a very limited number of them. Since there were so few of them, collectors are willing to pay a good amount of money for this McGwire card.
1997 Pinnacle Totally Certified Platinum Parallels Mark McGwire #49
The thing that makes this unique is that McGwire was only one of 150 players in this set. Plus, people couldn’t buy sets, they had to chase them in packs. There were three types of Platinum Cards in this set – Platinum Red, Blue, and Gold.
Out of the three types, the people who got the gold ones were the luckiest. It also has the best value if it still has the plastic protector on top of it.
1999 Topps Chrome Mark McGwire #220
1998 was an amazing year for baseball. McGwire and Sammy Sosa were engaged in a home run duel for the ages, with both of them chasing Roger Maris’ single-season home run mark of 61. This chase helped bring back fans, who had been disinterested after the ugly strike of ‘94 wiped out the World Series.
Topps created a series of cards to put in their ‘99 set that commemorated this epic event, including one for McGwire’s 62nd and 70th home runs of the ‘98 season. Those two are the most popular out of the group.
1987 Donruss Rookies #1
Donruss also made a series of cards that highlighted certain rookies. This set had 56 cards, and McGwire was in it as the first card in the series. Bo Jackson was also another notable player in this set, along with Hall of Famers Fred McGriff and Greg Maddux.
While you are not going to get rich off this card, if you have one in peak condition, you could get enough for a family dinner out at a diner,
1987 Topps #366
People who bought baseball cards in 1987 will be able to spot this car instantly. McGwire was one of the most sought-after rookie cards and while this is not the Tiffany version, it is still a good card to have if you are a McGwire collector.
While the market for it does go up and down, at its height, you could get enough for a dinner meal for both you and your significant other … and maybe a kids' meal.
1987 Donruss #46 Rated Rookie
Here was another McGwire rookie card, though those who saw it viewed his appearance in the Rookies set as his first appearance on a Donruss card. He was card No. 46 and he joined Greg Maddux in that series of players being touted as a Rated Rookie. Fellow steroid suspect Rafael Palmeiro was also in that grouping.
Just like the one from the Rookie series, you could get enough for a nice meal if you sell it. That way, you can get something enjoyable from it.
1987 Fleer Update #U-76
People who collect cards will recognize Fleer cards from this time. They have a distinct blue border around them and are unique. Fleer was always a strong competitor with Topps, and they formed a Big Three with Donruss before Upper Deck and Bowman got into the picture.
If McGwire had gone on to enter the Hall of Fame, this card would have become more valuable. Compared to the others, though, you won’t get as much. Depending on where you live, you could get enough from it to buy a pizza pie … and who would turn down a pizza pie?
Collectors love oddities and mistakes when it comes to baseball cards. Getting the ones with imperfections on them can raise the overall price. It’s the same as finding an imperfect stamp.
Online sites make it easy for people to scam others, though. They may list what they say is an error card, but it is a fake. Make sure that you do your research before deciding to go ahead.
Will the Baseball Hall of Fame change its mind about these steroid cheats? Time will tell when it comes to McGwire. He is not eligible via the traditional voting methods due to his being on the ballot for 10 years without being voted in, but he could be brought in by a vote by the Veterans Committee in the future.
As far as baseball immortality goes, McGwire is on the outside looking in. He’s going to be 60 in 2023, which is still young by modern standards, but he’s on his way to being one of the game’s elders. The sportswriters snubbed him on their ballots and his ultimate fate rests in the hands of those veteran committees, which is comprised of some of his peers.
If he does wind up being enshrined, either while he is alive or posthumously, then his baseball card values could go up through the roof – depending on where the sports collectibles market is at that moment, of course. Then you could be glad that you held onto the most valuable Mark McGwire cards.
