After being selected with the 25th pick of the 2009 Draft, by the Los Angeles Angels, Mike Trout quickly established himself as a star of MLB, and in the baseball card collecting hobby.
In my opinion, Trout’s best baseball card is the 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Autograph card (#BDPP89); The low-numbered Refractor parallels are his most valuable baseball cards.
His official rookie cards came in a handful of 2011 sets, but with no base autograph cards – The 2011 Bowman Sterling is easily Mike Trout’s most valuable base rookie card.
However, the numbered parallels of the his 2011 Topps Update Series card are his most expensive rookie year cards.
I’ve covered those cards, and Trout’s other best baseball cards below.
Table of Contents
Quick Summary - Top 3 Picks
The Best Mike Trout Rookie Cards
Mike Trout debuted in the Majors as a teenager, in 2011, and was one of baseball’s top prospects – He went on to record one of the best rookie seasons of all time.
Here’s a look at his top rookie cards:
2011 Bowman Sterling Mike Trout Rookie Card #22
The 2011 Bowman Sterling Mike Trout rookie card is not only very tough to find, but it’s also his most sought-after and desired official rookie card.
The card features a slick and modern looking design. While the high-end base card holds good value, even more value can be found in the Refractor parallels, for collectors with a bigger budget
Trout also has a Rookie Autographs card from the set, but there’s no base version, only signed Refractor parallels, so they make for a hard and expensive chase.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: $1.5k-$1.7k
2011 Bowman Chrome Mike Trout Rookie Card #175
Bowman Chrome is a brand that is always popular with rookie card collectors in baseball, which gives this 2011 Bowman Chrome Mike Trout rookie card added appeal.
The card design itself is nothing spectacular, with a traditional black-border Bowman design.
More value can be found in the Refractor parallels for this one, most of which are serial numbered.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: $900-$1.1k
2011 Bowman Draft Mike Trout Rookie Card #101
This 2011 Bowman Draft Mike Trout RC offers collectors a lower-budget alternative to the regular Bowman Chrome rookie – It’s one of his cheapest rookie cards.
It’s still a popular option, and with it being under the popular Bowman brand, it’s a good option for collectors.
The big value for this one is found in the lower numbered Refractor parallels.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: $500-$700
2011 Topps Update Series Mike Trout Rookie Card #US175
The 2011 Topps Update Series Mike Trout card is a nice-looking and solid Trout rookie card option for collectors; The parallel versions are easily among Trout’s most valuable rookie cards.
The base version of this is always in high demand, but there are also multiple parallel options, which add a bit of color and a lot of value.
A PSA 9 graded copy of the Hope Diamond Anniversary parallel (/60) sold for $126k in 2022, which makes it one of Mike Trout’s most expensive baseball cards ever.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: $900-$1.1k
2011 Playoff Prime Cuts Mike Trout Rookie Card #37
This 2011 Playoff Prime Cuts Mike Trout rookie card is the rarest of all Trout’s base rookies, numbered to just 99 copies.
It’s a tough one to find, which will be expensive to buy if you do manage to come across it.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: N/A (PSA 9: $4k-$4.5k)
The Best Mike Trout Prospect Cards
2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Autograph Mike Trout #BDPP89
A player’s first Bowman Chrome autograph card always holds significance, and while this 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Mike Trout auto card is technically an insert, it’s his key card to own.
This is easily the most popular and expensive Mike Trout baseball card.
It features an image of Trout in action with the bat in an Angels uniform, but the prominent on-card signature is the big appeal.
There are multiple Refractor parallels, which hold even more value than the base card; A copy of the Red Refractor parallel (/5) sold for $1.1 million in 2022, to become Trout’s most expensive card ever sold.
A 1-of-1 Superfractor version does also exist.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: $13k-$15k
2009 Bowman Sterling Mike Trout Autograph #BSPMT
For collectors who can’t afford the key Bowman Chrome autograph card, this 2009 Bowman Sterling prospect autograph card offers a good, cheaper alternative.
Although the autograph comes in the form of a foil sticker, it works well with the overall design of the card – It can be picked up for a fraction of the price of the Bowman Chrome auto.
There are also a few Refractor parallels for this one, which offer a tougher and more valuable chase to collectors.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: $2.5k-$2.7k
2009 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Mike Trout Autograph #57
Another autograph prospect card for Mike Trout is this 2009 Donruss Elite Extra card, which despite lacking MLB logos, is still popular.
It’s another key Mike Trout prospect card, which offers an autograph at a much lower price than the Bowman Chrome auto card.
This one is numbered to 495 copies, which makes it quite scarce.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: $2.8k-$3k
Top Mike Trout Baseball Cards From 2012 Onwards
2012 Topps Triple Threads Rookie Stars & Future Phenoms Mike Trout Autograph Relic #146
Mike Trout has numerous autograph and relic cards from the 2012 Topps Triple Threads set, but no unsigned base card.
This Rookie Stars & Future Phenoms autograph relic Trout card is a valuable option, with premium features like the on-card signature, and triple relic patch.
It’s also numbered to just 99 copies, with some lower-numbered parallels.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: N/A (PSA 8: $650-$750)
2012 Panini Prizm Mike Trout #50
Panini Prizm is a well-established sports card product in the hobby today, but the 2012 baseball set was it’s baseball card debut.
The set ended up being one of the key releases for 2012, and Mike Trout’s card is one of his best, and most popular, of the cards released after his rookie year.
In recent times, Prizm is known for low-value base cards with 40+ parallel options, that offer a wide range of rarity and values to collectors. However, this 2012 set only had 6 parallel versions, with 2 serial-numbered options.
The Gold Prizms (/10) and 1-of-1 Finite Prizms are among Trout’s most expensive cards to buy; A copy of the Gold Prizms parallel sold for $37.5k in 2021, graded BGS 9.5.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: $130-$150
2012 Panini National Treasures Mike Trout Autograph Patch #199
For modern rookies, we’re used to seeing a National Treasures autograph card with a jumbo patch as one of their best premium offerings.
For Mike Trout, collectors had to wait for his second year for an ultra-premium National Treasures option. 2012 was the debut year for Panini National Treasures Baseball.
It’s a high-end card, with a simple but classy-looking theme, which features the premium on-card signature and jumbo game-used patch.
It’s numbered to just 99 copies, with a few low numbered parallels, so it certainly holds value.
Trout has numerous other autograph and patch options from the 2012 set.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: N/A (PSA 9: $1.2k-$1.4k)
2013 Fleer Retro Precious Metal Gems Mike Trout #LV1
If you’re a fan of basketball cards from the 90s, then you’ll recognize the design used for this Mike Trout insert card.
As part of a promo, to promote the 2013 Fleer Retro Baseball set, Mike Trout had three insert cards in the style of the popular 1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Precious Metal Gems design, which included iconic cards for the likes of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.
The card was produced in Red (100 copies), Blue (50 copies) and Emerald Green (10 copies), to make three different cards, all serial numbered.
All three cards are highly sought-after and hold big value, particularly the rarest, Emerald Green card. They’re hard to find in mint condition, so a high BGS or PSA graded copy holds a premium.
Average Price of Red card in a PSA 10: $3k-$4k
Average Price of Blue card in a PSA 10: N/A (PSA 8: $2k-$2.5k)
Average Price of Green card in a PSA 10: N/A (PSA 9: $14k-$15k)
2016 Panini Flawless Mike Trout #36
The Premium Panini Flawless brand debuted in the baseball card hobby with the 2016 set, which offered collectors the first chance at a Mike Trout card from the high-end product.
The base cards, while not signed, hold the premium appeal of an embedded diamond gem, and are numbered to just 20 copies, so they’re very rare and valuable.
There are four parallel options, embedded with different gems, which takes the total number of cards up to still just 51.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: N/A
2017 Topps Diamond Icons Mike Trout Autograph Patch #JPA-MTR
Diamond Icons is Topps’ answer to Panini National Treasures – The set debuted in baseball with the 2017 set, which included numerous Mike Trout autograph cards.
This hard-signed autograph card with Jumbo patch is a premium card, limited and numbered to just 25 copies, with a few lower numbered parallels.
It’s a valuable Mike Trout card, which isn’t easy to find.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: N/A
2021 Panini Absolute Kaboom! Mike Trout #K2
Panini’s popular Kaboom insert line has some of the most popular and sought-after sports cards in the hobby in recent times – They’re generally very rare, and very valuable.
Mike Trout’s first Kaboom card came in the 2021 Panini Absolute Baseball set – He was one of twenty baseball players to have a card in the Kaboom subset.
The bold comic-style design of the cards resonate well with collectors, and this is a solid Mike Trout card option.
Average Price of base card in a PSA 10: N/A (PSA 9: $350-$450)
What Is The Rarest Mike Trout Rookie Card?
The 2011 Playoff Prime Cuts card (#37) is the rarest official Mike Trout rookie card, with just 99 numbered copies printed.
Why Are Mike Trout Rookie Cards So Valuable?
Mike Trout has established himself as one of the best baseball players ever, so his rookie cards are in high demand in the baseball card collecting hobby. He hasn’t got a huge selection of different rookie cards, so the high demand, mixed with relatively low supply, pushes the price of the cards up.
Are Mike Trout Cards A Good Investment?
Mike Trout cards are a good investment for baseball card collectors, because of his status in baseball, certain cards of his should do well over time – His key prospect and rookie cards, and some of his key later cards, like those listed above, should keep high demand and value in the future.
What Is The Most Expensive Mike Trout Baseball Card?
The most valuable and desirable Mike Trout card is the 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Pick and Prospects card (#BDPP89).
The hard-signed autographed card is the top pick of all Mike Trout baseball cards, as we see with most players’ first Bowman Chrome auto card in the hobby.
The low-numbered Refractor parallels hold the highest price tags – A copy of the Red Refractor parallel, limited to only 5 copies, sold for $1.1m in 2022.
Average prices based on PSA’s previous public sales data.
