Babe Ruth isn’t just a baseball icon—he’s one of the faces of the hobby.
His cards are some of the most coveted, sought-after cards out there, representing the gold standard of vintage collecting.
Cards from his playing days are rare pieces of treasure with eye-watering values—testament to The Bambino’s legendary status.
Here’s a look at the 10 most expensive Babe Ruth baseball card sales ever recorded.
The Most Valuable Babe Ruth Cards Based On Previous Sales
Each card appears only once on the list, based on its highest recorded sale, even if multiple copies could rank in the top 10 (unless it’s a different variation version).
*The list is based on previous auction sales prices according to Market Movers*
10. 1948 Leaf Babe Ruth #3
Record Sale: $540,000 (PSA 9) – August 2022.
This visually appealing card is one of the most popular Babe Ruth cards, and it’s also significant for being the last major card to feature the Sultan of Swat before his death.
The red background helps it stand out, but also contributes to condition issues. Centering is a common problem with this one, so the rare high-graded copies carry a bigger premium.
9. 1916 Famous & Barr Co. Babe Ruth #151
Record Sale: $645,000 (PSA 4) – July 2023.
This is one of Babe Ruth’s earliest cards—the 1916 Famous & Barr Co. rookie variant features Ruth as a young pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, before he was traded to the New York Yankees.
This version of the Babe Ruth rookie card, with the Famous & Barr Co. back, is incredibly rare, with only a handful of graded copies.
The high-selling copy is graded PSA 4, which ranks among the better-known examples—though a couple of PSA 6s have been documented.
8. 1917 Collins-McCarthy E135 Babe Ruth #147
Record Sale: $660,000 (SGC 8) – February 2021.
Although this one isn’t a Babe Ruth rookie card, it’s still one of his earliest releases and one of his most sought-after cards.
The card dates back over 100 years, to when the Collins-McCarthy Candy Co. released a 200-card candy set in 1917 and, like his rookie card from the year before, it features Ruth in a Red Sox uniform.
It’s very rare, and an SGC 8 grade is remarkably high, so it’s no surprise to see such a big price tag for the record sale in 2021.
7. 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #144
Record Sale: $1,065,000 (PSA 8.5) – August 2023.
The famous 1933 Goudey set is best known for the legendary quartet of Babe Ruth cards, including this timeless gem.
While this one has the lowest record sale of the 4 cards, it’s still one of his best and most valuable baseball cards ever and extremely rare in high grades.
6. 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #181
Record Sale: $1,272,000 (PSA 9) – June 2021.
Here’s another one of the coveted ‘33 Goudey cards.
It’s the last of Babe Ruth’s four cards in the set, in terms of checklist position, and remains one of Ruth’s most popular cards of all time.
The high PSA 9 grade helped this one break the 7-figure barrier—one of only a handful that have kept such a good condition. A PSA 10 copy does exist, which would likely be even more expensive if it ever goes to auction.
5. 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #149
Record Sale: $1,620,000 (PSA 8.5) – November 2024.
Another entry from the 1933 Goudey set, this is one of the most popular Babe Ruth cards of all time—the red background gives it similarities to the popular 1948 Lead card mentioned earlier.
Like most of his cards, the scarcity increases for copies in top condition, and none have achieved a higher grade from PSA than this version’s 8.5.
4. 1916 M101-4 Sporting News Babe Ruth Rookie #151
Record Sale: $1,770,000 (SGC 7) – February 2023.
Given the fact it’s the first card to feature him as a Major League player, this is considered to be the Babe Ruth rookie card.
The significance of that alone is enough to give it huge value, plus its rarity.
It has the same front as the Famous & Barr Co. variant mentioned earlier, but with a different back—showcasing an ad for The Sporting News instead.
Preserving a card so old is tough, but centering issues add to the reason there are so few graded high.
This SGC 7 graded version represents one of the best copies in existence.
3. 1916 M101-4 Sporting News Blank Back Babe Ruth #151
Record Sale: $2,400,000 (PSA 7) – November 2021.
Here’s a slightly different variant of the iconic Babe Ruth rookie card—it’s from the M101-4 Sporting News release, with the same front but a blank back.
It’s valuable for all the same reasons as the one above, but this blank-back version is even rarer.
The remarkable PSA 7 grade for this copy helped it achieve a multi-million dollar sale. It’s one of only two PSA 7s, with none currently graded higher by PSA.
2. 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53
Record Sale: $4,212,000 (PSA 9) – June 2021.
The final part of the legendary ‘33 Goudey Babe Ruth quartet—this is often referred to as Yellow Ruth.
The visually appealing card is generally considered to be the toughest of the four cards, although it’s close with the red #149 card.
This impressive PSA 9 graded copy stands alone as the highest graded version by PSA, and that, mixed with the card’s popularity, helped it become one of the most expensive sports cards ever sold.
1. 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth
Record Sale: $7,200,000 (SGC 3) – December 2023.
When this ultra-rare 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth card sold in 2023, it became the 3rd most expensive sports card sale in history, narrowly missing out on 2nd.
It’s one of the hobby’s greatest treasures, featuring a young and unproven Ruth, who was in the minor leagues with his hometown team, the Baltimore Orioles, at the time.
It’s the earliest card of one of MLB’s greatest ever, and it’s also very rare—an estimated total of only around 10 copies exist today.
The card was produced in 2 colors, blue and red, and it was a red version that fetched the record $7.2M price tag.
