STILL SOARING
Like one of Mike Trout’s colossal home runs, his 2011 Topps Update Rookie Card continues to rise.
LIKE ONE OF MIKE TROUT’S COLOSSAL HOME RUNS, HIS 2011 TOPPS UPDATE ROOKIE CARD CONTINUES TO RISE.
Mike Trout squared himself in the box, measured up, torqued his body and obliterated the ball. It screamed an estimated 300 yards.
No one is sure how far the shot actually traveled. Golf balls are hard to track at night. Plus, it seemed to clear the Topgolf safety net.
e viral video of Trout destroying a golf ball last spring further exalted his herculean reputation like something out of a comic book. Even during an abbreviated season, the center fielder’s dominance of the game and in the card hobby has never been more obvious. e best measuring stick continues to be his 2011 Topps Update #US175 Rookie Card. It has blown the roof off industry expectations, and in many ways, current industry standards.
Just three years ago a er Trout’s second MVP season, the card topped out at around $250. Today, raw copies can sell for as much as $1,200. Prices have risen so quickly, that by the time you read this, it might sell for even more.
ere’s no autograph and no memorabilia swatch. Heck, it’s not even serialnumbered or short-printed. In fact, it’s as plain of a card as you’ll find in an industry inundated with shiny bells and whistles. Still, it’s a beautiful card with a classic design released during Topps’ 60th Anniversary year. It looks even better in a graded slab.
Dominating the Hot List
Incredibly, the card has owned the No. 1 spot on the baseball Hot List for more than 24 consecutive months. It’s almost not fair to all other cards. “It’s almost gotten to a point where we need to retire the Trout Update card from Hot List consideration,” says Brian Fleischer, Beckett Media’s Collectibles Data Group Manager.“the fact that we can literally get hundreds of sales on a card valued $600-$1,200 in a month makes it almost untouchable as the No. 1 Hot Card. The card has become so iconic in the last few years, that it almost transcends traditional hobby logic when it comes to values.”
The amount of secondary market activity certainly is unmatched. A recent ebay search for “2011 Topps Update Mike Trout” pulled up more than 700 listings. Sold lots were more than double that. But could the value still rise? Fleischer says he didn’t think there was much more room for growth when it was a $200 card, or when it was an $800 card. “If Trout has a record-shattering year, or leads the Angels to the World Series, I think there might be a little more room to grow,” he says.
It’s a good point. Even though Trout has put up Hall of Fame-caliber numbers, he’s never sniffed the World Series. He has appeared in just three postseason games, when the Angels were swept by the Royals in 2014. Imagine if the Angels begin making constant postseason runs and Trout makes an even bigger impact than he has in the regular season. Big postseason performances when more of the country is watching certainly could help boost the value even higher. Essentially, it’s the only thing Trout hasn’t accomplished yet.
Making Basic Cool Again
Trout’s 2011 Topps Update card has revived appreciation and legitimacy for basic cards and lower-end products, proving that a popular and valuable card doesn’t have to be autographed or come out of a high-dollar box. There are endless stories of collectors once pulling the card from a pack instead of having to buy one individually. The card once sold for less than $10.
“e 2011 Topps Update Trout card was THE card that put the Update Rookie Cards on the map,” Fleischer says. “Now, we see other Topps Update and base Topps RCS selling for much more than they did prior to the explosion in value of the Trout Update card. A lot more Topps and Topps Update RCS have started showing up on the Hot List in recent years.”
e market for graded versions is uncanny. More than 14,000 graded copies are counted in the BGS and PSA population reports, including more than 9,000 graded Gem Mint or Pristine. Gem Mint versions sell for about $1,800 to $2,500. Taking an average sale price of $2,100 at more than 9,000 copies means more than $19 million of value exists in the marketplace for Gem Mint grades alone. Of course, that doesn’t factor in Mint grades and hundreds of raw card sales that easily reach at least $700 to $800.
Two popular parallel versions are the Wal-mart Blue Border and the Target Red Border. ese typically sell for double what the base RC commands. e same is true for the Gold, Diamond Anniversary and Cognac Diamond Anniversary versions. e hardest to find are the Black and Hope Diamond Anniversary parallels, both limited to 60 copies to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Topps baseball. A Black graded BGS Mint 9 ended with a high bid of $35,600 in mid-november.