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Freddie Freeman cards sizzling, Giancarlo Stanton gaining steam after World Series
Admit it: You have undervalued Freddie Freeman memorabilia all these years.
It’s understandable. The first baseman, as an LA Dodgers star since 2022, has played in the shadows of otherworldly talent Shohei Ohtani and the headlining Mookie Betts. And prior to his Dodgers days, Freeman played second fiddle to Ronald Acuna Jr. And don’t forget: When Freeman came up as a 20-year-old in 2010, the Braves still revolved around future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones.
But there’s something about postseason heroics that elevate a player in the hobby. And with Freeman, we saw that happen in 2024, as he homered in the first four games of the World Series. Considering he homered in his last two Fall Classic games for Atlanta in 2021, Freeman now owns the record for homers in the most consecutive World Series games: six straight.
Freeman’s loud on-field performance came despite all kinds of personal challenges, including a host of injuries—among them a bum ankle that kept him out of two games in the 2024 NL Championship Series vs. the Mets.
Freeman also has been dealing with a far more important distraction: a near-fatal illness that affected his 3-year-old son in July. After a viral infection, young Maximus Freeman was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that became a near-fatal condition. (He is reportedly recovering well.)
Despite all that, Freeman went off in baseball’s brightest spotlight, hitting .300 with four home runs and 12 RBI over five games to win World Series MVP.
On eBay, the interest in Freeman has been sizzling during the postseason. Yet prices are still far below what’s being paid for high-end Ohtani, Betts and Aaron Judge items. Example: A 2022 Panini Absolute Kaboom! card of Freeman inspired an amazing 263 bids, though it sold for only $191. People wanted it but were obviously bumping bids 50 cents at a time.
That’s not to say collectors aren’t pushing Freeman’s cream-of-the-crop cards into higher realms. Here’s a sampling of four-figure prices paid for different Freeman cards during his 2024 playoff run.
• $2,550 on 53 bids for a 2009 Bowman Chrome Prospects signed Refractor card. One of only 500 made, it was graded BGS 10 with a 10 autograph.
• $2,430 on 23 bids for a 2009 Bowman Chrome Prospects signed Xfractor graded PSA 10 and one of only 250.
• $1,536 on 45 bids for a 2011 Topps Finest Red Refractor auto card marked #18/25 and graded SGC 9.5, with a 10 sig.
• $1,525 on 34 bids for an ungraded 2011 Topps Chrome Blue Refractor from an edition of 199.
• $1,500 on 1 bid for an ungraded 2011 Topps Series 1 black-bordered rookie card marked #47/60.
• $1,380 on 23 bids for a 2011 Topps Chrome Gold Refractor marked #6/50 and graded PSA 9.
• $1,333 on 48 bids for a 2011 Topps Finest Xfractor graded PSA 10 and marked #38/299.
• $1,133 on 79 bids for an ungraded #1/1 2011 Topps Tribute Red signed patch card authenticated by PSA with a 10 autograph.
• $1,102 on 27 bids for a #1/25 2007 Bowman Chrome Orange Refractor graded BGS 9.
• $1,036 on 30 bids for an ungraded 2024 Topps Tier One dual-autograph, dual-patch card-sized booklet. Besides Freeman’s signature, this #3/10 rarity also features Clayton Kershaw’s sig.
There’s no doubt Freeman memorabilia values will rise as he adds more baseball accomplishments. His demeanor—he’s clearly a team-oriented, humble person—makes it easy to root for him, Dodger fan or not.
MIKE STANTON ROOKIE RISE: GIANCARLO!
Giancarlo Stanton, the 2024 AL Championship Series MVP, clubbed four homers to lead the Yankees to a four-games-to-one win over the Cleveland Guardians and a trip to the World Series. On his long-ago rookie cards, as collectors know, the slugger was cited as “Mike Stanton” — not Giancarlo. Right now, the Stanton rookie drawing the most attention is his 2008 Bowman Chrome autographed Refractor.
Three Gold Refractors sold on eBay in October, drawing prices of $1,827 on 74 bids (BGS 8), $1,376 on 25 bids (BGS 9), and $1,325 on 22 bids (BGS 8).
Even though Stanton was far more of an all-around force earlier in his career, he’s still capable of big, dramatic moments—which gives him evergreen appeal among collectors.