Cards
PRIME PUJOLS: Albert Pujols cards begin to rise for future Hall of Famer
Albert Pujols stands to enter baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2028, his first year of eligibility. And make no mistake: Pujols better be a first-ballot HOFer or we’ll all be questioning the credentials of voters.
Pujols was an absolute force during his 22-year career, blasting 703 home runs—fourth-highest total ever—while batting .296 with 2,218 RBI and 1,914 runs. The first baseman was well-decorated, too, notching three MVP awards, two Gold Gloves, nine Silver Slugger awards and 11 All-Star selections, among countless other honors.
Collectors are keeping a close eye on Pujols cards. The best example during this survey period: a signed 2001 Bowman Chrome Refractor rookie that soared to nearly $29,000. The card’s condition, reflected by its PSA 9 grade, helped. So did its scarcity; only 500 were produced. Just a month earlier, a PSA 8 specimen of the same card sold for $21,600 on 78 bids.
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Last month in this space, we reported on a 2018 Topps Triple Threads #1/1 card featuring the signatures of Pujols, Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. It brought $60,500 on 89 bids. Two other multi-signed Pujols cards, however, recently got away for far less:
• A 2001 Topps Chrome Traded “Retrofractor” featuring the signatures of both Pujols and Seattle Mariner hit-man Ichiro Suzuki sold for “only” $7,200 on 38 bids. It was graded PSA 9.
• A 2024 Topps Definitive Collection Trio Autograph card of Pujols with Ohtani and Trout sold for $6,278 auction. Marked #13/25, this one was ungraded but clean and sharp-cornered.
Then there’s Topps’ 2025 Definitive Collection Triple Autograph inserts featuring a “home run heaven” lineup: Pujols, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez. That trio combined for 2,161 homers (Bonds with 762, Pujols with 703, A-Rod with 696).
In May alone, we saw four Triple Autograph cards of the trio sell on eBay. Three of them came from an edition of 25 and sold for prices of $4,270 on 34 bids (#8/25), $3,800 on 45 bids (#5/25) and $3,206 on 39 bids (#20/25). We also saw a “black” variation of the same card sell for $4,050 on 26 bids. Black variations appeared in an edition of 10, the visual difference being black shading along the top edge and upper-right area.
For Pujols “solo” cards, collectors will find a steady stream of creative efforts that make eye-catching displays. Prime examples span from the start of Pujols’ career all the way to today. For example, Upper Deck’s 2001 SP Authentic “Future Watch” card features a high-impact full-body batting pose of young Albert. Made in an edition of 1,250, it’s an appealing rookie card that sells for four-figure prices. One recent offering graded PSA 10 brought $5,008 on 49 bids. Another, also PSA 10, fetched $4,300 on 44 bids.
Some 24 years and thousands of Pujols cards later, Topps created a Museum Collection Emerald card featuring the nameplate from a game-used Pujols bat. That #1/1 rarity sold for $3,852 on 38 bids.
