Hank Aaron

His earliest known collectible, a team-issued postcard from his three-month stint with the Negro American League's Indianapolis Clowns in 1952, two years before his Topps rookie card. Long debated among collectors, but now generally accepted as a genuine early image of a young Aaron before his sale to the Braves organization for $10,000.

His consensus rookie card and one of the most collected cards of the 1950s, sharing the set with Mays' and Banks' rookies. Also his flagship Topps debut, from the same manufacturer that would chronicle nearly his entire playing career.

Topps crowned Aaron the 'New All-Time Home Run King' on the very first card of its 1974 set, printed and shipped before Opening Day, months before he actually broke Babe Ruth's record on April 8, 1974. One of the most historically singular cards in the hobby: a manufacturer betting on a record before it happened, and getting it right.

His second-year Topps card, from the same golden-age design era as his rookie. A cornerstone of any vintage Aaron run.

A PSA 10 copy of this mid-career Topps issue sold for $222,000, among the highest prices ever paid for a non-rookie Aaron card. A scarce, condition-sensitive vintage piece from the peak of his prime with the Milwaukee Braves.

Topps' 1968 design used a distinctive burlap-textured border that wears and chips easily, making true gem mint copies extraordinarily scarce; a PSA 10 sold for $174,000 in 2023. One of the toughest high-grade vintage Aaron cards to find.

His first certified autograph, an on-card signature from the 1991 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes insert set's 'Find the Aaron' promotion, hand-numbered to 2,500. Also his first serial-numbered card of any kind, arriving decades before certified autographs became a hobby standard.

A mid-1950s Topps issue from his early Milwaukee Braves seasons, predating his ascent to the all-time home run record.

The first Topps All-Star subset card, marking Topps' inaugural year including a dedicated All-Star insert within the base set. The closest equivalent to a national-team card for a player whose career predates Olympic or international baseball honors, arriving three years after his first of 21 All-Star selections in 1955.

His final mainstream Topps card, issued in his last playing season back with the Milwaukee Brewers. The most affordable card in this set, but a fitting bookend to a run that started in 1954.

His first memorabilia card, a game-used bat swatch from the 1999 Upper Deck A Piece of History 500 Home Run Club insert, limited to roughly 350 copies. An ultra-rare triple-relic version combining Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays swatches on one card has fewer than 10 copies known to exist.

The print-to-order card marking the 47th anniversary of his 715th career home run on April 8, 1974, the swing that passed Babe Ruth for the all-time record. Topps Now did not exist during his playing career, making this his first and only on-demand card, numbered to 1,155.