Harper watches his second-inning home run in Game 3 of the 2022 World Series.
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By the time the first Bryce Harper Rookie Card arrived, the outfielder was already a massive star in the hobby. Although his first cards as a major leaguer didn’t come out until a couple of months after his debut with the Nationals, Harper was already something of a hobby veteran.
His first cards date back to 2008-09, more than a year before the Washington Nationals selected the outfielder with the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. Harper’s earliest baseball cards came courtesy of his time with the USA Baseball program. This includes several autographs from both Upper Deck and Topps as well as more traditional base cards.
Harper’s first Bowman Chrome autograph, a card that ranks as one of his collection cornerstones, came out in 2011.
When it comes to traditional Harper RCs, collectors have nearly 20 to choose from. While there’s a wide range in values, just one comes with an autograph. Rarity and brand popularity are the other main drivers.
The following list includes only base Bryce Harper cards with the Rookie Card designation (RC) in the Beckett database. Inserts and parallels are not taken into account. Rankings are based primarily on the Beckett price guide.
1. 2012 Topps Bryce Harper Rookie Card #661
It’s normal for flagship Topps Rookie Cards to rank among a modern player’s most popular cards, but most valuable? Under normal circumstance, no. But the 2012 Topps Bryce Harper Rookie Card isn’t your normal circumstances. It’s an extremely scarce short print in Series 2 packs that was added late in production following his debut.
Collectors do have a couple of other options that are more common and significantly more affordable. Topps included a pair of Harper variations in 2012 factory sets.
There’s also an autograph of the version that was never in packs. Rather, it was part of the Golden Giveaway promotion that ran throughout all of Topps’ 2012 flagship products. Packs had code cards and the autograph was one of the prizes.
Parallels: Gold Embedded (1/1)