Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout card fetches record price at auction

Move over Honus Wagner! The 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Mike Trout Superfractor autograph now holds the record for the most money ever paid for a baseball card.

Seemingly since the dawn of sports memorabilia collecting, the T-206 Honus Wagner card was considered to be the Holy Grail of the hobby. Very few were in existence after the card was pulled early in its production, making even the most damaged copies desirable. The Wagner had held the record for years, with a copy pulling in $3.12 million in an auction in 2016.

That record no longer belongs to Wagner. A much newer card, the 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Mike Trout Superfractor autograph, now holds the record, selling for an astonishing $3.84 million after the buyer’s premium was factored in.

To make this price even more shocking, it was not even close to what the card had been purchased for. Back in April 2018, the card had been sold for $400,000, quite the hefty profit in just under two and a half years.

The plan for the previous owner, Vegas Dave, had always been to sell the Trout. When he purchased the card, he felt that it would eventually set the record for the highest price of any card, eclipsing the Wagner. He was adamant about getting that price, as he said at the time that he could be offered $2 million and would refuse to sell.

Although the card came out in just 2009, one can see why it would be considered to be one of the hottest investments. In just ten years in the majors, he has become one of the greatest players in the history of the game, winning three AL MVPs, finishing as the runner up four times, and never worse than fourth. His path to Cooperstown is set, with the only question being what his numbers will look like when his career is over.

Given that Trout is just 29 years old, and could have at least a decade more ahead of himself, one can understand why this card fetched such a high price. And its value may continue to increase, especially as he continues to pad his already impressive resume.

There is a new king when it comes to the highest price paid for a baseball card. The 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Mike Trout Superfractor autograph now holds the record, selling for $3.84 million.