Collecting One of Baseball’s Greatest Franchises
At Topps RIPPED, we’re taking a look at how to collect your favorite teams. If you’re new to the chase, take a look at our Team Collecting Primer. Not meant to be a definitive guide, these profiles aim to give team collectors, and those looking to get started, an idea of some of the charms of collecting each franchise.
This week, we’re taking a look at the Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox Story
Collecting is often about history, and collecting the Sox is about telling a story. After all, the tale of the franchise reads something like the Great American Novel. By 1918, the Red Sox had become the first to win 5 World Series titles. The team’s star, Babe Ruth, was traded to the Yankees, and well, you know the rest: a near-century of legends and heartbreak, fan-favorites and frustrations, until a comeback for the ages and a new era of success at the dawn of a new century.
With the Boston Red Sox and their cards, there’s just so much story to tell.
A Storied Past in Boston
While Yankee fans might get more joy out of the above 1916 Babe Ruth card, it’s a historic artifact that transcends franchises. The most recent sale of this card came in February 2025, selling for just under $1.4 million.
Card No. 1 of Topps flagship product holds a special place in The Hobby. It’s a slot reserved for the very best, and the likes of Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Mike Trout, and Shohei Ohtani have all led off a set.
The 1954 Ted Williams began a run of three leadoff cards in a five-year span for the man some consider the best pure hitter in the history of baseball. The double-image card above showing off that perfect swing is just lovely. Truly scarce at high grades, PSA lists a population of only 5 PSA 9 versions. An 8.5 sold for over $32,000 in 2024.
The 1933 Goudey set remains one of the most important in Hobby history, including one of Babe Ruth’s most valuable cards. Sox star Jimmie Foxx is also found in the set, with a legendary card all his own. The 3-time MVP wouldn’t join the Sox until 1936, but he remains one of Boston’s all-time greats.
Collecting Yaz
Perhaps no player in Red Sox history is as beloved as Yaz. He led Boston’s 1967 Impossible Dream season and went back to the World Series in 1975. The Sox lost both series in seven games, but the seasons remain indelible chapters in the story of the franchise.
A Triple Crown winner and 18-time All-Star, Yaz played his entire 23-year career in Boston.
Yaz’s 1960 and 1961 Topps cards actually use the same player image. Interestingly, Yasztrzemski was given his rookie card before he’d actually played in the majors. In a sense, his 1960 card is a prospect card before those really existed. A PSA 9 sold for $26,400 in August 2024. The 1961 card remains accessible at lower grades. A PSA 6 is currently listed on Ebay for $180.
While we’re on the topic of Yaz, his 1973 Topps card made it all the way to The Simpsons, where Milhouse goes into his LCS and asks for “The Carl Yastrzemski card from 1973 when he had big sideburns.”
Carrying the Red Sox Torch
Boston’s long title drought was full of close calls and great players. We can’t hope to mention them all here, but one of the joys of team collecting is tailoring your collection to moments and players that matter to you.
Maybe that’s local legend Tony Conigliaro, who debuted for the Sox at only 19 years old.
Could be Hall-of-Famer Jim Rice, captured on this fantastic 1977 card readying for battle at Yankee Stadium.
Could be fiery catcher Carlton Fisk, facing off against New York in this spectacular action shot.
A personal favorite is this 1987 Dwight Evans, commemorating Evans’ home run on the very first pitch of the very first game of Boston’s famous 1986 campaign.
Same year, same set, more history: Roger Clemens’ ‘86 Record Breaker card celebrating the Rocket’s 20-strikeout masterpiece against Seattle. It’s also a Topps Baseball leadoff card.
New Century, New Red Sox
Longtime Red Sox collectors could be excused for wondering if they’d ever be able to add World Series Champion winners to their team collections, but four rings from 2004-2018 changed all that. Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, and many more, have been etched into Red Sox lore.
David Ortiz, who personified the new era of Boston baseball with his charm and otherworldly knack for the clutch, helped the Sox to three of those rings. For all his legendary exploits in 2004, his transcendent role in the city came in 2013, when he helped bring the city together after the tragic Boston Marathon Bombing.
Sometimes, a card tells a thousand words.
The Here, The Now, The Future
Team collectors of the Boston Red Sox will tell you the organization is building an exciting core. Former phenom turned franchise cornerstone Rafael Devers remains a present-day player to chase.
A 2015 Bowman Chrome Baseball Prospect Autographs Devers Red Refractor numbered to 5 sold for almost $9,000 on March 29.
Devers appears in the popular 2025 Topps Baseball Series 1 Player Number Variation series. Short-printed to 11, this card is there to be chased in this year’s flagship release.
Rookie Kristian Campbell has made a splash with the big club early in the year, receiving his first rookie card through a Topps NOW® release following Opening Day.
Campbell’s 2023 Bowman Chrome cards are some of the more sought-after prospect cards of the season so far. In April alone, Card Ladder has registered over 30 four-figure sales of Campbell’s 1st Bowmans. Fellow top prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer are waiting for the call. The future is bright.
Whether you’re capturing the past or embracing the future, there are many ways to build your Boston Red Sox team collection.
