Yasiel Puig’s dramatic three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 4 of the 2018 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox was a moment worthy of capturing on a baseball card. It just wasn’t a card most Dodgers fans wanted to pay $9.99 for in the immediate aftermath of that game, as the Red Sox came back to win 9-6 on their way to winning the series four games to one.
Puig’s home run was the basis for a Topps Now card, No. 947 in the company’s print-to-order series commemorating notable moments and performances in which individual cards are only sold for a limited time. In the fall of 2018, only 446 Puig home run cards were purchased, so that’s how many were printed (Topps Now print runs generally range from a few hundred up to a few hundred thousand, depending on the player and the moment).
The front of Yasiel Puig’s 2018 World Series home run Topps Now card doesn’t reveal much as to why it’s so valuable now. (Photo courtesy of PSA)
For years, the card was an afterthought. Once the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown brought a resurgence of interest in trading cards, the price started to climb from its original $9.99. In 2022, it sold for around $150 to $200, but over the last couple of years, it’s jumped into the thousands, peaking with its most recent sale on May 8 for $6,000 — Puig’s second-highest card sale ever behind his one-of-one 2013 Bowman Chrome autographed Superfractor that sold for $18,000 when he was still a hot prospect in 2014.
So why is a little-known print-to-order card from eight years ago of a guy now playing in the Canadian Baseball League and facing a potential prison sentence worth so much? It’s because of who can be found celebrating in the background of the photo on the back of the card: Kobe Bryant.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend and avid Dodgers fan was sitting behind home plate for that game, with photos catching him with his arms raised in delight. And since Bryant has become one of the most valuable athletes in the sports card hobby, a lesser-known baseball card featuring him on the back with only 446 copies in existence is now a hot commodity.
The back of Yasiel Puig’s 2018 World Series home run Topps Now card, with Kobe Bryant celebrating on the left in a No. 8 Dodgers jersey. (Photo courtesy of PSA)
As of this writing, only two examples of the card are currently available on eBay, both in Gem-Mint PSA 10 condition, like the one that sold for $6,000 earlier this month. One is listed for $15,000 (or best offer) and the other for $24,888.88 (a play on Bryant’s two jersey numbers, 24 and 8).
Famous fans making a card more valuable than it otherwise would be has been a trend for years now, though it’s more common with basketball cards, where spectators are closer to the action. Perhaps the first and most famous example is the 1990 NBA Hoops Mark Jackson card featuring the Menendez brothers sitting courtside behind Jackson, which also sold for as high as $6,000 in 2022, according to sales database Card Ladder.
Mark Jackson’s 1990 NBA Hoops card with Lyle and Erik Menendez visible on the left side. (Photo courtesy of eBay)
Another example is Ja Morant’s 2019 Panini Chronicles card, which shows a collection of Memphis rappers and other semi-known fans behind him.
Ja Morant’s 2019 Panini Chronicles #116, with late rapper Young Dolph on the right side of the card. (Photo courtesy of eBay)
Paul George’s 2016 Panini Optic All-Stars card has climbed in value since Drake is visible sitting behind him.
A 2016 Panini Optic Paul George card with Drake on the right side of the image. (Photo courtesy of eBay)
And most recently, a Topps Now card of Jalen Brunson with actor and New York Knicks superfan Timothée Chalamet cheering him on was sold (print run: 2,498).
What sets the Puig card apart is that Bryant only appears on the back, not the front image like the others mentioned. It’s one of the rare cards that gets listed for sale with its back image most prominently featured instead of its front.
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