Are you a fan of baseball cards? It’s no secret that the Barry Bonds cards were among the most popular ones and are still traded and collected to this day. Although Barry Bonds and his career were often followed by controversy, it’s worth mentioning that, he’s one of the most iconic baseball players of his time, and his cards will continue being traded.
People compete on who’ll be the most dedicated Barry Bonds fan by collecting his cards, with each card representing an important game and having a special value. The better condition, the higher the value. Best value cards are not easy to find, but those who are lucky will earn the most money by selling them.
There are many marketplaces where you can sell, as well as buy Barry Bonds cards if you want to collect them. In this article, we’re going to discuss the value of different Barry Bonds cards, list the most valuable ones, and help you with grading them.
That being said, if you have a Barry Bonds card that you’d like to sell, you must know its condition, a below guide will also help you determine the value card. It’s worth mentioning that if you’re buying a Barry Bonds card, you must know that a lot of cards are ungraded.
Those that are graded with a specific grade are valuable more somewhat because of the mint state they could be in, or to cover the price of hiring an appraiser.
With all this in mind, without further ado, let’s analyze the value of Barry Bonds cards, and continue reading to see whether your card is among the most valuable ones.
Barry Bonds is one of the most popular baseball players of his time. His father Bobby Bonds was also a popular baseball player who made a record for the most 30/30 seasons. Barry’s godfather was also Willie Mays, who was also a legendary player. Barry held the 30 home runs for 13 consecutive seasons and won seven MVP awards when he played for San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates.
He’s also followed by a lot of controversies, including the steroid scandal which put the rest of his career into the shade. Despite that, Barry Bonds’s baseball cards are quite popular, especially the limited print cards, which are super-valuable.
Things to Know About Barry Bonds Baseball Cards & Their Value
If you’re still chasing the cards printed from the late 1980s and early 1990s, we have good news for you, they are still being widely collected. However, now that some time has passed the cards may have some visible signs of wear and tear, which is why the condition of the cards holds a lot of its value.
Condition & Grading System
When determining a value of a baseball card, it’s always important to know the value of the cards, because, in a great matter, they decide what the value of the card will be. Many people take extraordinary care of their rare Barry Bonds cards, but even then, no card is invincible to the tooth of time, and will occasionally show some visible signs of aging.
Collectors and Barry Bonds fans alike strive to keep the cards in mint condition, but sometimes, it’s impossible. Below are the grading scores you will need to focus on to grade the condition of the card.
Two key grading systems are used for the sports cards, one of them is PSA and SGC. Below are the grade values as they follow:
PSA Grades:
- Poor (PR 1)
- Fair (FR 1.5)
- Good (Good 2)
- Very Good (VG 3)
- Very Good-Excellent (VG-EX 4)
- Excellent (EX 5)
- Excellent-Mint (EX-MT 6)
- Near Mint (NM 7)
- Near Mint-Mint (NM-MT 8)
- Mint (Mint 9)
- Gem Mint (GEM-MT 10)
SGC Grades:
- Poor (1)
- Fair (1.5)
- Good (2)
- Good+ (2.5)
- VG (3)
- VG+ (3.5)
- VG/EX (4)
- VG/EX+(4.5)
- EX (5)
- EX+ (5.5)
- EX/NM (6)
- Ex/NM+ (6.5)
- NRMT (7)
- NM+ (7.5)
- NM/MT (8)
- NM/MT+ (8.5)
- Mint (9)
- Mint+ (9.5)
- GEM (10 GM)
- Pristine (10 PRI)
Below, we’re going to explain to you what some of the most notable grades of these two systems mean, and how they overlap one over another:
- MINT ( PSA 9 or SGC 96) – These are some of the cards that are in the best condition. The edges are sharp and look as if they’ve just exited the print house. There are no scratches or other discoloration flaws on the surface of the card. The card hasn’t bent or creased either on the front or back. The picture is also centered within the ratio of 55/45.
- Near Mint to Mint (PSA 8 or SGC 88) – If you take a general look at these cards, they’re in mint state. However, if you focus on the details and look closer, you will notice some flaws worth mentioning such as small, barely visible scratches and bends, with a bit of affected centering, but not worse than the 60/40 ratio.
- Excellent to Mint (PSA 6 or SGC 80) – You will notice that these cards look great but have a bit of bent and curved corners, the centering is not perfect, and there are some minor superficial flaws over the cards.
- Excellent (PSA 5 or SGC 60) – This is one of the most common grades that you will find on the Barry Bonds card on websites. The corners are fuzzy and bent, and the surface looks worn and used frequently. The gloss has started to fade away and centering could be better.
- Very Good to Excellent (PSA 4 or SGC 50) – There is nearly no gloss on the cards, the corners are bent and look heavily worn. There’s visible scratching and wrinkling over the card’s surface.
- Good (PSA 2 or SGC 30) – These cards were heavily used and traded and circulated a lot. They’re likely very old and vintage, with completely bent corners and poor centering in the card.
- Poor (PSA 1 SGC 10) – These cards are significantly worn, slightly even chipped, and ripped, with no gloss and a lot of scratching signs.
It’s worth noting that cards that are lower in grades are older than the 1980s baseball era, and give a true vintage vibe. That being said, you won’t find Barry Bonds cards that are in Good or Poor condition. Nevertheless, as mentioned earlier, these cards are mostly not graded, so you’ll have to do the proper evaluation yourself and find out whether the listing price is loyal to the value.
If you’re further struggling to understand grading baseball cards, here’s a video that will provide more guidance in determining the value of your cards.
Evaluating Barry Bonds Cards
Something that people focus on the most when it comes to these cards is how rare they are, meaning how many printed copies were made of certain Barry Bonds cards, as well as what’s the condition and grade of the card.
You have two possibilities. One is to hire an appraiser who is experienced with baseball cards and will help you appraise the card you need to be evaluated. Alternatively, you can grade them using the criteria listed above and use assistance from forums such as Quora and Reddit and post the cards you want to be evaluated.
Grading cards are something else, and you’ll likely have to employ a professional grading company to give a grade to your cards such as PSA and SGC.
Is It an Error Card?
Error cards are cards that may be in pristine condition, without scratches and other forms of wear and tear, but have some factory printing error, or an error in some other shape. While many would look down upon these defects, collectors value these cards more because they are rarer and harder to obtain. That being said, if you have a rare error card, you can get up to $3000 for it, which is great if you’re ready to let go of your Barry Bonds card collection.
Most Valuable Barry Bonds Cards
Now that we detailed the grading system for vintage baseball cards, let’s list the most valuable Barry Bonds Cards. Continue Scrolling to see whether your card is here, or whether you’re missing some from the collection.
1986 Donruss The Rookies Barry Bonds
- Price: $233.75
- Grade: 10 Gem Mint
This is one of the more popular Barry Bonds cards produced by Donruss in 1986. It’s no secret that it was a great year for Barry Bonds, which just spikes up the popularity of this much-loved card. They are quite valuable and can be found or sold from $25 for a lower score, or those that are in the mint state for over $200. This is one of the better deals that you can stumble upon, so make sure to check it out and treat your collection with one of the earliest Barry Bonds baseball cards. If you have other cards that are in mint state, then this one with grade 10 Gem Mint will just make your collection even more valuable.
Editor’s notes: This option is a rare 10 gem mint find, especially because it’s among the older cards from Barry’s career.
Barry Bonds Fleer Rookie Card 1987
- Price: $407.49
- Grade: 10 Gem Mint
The card company Fleer made a lot of baseball cards, but this Barry Bonds card from 1987 seems to stand out a lot and is on the more valuable score on different auction sites. That being said, the cards that were graded lower can be found for tens of dollars, while those that are in mint state and graded as gem mint 10 can be found for hundreds of dollars. This particular card is being sold by a trusted eBay seller for $407.49 and will make a great addition to your card collection. This card features Barry Bonds playing for Pittsburgh Pirates, and if you don’t have any card featuring him at this time of his career, then this Fleer The Rookie card is worth having.
Editor’s notes: Considering this is among the older cards, remember that the 10 gem mint state is quite hard to find. That said, those with lower grades are considerably cheaper.
1987 Topps Barry Bonds Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Card
- Price: $280
- Grade: 10 Gem Mint
If you’re after the Rookie cards and you didn’t get this one yet, you better get it. This card was made in 1987, and there are various options for this card to get from different auction sites and other marketplaces. It’s important to note that this card is in 10 Gem Mint state if you’re after getting it and will have to cash out a bit less than $300.
However, there are variations of this card with a rare misprint error which makes these cards incredibly valuable. Given that this card is enumerated as #320, there’s an error that covers the 3 and just leaves with 20.
Editor’s notes: There are also variations with a dot which make this card incredibly valuable.
This particular card we found here is worth $1,000, and while there are also other rare, even more valuable, options, this card would enrich your collection.
1986 Fleer Update Barry Bonds Rookie Baseball Card
- Price: $400
- Grade: 10 Gem Mint
If you already own the 1986 Donruss the Rookie collection, you should also get Barry Bonds from the 1986 Fleer card collection, which is also the Rookie collection. This card costs $400, which doesn’t surprise us considering that it’s being sold in pristine 10 Gem Mint condition.
Editor’s notes: Cheaper options usually have a significantly lower score, and gems like these can be quite difficult to find among collectors, and represent a must-have card. If you’re looking for a card that was well-maintained and doesn’t have visible signs of wear and tear, then this is the one.
Donruss 1991 Barry Bonds Card
- Price: $100
- Grade: 10 GEM Mint
This is another Barry Bonds card from the baseball card trading company Donruss. This particular option has been graded with 10 gem mint grade and looks pristine. The card is in full gloss and doesn’t have visible scratches, smudged corners, and other signs of wear. This is an ideal Donruss card to fulfill your Barry Bonds collection.
Editor’s notes: Occasionally, this card also has a printing error which multiplies its value by a lot. It was graded by PSA and marks the Major League (MLB.)
1998 Fleer Skybox EX 2001 Barry Bonds Baseball Card
- Price: $154
- Grade: PGC 8.5
This Fleer Skybox card was made at the time when Barry Bonds played baseball for the San Francisco Giants, which also makes a remarkable time of his career. There are varying listings, and it’s quite hard to find this card in a gem mint state. Nevertheless, this PGC 8.5 card was graded by Premier Grading Co. which means its quality can’t be questioned.
Editor’s notes: Some options can be found for $50-$75 but from different auctions, you can see that this card has great value. Of course, the cards that are in mint state are quite more valuable than this one we’ve listed.
1989 Topps Barry Bonds Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Card
- Price: $79.99
- Grade: 9.5 Mint+
This Barry Bonds baseball trading card was made for the 1989 baseball card set from Topps. This marks an important time in Barry’s career when he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Major League. This particular option is graded in 9.5 Mint+ states, which also gives it a higher value compared to other cards. Many of the cards from this collection haven’t been graded professionally, so it might be difficult to find the 10 gem mint option on the market.
Editor’s notes: The Gem Mint cards are likely over $100, whereas the 9-9.5 NM-M cards can be found in the $30-$80 price range like this card is.
Barry Bonds O-Pee-Chee Baseball Card
- Price: $110
- Grade: 8 NM
O-Pee-Chee baseball card may not have been the most popular card to have, but it’s still a valuable resource for your Barry Bonds trading car collection. It was graded with grade 8 NM-MN grade, which means that although the card is quite well-maintained, it was still prone to some light wear and damage, such as scratches as well as the gloss slowly fading, which is a result of not proper storage.
Editor’s notes: Still, to the naked eye, these defects are visible only if you look with glasses or a magnifying glass, so those little defects won’t affect the overall grade and the quality.
2003 Upper Deck NL MVP Barry Bonds Baseball Card
- Price: $500
- Grade: NA
Upper Deck featured the MVP Baseball card of Barry Bonds to celebrate his MVP score, it’s one of the later cards of his career, but it’s also designed as a hologram baseball card, which increases its value. Hologram cards were featured later, but despite that, they are incredibly valuable for everyone who collects the Barry Bonds cards. This card hasn’t been graded, but by taking a general glance at it, it’s in a good condition.
Editor’s notes: You can always evaluate it on a forum or hire an appraiser to help you determine whether the value is right.
Barry Bonds 1991 Topps Desert Shield All-Star Card
- Price: $229
- Grade: 9
This Topps Desert Shield All-Star Card is in incredibly good condition. Although it’s not gem mint 10 grade, even if you look at it with the utmost detail, you will see that the card was well preserved, there are no scratches, bent edges, loss of gloss on the card, or visible signs of wear and tear. Moreover, the card has been encapsulated so that the quality is preserved. It was graded by PSA, so the grading of the card is valid.
Editor’s notes: It’s also worth mentioning that this is a Topps Special card, which also increases its value. The 10 gem mint condition likely has a much higher value on the auction market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whether you’re collecting baseball cards or trying to sell them, there are a lot of questions that need answers when taking such a large step. Below, we compiled a list of frequently asked questions about Barry Bonds cards. Perhaps, your question has been answered.
Where Can I Buy Barry Bonds Cards?
There are various marketplaces where you can purchase Barry Bonds baseball trade cards. Below, we’re going to list the most popular spots.
- Walmart – Walmart has sets of baseball cards from different companies including Topps, Panini, and others. However, they likely don’t have the older cards that mark the timeline when Barry Bonds played.
- eBay – eBay is likely the most popular marketplace when it comes to evaluating and grading vintage baseball cards. You’re guaranteed to find Barry Bonds cards from the earliest times of his career including the Donruss 1987 and 1986 cards and many others. On eBay, you’re also more likely to find the cards that have been professionally graded and may even have an error that can make them more valuable. It’s especially valuable to focus on auctions and try to win some of them. If you’re trying to sell cards, auctions are also a good place to start.
- Amazon – Amazon marketplace will also occasionally sell popular Topps, Dunross, and other Barry Bonds cards. However, you’ll see that they likely haven’t been professionally graded. If owning a card on its own is enough for you, you can buy most of the cards for $15 to $40. Those that are professionally graded are more present on eBay.
- Etsy – We know that Etsy is more about handmade goods than trading antique and vintage baseball cards, but it’s another popular marketplace with Barry Bonds cards. You can find both those that aren’t professionally graded quite inexpensively, as well as those that were professionally graded for values from $80 to $300. Watch closely because new deals open and close before you can blink an eye.
How Can I Track Values for Barry Bonds Cards?
This site is extremely helpful for people who are trying to evaluate their Barry Bonds cards before they put them to sell. It will allow you to check Barry Bonds cards from different collections and check how much they’re worth. There’s also a search bar that can allow you to search for a particular option.
What Barry Bonds Cards Are Worth Money?
All of the Barry Bonds cards we listed above are worth money. However, the most valuable cards are those from the most major events. Additionally, if your card has a factory flaw, it can make it more valuable to collectors and grading companies. You can also use the aforementioned website to research what Barry Bonds cards are most worthy.
