Not too long ago, Bryce Harper was considered to be one of the most overrated players in baseball. In The Athletic's 2018 MLB anonymous Players Poll, he received almost half of the votes for "most overrated," and in 2019, he received 62 percent of the votes.
Not anymore. After winning his second MVP award in 2021 and demonstrating how he well he performs under pressure during the past two postseasons, Bryce's stock has never been higher. If he can win a championship or two before his career ends, I think you're going to see the value of his cards climb over time.
Let's take a look at some of the best Bryce Harper cards for long-term investment.
2012 Topps Update Bryce Harper #US183
This 2012 Topps Update Bryce Harper #US183 is one of the best Bryce Harper best rookie cards out there. There are several variations of this card and some are more difficult to find than the others. This card with the black border variation is probably the most difficult to find; there are only 16 of them listed on PSA's population report and none have received a GEM-MT 10 rating from PSA. The one featured above with a "Target Red" border (yes, "Target" as in the department store) is also a great card, is a bit easier to find, and 19 of these cards with the red border have received a GEM-MT 10 from PSA. Just a couple of weeks ago, a PSA 9 of this card sold on eBay for $500. Interestingly, it only received one bid.
2012 Topps Heritage Bryce Harper Rookie Card #H650
I like the "throwback" look of this 2021 Topps Heritage Bryce Harper rookie card. This card has a cool 1960s design and I love how Bryce's cap is slightly askew. Although not quite as rare as the 2012 Topps Update card with the red or black borders, PSA has only graded 159 of these cards with 39 of them receiving a GEM-MGT 10. There are also autographed versions of this card in red and blue ink that are even more difficult to find. The BGS 9.0 in the photograph above (without an autograph) sold for $420 just over a month ago during an auction hosted by PWCC.
2012 Topps #661 Bryce Harper Red Helmet Variant
This 2012 Topps Bryce Harper rookie card is a classic. There are two other variants of this card (one has an image of Bryce screaming and the other has him wearing a blue helmet) that are not difficult to find and are affordable for most collectors. A PSA GEM-MT 10 of the "blue helmet" card recently sold on eBay on June 13th for $103.50 after receiving 17 bids. The "red helmet" card is the most desirable variation. With only 341 copies graded on PSA (and about half of those receiving a GEM-MT 10), you won't find too many of these for sale on public auction websites. The most recent sale I could find of a PSA 10 of the red helmet card occurred over a year ago; it sold for $2,700 on eBay.
