12 Greatest USA Baseball Cards of All-Time
The USA Baseball program has a history in the hobby that spans several decades and manufacturers. It’s where many heroes got some of their earliest cards. It’s where lots of legends continue to draw collector interest. Here are the 12 greatest USA Baseball cards.
The 12 Greatest USA Baseball Cards
1. 1985 Topps Mark McGwire #401
2. 2008-09 Upper Deck USA Baseball Bryce Harper #47
Harper was just 16 years old when the photo used on this card was taken. This was a late addition to the set, and predates any other Harper card. The box set release only had a print run of 2,655 sets.
3. 1987 Pan Am USA Baseball Blue Frank Thomas #36
The black and white photo of Big Frank and overall crudeness of the set is what makes it so brilliant. The set was produced when USA Baseball was headquartered in Millington, Tennessee.
4. 2018 Panini USA Baseball Stars and Stripes Alumni Signatures Alex Rodriguez #12
Alex Rodriguez was a member of the 1992 USA Baseball 18U National Team, but did not appear on a card at the time. It took 26 years, but here is A-Rod’s first USA Baseball autograph. The image is from 1992.
5. 2012 Panini Prizm USA Baseball Mike Trout #USA1
The image comes from a photo shoot for the 2010 USA Baseball Professional Team. For around $10, this is a great early card of one of the game’s most important players
6. 2013 Panini USA Baseball Champions Stars & Stripes Signatures Ken Griffey Jr. #54
Junior playing on the USA Baseball Professional Team. What a great combination. This one has 100 copies.
7. 2004 Upper Deck USA 25th Anniversary Signatures Blue Ink Mark McGwire /6
These were the first signatures McGwire had ever done for USA Baseball cards. And there aren’t many. He signed 20 in black ink, 6 in blue ink and 4 in red ink. We think the blue ink signature is a beauty.
8. 2005-06 Upper Deck USA Baseball National Team Opening Day Jersey Signature Blue Max Scherzer #MS /350
For less than $100, you, too, can own this early card of one of this generation’s most dominant pitchers.
9. 2005-06 Upper Deck USA Baseball Junior National Team Opening Day Signature Red Clayton Kershaw #CK
Speaking of dominant pitchers … Kershaw was already a star at Highland Park High School in Dallas when he was pitching for Team USA. This red ink version is numbered to 100.
10. 1992 Topps Traded Gold Nomar Garciaparra #37T
There was a time when you could have used one of these gold versions of Nomar as a down payment on a car.
11. 2013 Panini USA Baseball Champions Stars & Stripes Signatures Tommy Lasorda #46 /250
Already a legend in the major leagues, Lasorda took the 2000 USA Olympic Team all the way to the gold medal.
12. 1985 Topps Rod Dedeaux #389
No USA Baseball list is complete without Rod Dedeaux, the longtime USC coach who led the 1984 USA Olympic Team to a silver medal when baseball was a demonstration sport.
