CC Sabathia Rookie Card Guide: Ranking the Most Valuable

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The CC Sabathia Rookie Card chase came at a time when the hobby was at a turning point. Base sets were increasingly looking for ways to go premium. This meant not only a growing number of parallels, but some increasingly rarer ones. It’s still a far cry from today, but change was definitely in the air at the time.

Collectors have just six CC Sabathia Rookie Cards to chase. All are found in Topps products who held an advantage over other manufacturers at the time as they signed players to individual deals and often landed the game’s top prospects years before their competitors like Fleer and Upper Deck.

Although he put together a Hall of Fame resumé, Sabathia’s RCs are all relatively affordable. One of the great pitchers from his generation, he was the 2007 American League Cy Young winner. Two years later, he won ALCS MVP honors and a World Series ring as a standout with the New York Yankees.

Today, all six CC Sabathia Rookie Cards are within reach of virtually all collecting budgets. For those looking for his most valuable cards, numbered parallels and autographs exist as well.

CC Sabathia Rookie Card Rankings

The following highlights all six of the base CC Sabathia cards with the RC tag in the Beckett database. Rankings are based on their value.

1. 1999 Bowman Chrome CC Sabathia Rookie Card #344

Bowman Chrome was still in its early days. 1999 was just the third year for the brand but it was already a juggernaut driven by deep Rookie Card crops. Over the years, a few different players found themselves atop the set’s list as the most valuable RC including Pat Burrell and Alfonso Soriano. But thanks to Sabathia’s long-lasting career and Hall of Fame numbers, the pitcher now holds the distinction. This also ranks as his most valuable Rookie Card.

The 1999 Bowman Chrome CC Sabathia, which is found in Series 2 packs, has a handful of parallels. With just 25 copies, the Gold Refractor is his rarest card from 1999.

Parallels: Gold, International, Refractors, International Refractors (/100), Gold Refractors (/25)

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1999 Bowman Chrome CC Sabathia Rookie Card

2. 1999 Topps Chrome Traded CC Sabathia Rookie Card #T33

1999 Topps Chrome Traded marked the first time that the update set got the chromium treatment. Released only in factory set form, you won’t find this CC Sabathia RC in traditional packs. Unlike 1999 Topps Traded, Chrome sets have no premium elements — just the base cards. So if you’re looking for a rookie Refractor, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

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1999 Topps Chrome Traded CC Sabathia Rookie Card

3. 1999 Topps Traded CC Sabathia Rookie Card #T33

Topps brought back their annual update set in 1999 after a three-year absence. Returning to its factory set roots, this might not be the pitcher’s most valuable RC, but it’s arguably his most recognizable due to its flagship connection. With lots of 1999 Topps Traded sets out there, availability is not an issue.

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1999 Topps Traded CC Sabathia Rookie Card

4. 1999 Bowman’s Best CC Sabathia Rookie Card #171

Once upon a time, Bowman’s Best was, well, the best line when it came to Rookie Cards. Its reign was short-lived, though, once Bowman Chrome arrived on the scene. By the time 1999 rolled around, the line was getting lost in the shuffle somewhat. Still, it is more premium than standard Bowman. The Refractor and tough Atomic Refractor parallels add some further pop for the pitcher.

Parallels: Refractors (/400), Atomic Refractors (/100)

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5. 1999 Finest CC Sabathia Rookie Card #294

Similar to Bowman’s Best, Finest took a backseat to a growing portfolio of chromium lines. When the brand debuted in 1993, it was all by itself. Bowman’s Best followed in 1994, Topps Chrome in 1996 and Bowman Chrome one year after that. Sabathia is found in the Rookie subset that lands towards the end of the 1999 Finest Series 2 checklist. The card’s Gold Refractor is one of his rarest released that year.

Parallels: Refractors, Gold Refractors (/100)

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1999 Finest CC Sabathia Rookie Card

6. 1999 Bowman CC Sabathia Rookie Card #344

Bowman was the self-proclaimed “Home of the Rookie Card” in 1999. Sabathia has a lot of company on the checklist. Although a popular card, it’s the most affordable CC Sabathia Rookie Card as it doesn’t have the same premium prestige that comes with chromium or the namesake notably of flagship Topps baseball.

The International parallel adds a foil element while the Gold version is his second rarest 1999 MLB card.

Parallels: International, Gold (/99)

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Other Notable Early CC Sabathia Cards

1998 Appalachian League Prospect Q-Cards CC Sabathia #16

If you’re looking for the very first CC Sabathia card, this minor league issue is it, releasing a year before his first licensed MLB cards. Moderately tough but not impossible to find, it’s part of a 31-card set. Sabathia is easily the top card.

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1998 Appalachian League CC Sabathia

1999 Team Best Autographs CC Sabathia #57

One of two CC Sabathia autograph cards from 1999, this one comes from a minor league set. It’s a much more affordable choice than the other option and might be a better choice for those simply looking for an early signature from the six-time MLB All-Star.

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1999 Topps Traded Autographs CC Sabathia #T33

Every 1999 Topps Traded Baseball set came with an added bonus in the form of an autograph. Needless to say, those were the cards that drove the product. Back then, there were several promising prospects on the checklist. While there were some solid players and All-Stars, none had the same prolonged success as Sabathia.

This is arguably Sabathia’s top 1999 card, although it’s more readily available than some of his first parallels.

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1999 Topps Traded Autographs CC Sabathia

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Ryan Cracknell

A collector for much of his life, Ryan focuses primarily on building sets, Montreal Expos and interesting cards. He's also got one of the most comprehensive collections of John Jaha cards in existence (not that there are a lot of them). Want to get in touch? Drop him an email.

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