1955 was the year when the special career of the great Sandy Koufax started for the Brooklyn Dodgers (LA Dodgers, as we know them today).
Koufax pitched for 12 seasons for the Dodgers, winning for World Series and he was also named the NL MVP in 1963.
Hailed as one of the best pitchers in baseball history, Koufax and his rookie cards are still highly demanded.
If you’re looking for the best possible Sandy Koufax rookie card and other cards, this is where you’ll find them.
Sandy Koufax Rookie Card
As we’ve already mentioned, there is only one rookie card for Sandy Koufax – the 1955 Topps rookie card. Let’s take a look at this one before moving on to other great Koufax cards.
1955 Topps Sandy Koufax RC #123
This card is the most valuable and most popular Koufax card by some distance.
In 1955, Koufax was drafted by the Dodgers as the so-called “bonus baby”. This meant that even as a rookie, Koufax was needed to be kept in the first team without having to transition from the minor leagues in the first place.
The Dodgers appeared in the 1955 World Series and won it, but unfortunately for Koufax, he didn’t make an appearance in the Series.
At the very beginning of his career, it was clear that Koufax was still a rough diamond. While he did possess a powerful throw, it wasn’t controlled enough for meeting the top standards at the time, but with time, Koufax’s throw improved somewhat.
The first few years were a bit of a learning process for Koufax, but that made him stronger and by the 1960s, he was already a force to be reckoned with.
About the Card
Despite many cards being released of Koufax in the subsequent years, the 1955 Topps card remains to be the most popular one.
After all, it is his rookie card, so it does have a special place in the hearts of both old card collectors and Dodgers fans.
But even though the card comes from the 1950s, which is when cards were much scarcer than nowadays, it’s surprising just how many of these are still around.
There are thousands of these cards still in circulation – mainly, they are found in the grades between PSA 3 and PSA 7, which seems to be the sweet spot if you’re looking for a mixture of affordability and quality. This info was taken from the PSA website when writing… so it might be a little off depending on how many cards have been graded since. You can see updated numbers here.
Prices
As you might expect, you might have to pay thousands of dollars to get one of these cards, even in the lower grades. And as is usually the case with cards, the better the grade, the higher the value will be.
PSA 7 might be able to fetch a five-figure sum and higher grades than that will be able to collect dozens of thousands.
The biggest jump is from PSA 8 to PSA 9, which is where the card prices jump up into six figures for PSA 9.
The bottom line is that this card is still quite easily available, but don’t expect it to come cheap, especially if you’re looking for higher grades.
Other Sandy Koufax Cards
1955 Topps is the only official Sandy Koufax rookie card, but there are some other decent options that you might want to consider, too. Let’s take a look at some of them.
1956 Topps Sandy Koufax #79
The 1956 Topps card is the next in line when it comes to the Koufax Topps cards and as such, it is the second most popular right behind his rookie card.
The card itself takes a similar route as the 1955 version – with dual images of Koufax. One image is his portrait, the other is an action shot that shows a throwing Koufax, his signature move during his time.
Overall, you can get this card for cheaper than the rookie card but it can still cost thousands, especially in better conditions.
1957 Topps Sandy Koufax #302
1957 Topps set saw a slight change to the design of the card in that they featured player portraits instead of action images.
This worked well for them as the 1957 Topps set contained some of the most iconic cards, including this one.
On this card, you’ll be able to find the smile of the great Koufax, making for a charming image that you should consider if you’re looking for alternatives to the rookie card.
1958 Bell Brand Sandy Koufax
Here we have a very rare card from 1958 by Bell Brand, a potato chip company, who produced some Dodgers cards in the late 1950s and the early 1960s.
One of the main appeals of this card is its rarity – it is much rarer than the main Topps cards we’ve just featured, so you might have to spend more than some of those cards.
Conditioning is also an issue at times because there are not that many cards left out there and even lower graded cards can sell for thousands.
This might be a surprising addition but also a good option if you’re into rare things and you want to have that something special in your collection.
1963 Fleer Sandy Koufax #42
The 1963 Fleer Sandy Koufax card was one of the more interesting options. It has a unique posing image of Koufax and some advanced graphics for its time, making it an appealing option for many out there.
By 1963, Koufax was already one of the leading baseball stars, and this is one of the reasons why this card was so popular back then and still is today.
You might struggle to find higher graded cards but you should still be able to find some cards like this without any problems. A good thing about this one is that it isn’t that expensive, so if you’re on a budget and you’re looking for a good Koufax card, this one might be right for you.
