10 Baseball Cards to Buy Right Now
From a $10 Murakami rookie to a $5,000 Griffey, these are the top 10 baseball cards to buy in October.
Six of the 10 cards below, from Sandy Koufax's 1955 rookie to Jackson Chourio's 2022 autograph, feature players from the Brewers and Dodgers, who meet in the National League Championship Series. Polymarket and Kalshi give the Brewers about a 53 percent chance of winning the pennant. Three others have price catalysts in November's award votes and January's Hall of Fame results.
I've spread the picks out by price, from cards that cost under $100 to cards that cost more than $1,000. It's important that we report on cards that are obtainable for everyone in this monthly article. All prices are derived from recent sales of the card through Oct. 12.1
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026.
What the odds mean for these cards
| If this happens | Polymarket / Kalshi | Cards on this list |
|---|---|---|
| Brewers win the NL pennant | 53% / 53.5% | Yount PSA 5 Misiorowski PSA 10 Chourio autograph PSA 10 |
| Dodgers win the NL pennant | 47.5% / 46.5% | Yamamoto PSA 10 Ohtani PSA 10 Koufax PSA 4 |
| Misiorowski wins the NL Cy Young | 98.9% / 98% | Misiorowski PSA 10 |
| Crow-Armstrong wins NL MVP | 98.6% / 98.5% | Crow-Armstrong PSA 10 |
| Murakami wins AL Rookie of the Year | 0.6% / 1.5% | Murakami Refractor, raw |
The pennant race is the one that can still move prices. Whichever team wins should lift its three cards on this list. The November awards look settled, so those cards are priced in already.
Budget picks
1. Robin Yount, 1975 Topps rookie, PSA 5
PSA 5 copies sold for $58 USD to $99.99 USD between Sept. 21 and Oct. 7.
The 1975 Topps card is Yount's only Topps rookie. He was the American League MVP for the 1982 Brewers. The Brewers beat the Padres in the Division Series and now play the Dodgers for their first pennant since 1982. It would be their first pennant since joining the National League in 1998. The Brewers have never won the World Series.
More than 30 PSA 5 copies have sold since July, so you shouldn't have a hard time finding one for sale.
Polymarket gives the Brewers a 33 percent chance of winning the World Series. If the Brewers knock out the Dodgers and win their first World Series, perhaps dynasty chats will inevitably start to form, and all Brewers cards should see a bump in price.
2. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 2024 Topps rookie, PSA 10
Twelve PSA 10 copies sold for $55 USD to $87 USD between Sept. 28 and Oct. 12, making it an affordable option to own one of modern baseball's most sought-after rookie cards.
Yamamoto struck out a postseason career-high 10 Braves over seven innings to win Game 3 of the Division Series on Oct. 6.
The Dodgers have him starting Game 2 against the Brewers in Milwaukee on Monday, Oct. 12, at 5 p.m. ET. Prediction markets lean Dodgers in that game, at 54.5 percent on Polymarket and 55.5 percent on Kalshi. Expect Yamamoto to have his hands full with the Brewers. If he can keep them at bay, a timely home run from the stacked Dodgers lineup could make the difference.
3. Munetaka Murakami, 2026 Topps Chrome Refractor rookie, raw
From Oct. 9 to 12, raw copies sold for $6 USD to $13.50 USD.
The Refractor is a shinier version of his base Chrome rookie. The one-of-one SuperFractor of the same card graded PSA 7 and sold for $40,687 USD with buyer's premium at Goldin on Oct. 8. Murakami tied the MLB rookie record with home runs in five straight games in April, then made the All-Star team and the Home Run Derby.
His season ended on Oct. 10. He struck out four times in the White Sox's 2-0 loss at Cleveland in Game 5 of their Division Series. Another rookie, Kevin McGonigle, is a 95 percent favorite for American League Rookie of the Year on Polymarket and Kalshi, with Murakami a long shot at about 1 percent. Collectors are still opening new Chrome boxes, which means the graded population numbers will keep going up over time. I expect to see a PSA 9 or PSA 10 on the trading block soon.
Mid-range picks
4. Jacob Misiorowski, 2026 Topps rookie, PSA 10
PSA 10 copies sold 12 times for $146.78 USD to $329.99 USD between Sept. 28 and Oct. 12. The four since Oct. 7 sold for $201 USD to $275 USD. Higher-population PSA 9 copies have been selling in the $55 USD range.
Polymarket gives Misiorowski a 99 percent chance of winning the National League Cy Young Award, announced in November, with Kalshi at 98 percent. He started Game 1 against the Dodgers and allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings on Oct. 11. He didn't have his best stuff, but he kept the Brewers in the game.
With the betting odds treating the award as his, Misiorowski's card market is already priced in. With any fireballer, an arm injury is what the entire baseball community hopes never happens... but inevitably is quite common.
5. Pete Crow-Armstrong, 2024 Topps rookie, PSA 10
PSA 10 copies sold eight times for $213.50 USD to $369 USD between Sept. 20 and Oct. 10.
Polymarket gives Crow-Armstrong a 98.6 percent chance of winning National League MVP, announced in November, with Shohei Ohtani at 1.4 percent. Kalshi has Crow-Armstrong at 98.5 percent. Similar to the Miz, PCA's card market is priced in for his MVP win. What comes next is a repeat performance year over year and the Cubs progressing deeper into the playoffs. After a lackluster rookie season, PCA's return to form in his sophomore year raises a question that is too early to answer. Is PCA on his way to becoming a legendary Hall of Famer? Only time will tell.
Some of his cards have already climbed and fallen back. His first Bowman Chrome autograph sold for $2,750 USD to $3,554 USD on eBay in August. In September it sold for more than $5,000 USD three times, reaching $5,350 USD on Sept. 26. The next copy sold for $3,050 USD on Oct. 8.
His one-of-one 2024 Topps Chrome Update MLB Debut Patch autograph sold for $1,098,000 USD with buyer's premium at Goldin on Sept. 29.
6. Buster Posey, 2010 Topps rookie, PSA 10
Ten PSA 10 copies sold for $149 USD to $229.16 USD between Sept. 25 and Oct. 9. Most sold for about $190 USD.
Posey is on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, for the class of 2027. He was National League Rookie of the Year in 2010 and MVP in 2012, with three World Series titles for the Giants.
This is the list's high-risk, high-reward pick. Players need votes on three of every four ballots to get in. NBC Washington counts Posey as one of only two first-time candidates with "even a remote chance" of election. If the January vote goes his way, this becomes a Hall of Famer's rookie card.
7. Shohei Ohtani, 2018 Topps Update rookie, PSA 10
Five PSA 10 copies sold by eBay Best Offer for $455 USD to $560 USD from Sept. 30 to Oct. 11.
Card US1 is Ohtani's rookie card in Topps' flagship paper set. Across eBay and other marketplaces, PSA 10 copies have sold at least 35 times since Sept. 12. Manager Dave Roberts moved a struggling Ohtani to fifth in the Dodgers' order for Game 3 of the Division Series, against Braves left-hander Chris Sale. Ohtani went 2-for-13 in that series. He batted fourth in Game 1 against Milwaukee and reached base on a walk and a single.
Ohtani has said his knee and biceps injuries will be dealt with after the season. It's a tough pill to swallow for Ohtani fans and the Dodgers. But his dual-threat combo might be in jeopardy if he can't recover in the offseason.
High-end picks
8. Jackson Chourio, 2022 Bowman Chrome autograph Refractor, PSA 10
From Sept. 12 to Oct. 10, PSA 10 copies sold 12 times for $1,310 USD to $1,590 USD.
This /499 Refractor of Chourio's first Bowman Chrome autograph is an obtainable grail for the dynamic 22-year-old. Against San Diego he hit a two-run home run in Game 1, caught a fly ball off the roof to protect the Brewers' one-run lead in the ninth inning of Game 1 and won Game 2 with a walk-off single. His go-ahead single in Game 4 was his 17th postseason RBI, passing Ryan Braun on the Brewers' all-time postseason list. He absolutely gutted the entire Padres fanbase into an early exit.
Batting leadoff in Game 1 against the Dodgers, he went 2-for-4 showing no signs of slowing down.
Chourio's market has heated up tremendously during his epic postseason run. Every copy since Sept. 12 has sold above the card's median of about $1,250 USD over the past 12 months. I'm expecting Chourio to continue ripping as the postseason unfolds.
9. Ken Griffey Jr., 1989 Upper Deck rookie, PSA 10
There is no top 10 list without the king of baseball cards. Ten PSA 10 copies sold for $5,000.02 USD to $6,700 USD between Sept. 25 and Oct. 12.
Card No. 1 in Upper Deck's first set is the best-known rookie card of its era. With PSA 10 copies selling several times a week, you pay the market price with no playoff premium built in.
Each new PSA 10 adds to the supply.
10. Sandy Koufax, 1955 Topps rookie, PSA 4
Six PSA 4 copies sold for $2,225 USD to $2,975 USD between Sept. 6 and Oct. 10.
Koufax's 1955 Topps rookie shows him as a Brooklyn Dodger, which adds to the nostalgia factor for his card. His Hall of Fame career ended when he was just 30 years old, after 12 seasons with the Dodgers. His playing days were cut short after severe traumatic arthritis riddled his pitching elbow and ended his professional career.
This beautiful card is consistently liquid and you can find them on eBay or your favorite marketplace in the grade that suits your collecting.
We'll update this list every month.
Notes
- Prices are completed sales on eBay, Fanatics Collect, Goldin and Alt, checked on Oct. 12, 2026, against the recent sales recorded for each card at the same grade. Auction-house prices include the buyer's premium. Prediction-market odds are from Polymarket and Kalshi, read between 10:07 and 10:13 a.m. Pacific on Oct. 12. ↩
CardWire earns a commission when you buy through eBay links.