At his peak, Sandy Koufax was arguably the most effective pitcher who ever lived. While starting as a mediocre pitcher with promise, Sandy hit his stride in 1961 and entered five years of unparalleled dominance. In each of those years, he led the National League in ERA, the only player to lead in that stat for so long. His ERA over that period? A clean 1.95. His 382 strikeouts in 1965 was the all-time record until Nolan Ryan broke the record in 1973.
Not convinced? Here is another one. He won the pitching triple crown in 1963, 1965, and 1966 (wins, strikeouts, and ERA). Those are even harder to win the batting triples. Indeed, since then, only three pitchers have managed that incredible achievement. At the same time, Koufax had three of those triple crowns alone. Bottom line, the man could pitch. If his career had not ended prematurely due to injury, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. There would be no argument if he had a few more Sandy seasons in his prime.
Collecting Sandy Koufax Cards
Aside from his evident excellence, Sandy Koufax has a robust card market, even in comparison to other legendary pitchers. There are a few reasons for that. First, he appeared at the height of the classic baseball cards era. His rookie card appeared in the 1955 Topps Baseball release, one of the most iconic and beloved sets ever released. And he continued to feature in a procession of valuable sets. Second, he is an absolute legend in Los Angeles and, to a lesser degree, in Brooklyn. So, the two biggest markets ever.
Third, Sandy Koufax is Jewish and is deeply respected by the American Jewish community. In 1965, Sandy’s slated start in the World Series fell on the holy fasting day of Yom Kippur. He chose not to pitch. One famous rabbi said, “It’s something that’s engraved on every Jew’s mind. More Jews know Sandy Koufax than Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
The point is that there is a massive market for Sandy Koufax cards. And that market is not going anywhere. Therefore, his cards (already super valuable) will only increase in price. That is good news for me since I am sitting on a few.
1955 Topps Sandy Koufax #123
A PSA 9 sold for $384,000
The 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax #123 card is one of the keys to one of the greatest sets ever made. Most of this card is fabulous. The main illustration perfectly captures young Sandy's look perfectly, even getting his distinctive eyebrows right. And Koufax looked great in that old-school Brooklyn Dodgers cap. The yellow, with its various shadings, is a perfect choice, and the lettering on the 1955 Topps series is among their very best. But it has to be said that the second illustration is absolutely hideous and doesn’t look anything like the precocious flamethrower. Compare that to the wonderful action drawing on the Hank Aaron card from the same set. But that is a small detail and does not stop this Sandy Koufax card from being one of the most important and sought-after of the decade.
There are 3 PSA 10s of this card. It is worth keeping an eye on any future sales, because they will be blockbusters. Considering that PSA 9s are now going for close to $400,000, they are probably worth well over a million.
1956 Topps Sandy Koufax #79
A PSA 9 sold for $24,000
My candidate for the finest Sandy Koufax card of all is the 1956 Topps Sandy Koufax #79. Unlike the rookie card, both drawings are beautiful. If I wanted to quibble (and I guess I do, or I wouldn’t be writing this), the action drawing really doesn’t look like Koufax. But it's such a great and pastoral classic baseball scene that I really don’t care. The lettering in this set if perfect, and the effect of the faux autograph is stunning. The 1956 Topps Baseball set is one of the best, and this is among the best cards in it. Add to that how early this card came into Koufax’s career, and you have a gem.
The Sandy Koufax card comes in two varieties: a white back and a gray back. The white back is very common, and there are 4,475 PSA-graded copies. Among them are 36 PSA 9s and a singular PSA 10. The gray version is far less common, though I wouldn’t call it rare. There are 1,598 graded copies. But very few are in good condition. There are only 7 PSA 9s and one PSA 10s.
1957 Topps Sandy Koufax #302
A PSA 9 sold for $32,750
After those early illustrated cards, seeing Sandy in a full-on close-up photograph is a shock. But you can see that the artists in the 1955 and 1956 Topps cards got those awesome eyebrows right from this glorious picture. Like most cards in this 1957 Topps Baseball set, the 1957 Topps Sandy Koufax #302 has an unmistakable optimism. Maybe it's the discovery of color photos, or the time of year, but everyone seems super happy in those photo shoots. Simpler times, my friends. And because the 1957 set is simple, it rises and falls purely on the quality of the photo. In this case, that quality is high and wonderful. The card is also notable as the last one featuring Sandy with the Brooklyn cap. The Bensonhurst native and his club would soon be off to the City of Angels.
1958 Topps Sandy Koufax #187
A PSA 10 sold for $449,389
Welcome to Los Angeles, Sandy! Sort of. He is still wearing his Brooklyn cap, though it is hard to see here. In this card, the southpaw looks a bit dazed, and who can blame him with that offputting yellow background? Indeed, the 1958 Topps Sandy Koufax #187 card is the least attractive in his career so far. But that does not stop it from being incredibly valuable. Many of Sandy’s earlier cards have a couple of PSA 10 copies hidden away somewhere. But Topps 1958 Baseball has a recent sale of a gem mint, and it went for a very high price, especially when you remember that this was Sandy’s fourth-year card. In case you are wondering, that is the one and only PSA 10 around. Unless you find one in your toaster, that is.
1959 Topps Sandy Koufax #163
A PSA 9 $20,533
The trouble with the 1959 Topps Sandy Koufax #163 card is it looks just like the 1958 one. I mean, come on, a smiling Sandy with a yellow background? Again? But at least this time, he is wearing the Los Angeles cap instead of the Brooklyn one. There is a faux signature missing from the previous year. Plus, you get another great look at those eyebrows. However, it is one of his more underwhelming cards.
But that has done little to lower the value of this Sandy Koufax card. As you can see, the sales figures for PSA 9s are among the higher ones for his non-rookie cards. The reason is the relative scarcity of high-quality copies. There are 3,579 copies of the card. That is a healthy number, of course. But there are no PSA 10s and only 17 PSA 9s. That means the latter goes for a nice premium, thus explaining the high sale.
1960 Topps Sandy Koufax #343
A PSA 9 sold for $2,500
With the 1960 Topps Baseball release, the company went for a whole new aesthetic concept. The lettering and design are pure swinging sixties, and it was a great way to welcome in the new decade. Unfortunately, the 1960 Topps Sandy Koufax #343 card was not the pick of the litter here. The southpaw looks like he was just asked a very difficult algebra question in the main photo. Meanwhile, the action picture is nice but too dark. And again, with that ugly yellow? What is going on here?
The price is lower for a PSA 9 here. That is probably because there is a PSA 10 out there.
1961 Topps Sandy Koufax #344
A PSA 9 sold for $5,250
Now that is more like it. Sure, the 1961 Topps Sandy Koufax #344 card is clearly posed. But that was how it was done in those days. The blue skies on the background of the Los Angeles Dodgers uniform just scream California baseball. The simple but effective design of 1961 Topps Baseball also brings out the image's warmth. To top it all off, this is the year Sandy turned into a great pitcher and found his rhythm, going 18-13 with a 3.52 ERA. He would never look back.
These cards grade easily, so there are more high-quality copies than most.
1962 Topps Sandy Koufax #5
A PSA 9 sold for $12,000
I like the picture of Sandy here. You can see that he has grown into a dominant pitcher and looks literally commanding. It feels like Koufax is very disappointed in us but is grudgingly willing to give us another chance. The problem here is the design. The wood panel style concept for 1962 Topps baseball is just plain awful. And that tube at the bottom right edge of the picture is ugly. It looks worse in this card than just about anywhere else.
The wood-style borders on this card are not only an eyesore but also make the 1962 Topps Sandy Koufax #5 hard to grade. They mercilessly show every flaw. However, if you ask me, any flaw is better than that terrible design. So, there are only 171 PSA 8s, 17 PSA 9s and no gem mints in the population count. That scarcity explains the high value.
1963 Fleer Sandy Koufax #42
A PSA 10 sold for $16,830
The early 60s Fleer basketball sets are better known than the baseball ones, and for good reason. They were far more attractive. The 1963 Fleer Sandy Koufax #42 has a very half-assed design concept. The picture is fine, but the blah all around it is distracting.
The 1963 Fleer Sandy Koufax #42 card has a pretty good value despite that. The set had a lower distribution than its Topps rivals. There are only 1,845 graded copies of this, about half as much as most of his Topps cards. Amazingly, there are 5 PSA 10s. Their lucky owners enjoy a very strong value.
1963 Topps Sandy Koufax #210
A PSA 9 sold for $36,600
The 1963 Topps Sandy Koufax #210 is easily my favorite of his latter career cards. Sandy was easily the best pitcher in baseball by now, and the card captures his assured command. That more complex 1963 design did not work on every card. But here it pops. These cards generally grade quite well, but that has not slowed down their value.
1964 Topps Sandy Koufax #200
A PSA 10 sold for $37,200
The 1964 Topps Sandy Koufax #200 has a fairly plain design. And let's be honest, there is no need for such an extreme close-up of Sandy here. Because the white borders soak up many of the imperfections, there is a surprisingly large number of high-grade cards. There are 98 PSA 9s and no less than 4 PSA 10s. But the gem mints still go for excellent prices.
1965 Topps Sandy Koufax #300
A PSA 9 sold for $12,600
The 1965 Topps Sandy Koufax #300 is one of his best-known cards. And for good reason, it captures the flame thrower looking like the grizzled veteran he had become. The somewhat complex design works perfectly as all moving parts fit together. Unfortunately, Sandy would not get to enjoy this phase of his career as much as he would like.
Despite having white borders, the card is a surprisingly tough grade. There are no PSA 10s and fewer PSA 9s than usual, with 68. That helps explain the high value of the Sandy Koufax card.
1966 Topps Sandy Koufax #100
A PSA 9 sold for $27,000.
Sandy’s career was cut tragically short, and he retired at age 30. The 1966 Topps Sandy Koufax #100 card represents his final season. You can see the sadness in his eyes, and its hard to believe it's not related to those injury woes. Other than that, this is a simple yet attractive card. And there are only 24 PSA 9s and no gem mints for this forlorn card. So values are very strong for good copies.
Final Sandy Koufax Baseball Cards
Sandy was one of the greatest pitchers ever and is remembered as such by entire generations of fans and players. His status in the hobby is assured, and the values of his cards reflect that. It is rare to see late-career cards go for as much money as Koufax’s cards, but he is a uniquely beloved player. Indeed, in some cases, the population count doesn’t even seem to matter. People just love his cards and are willing to pay top dollar for them in good condition.
