Nolan Ryan, a legendary pitcher in Major League Baseball, is renowned for his extraordinary career spanning more than two decades on the diamond. With over 5,700 strikeouts, a World Series win, and eight All-Star appearances, Ryan forged a career that would make any pitcher proud. As a result, Nolan Ryan’s rookie cards command some impressive valuations across the fans of his major league teams, including the Angels, Rangers, and Astros in particular.
In this guide, we'll delve into the world of Nolan Ryan rookie cards, offering a comprehensive checklist and insights for collectors and investors alike. As one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game, Nolan Ryan’s rookie card is a must-have for any serious baseball card collector. Although there’s only one real rookie card for him, there are lots of details about variations and similar cards that we’ll cover in this guide. Let’s go!
The Checklist of Nolan Ryan Rookie Cards
We’ll begin with the only ‘real’ Nolan Ryan rookie card, and then we’ll explain more details about related cards.
1968 Topps Rookie Stars Nolan Ryan/Jerry Koosman #177 - $600,000
This iconic card features Nolan Ryan alongside fellow Met rookie Jerry Koosman. As Nolan Ryan's official rookie card, it's a must-have for serious collectors. Ryan’s image shows him looking seriously at the camera with a sense of purpose that is surprising for such a young player. In fairness, Jerry Koosman looks serious, too, but history would relegate him to “the guy on the rookie card with Nolan Ryan” status because his card-mate proved to be one of the greatest pitchers the MLB had seen in years.
While 1968 Topps Rookie Stars Nolan Ryan/Jerry Koosman #177 is the official Nolan Ryan rookie card, some modern collectors might be surprised at how a couple of rookies from a team got tossed onto the same card. This was long before the current trend of multiple card parallels and variants coming out for any rookie with a modicum of potential. In those days, printers and collectors alike had no idea that rookie cards would become the most valuable cards in the hobby. Thus, even the great Nolan Ryan is stuck with a shared card for his debut.
Even so, the card is one for the ages, with huge premiums being paid for a quality version of the card. Unfortunately for most collectors, cards of the era simply were not as meticulously printed. As a result, lots of copies of #177 have corner or centering issues, rendering them lower grades by the major assessment companies like PSA and BGS.
Thus, there’s only a single copy that PSA has rated at its highest level, PSA 10 Gem Mint. That copy sold in August 2020 for $600,000, which is still on the list of the most valuable baseball cards ever sold. While that sale took place in the pandemic-era spike in card prices, there’s clearly plenty of interest in the card in pristine condition. A copy is currently for sale for $1,000,000 that is graded by SCG as a Gem 10. That sale would blow this one off the top of the Nolan Ryan rookie card list and contribute to Nolan Ryan’s legacy even more.
1968 O-Pee-Chee Rookie Stars Jerry Koosman/Nolan Ryan #177 - $13,200
During this time period, US card publisher Topps had a deal for their cards to be reproduced by Canadian sports card printer O-Pee-Chee. While there is usually more O-Pee-Chee branding replacing any prominent Topps branding on the cards they printed, this particular card lacked much reference to the original publishing company so there’s no mention of their Canadian counterpart on the card itself.
That said, you can still see a notation of “Topps 177" on the card back that didn’t get replaced alongside the only way to determine the fact that it’s Canadian: A single “PTD in Canada” reference in the bottom right corner. In fairness, a sharp eye will also show that the Canadian of Nolan Ryan’s rookie card version has a darker color to it. But that’s a minor point; the cards are so close that the Canadians even retained the typo on Nolan Ryan’s description; “senational” wants another ‘s’ to properly describe Nolan’s record with Greenville. If you look at the rest of the stats on the back, you can see why Ryan was tapped for greatness, even if they gave the elder Koosman the first position on the card. Koosman was a solid player with a good arm who lasted almost as long in the league as Ryan did, but it’s hard to compare against the Hall of Famer with whom he shared a rookie card.
While this version is quite rare, especially in high-grade conditions, an SGC-graded copy sold in April 2017 for $13,200. If a Canadian version should surface in better condition, the sky’s the limit on valuation.
Similarly, a Venezuelan version of the card was printed and distributed in South America. While the card stock and printing is a bit lackluster, it looks much like the other versions without a reference to where it was printed. Few of these rare cards have actually been graded and those that have received generally lackluster ratings. Thus, the market for them hasn’t been too easy to predict. If you should find one, get it graded and hold onto it for a bit to maximize your return.
1969 Topps Win-a-Card Edition Nolan Ryan/Jerry Koosman #177 - $80,400
The Nolan Ryan rookie card came out at a time when Topps made a deal with Milton Bradley to include some of their cards in a board game called Win-a-Card. The 1969 game included a seemingly random assortment of cards that were part of the gameplay, and they featured baseball cards, football cards and Hot Rods cards in the mix.
If you look closely at the board game version of the cards, you can tell that they were produced in a separate print run, possibly with lower-quality card stock with a notable yellow color instead of the traditional orange.
The colors differ just enough to tell the difference, which allows professional graders to distinguish them from the original cards. Cards from this box are exceedingly rare but because of the Milton Bradley production quality and the likelihood that any sold copies were manhandled by kids like the ones on the cover, few of the cards survive with proper grade quality. The way the cards were packed into the board game probably didn’t help, shoved in there with a number of other cards that Topps was willing to allow to be reprinted.
The game doesn’t get a lot of respect from the board game community, who rate it pretty low. It’s a random early Milton Bradley game with a spinner determining how players trade so it doesn’t sound like there’s much to recommend it for game play. Unsurprisingly, the game didn’t last long on the market, and the cards are clearly worth far more than any enjoyment the game can provide. In October 2022, a PSA 9 Mint copy of the Koosman/Ryan card from the game sold for over $80,000.
1969 Topps Nolan Ryan “Solo Rookie” Card #533 - $24,895
Okay, we said there’s only one Nolan Ryan rookie card, but 1969 Topps Nolan Ryan Rookie Card #533 has become an unofficial, de facto ‘solo rookie’ card (which isn’t really a thing) by some collectors who feel like the great man deserves a separate card. As a result, his second year Topps card has been declared a kind of rookie card by some collectors, with the prices rising a bit as a result.
What helps is that it’s a good-looking card with a kind of forced action photo of Nolan Ryan looking like he’s just delivered a major pitch. He’s looking to the side, too, as if keeping an eye on the bases just as he fires off another one of his furious curveballs.
While the card isn’t commanding anything like the price of Ryan’s dual-rookie debut, the record price for a copy of this card was set in April 2023 for a PSA 9 Mint copy of the card, which sold for almost $25,000. This tops sales that were half that just two years before so we can expect copies of this card to be on the rise if more high-grade examples are discovered.
Nolan Ryan Rookie Cards For A Pitching Legend
Nolan Ryan, the legendary baseball player, still holds the MLB strikeout and he remains unrivaled to this day. This record, towering above those of his closest competitors, cements his position as one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game. As such, the demand for Nolan Ryan’s rookie card is high, particularly for those seeking only Gem Mint cards to add to their collection.
However, despite the lofty price tag of his rookie card, fans of "The Ryan Express" - as Nolan Ryan was affectionately known during his illustrious career - will be pleased to know that there are numerous other cards commemorating the pitcher's remarkable achievements. These cards can offer a more affordable option for both seasoned collectors and those just beginning their journey into the world of baseball memorabilia.
Whether you're an experienced collector looking to add another piece to your extensive collection, or a newcomer to the hobby, acquiring a Nolan Ryan rookie card will undoubtedly add a touch of class to your collection, marking it with the presence of a true legend of the game.
However, if Nolan Ryan's rookie card remains outside of your budget, consider exploring all other Nolan Ryan cards on Cardbase. Here you'll discover a wide array of other cards celebrating Nolan Ryan's legendary career, each one a potential addition to your growing collection. With a career spanning an impressive 21 years, during which time he consistently delivered sharp performances, you'll have no trouble finding a card that captures your interest and enables you to commemorate his incredible time in the MLB. Happy collecting!
