The 1967 Topps Rod Carew rookie card is one of the most recognizable and sought after cards of the 1960's.
Its dual-panel design meant that Carew had to share his rookie card with Hank Allen of the Washington Senators but Carew is clearly the star of the show...
I've had the opportunity to buy and sell a few of these over the years and it's always been a personal favorite of mine.
In this guide we'll discuss everything you need to know about collecting Rod Carew rookie cards.
Let's jump right in!
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Key Facts
Distinction: This is Carew's only recognized mainstream rookie card.
Other players of the era will sometimes appear on regional and team-issued cards produced during the same year as their rookie card but that's not the case with Carew keeping things very simple.
Along with the Tom Seaver rookie card, this is one of the keys to the set.
Number: This is card #569 in a set of 609 cards.
That also makes it part of the "high number" run of cards in the set that ran from #534 to #609.
High number cards in any set were typically printed in fewer quantities making them more scarce than others.
Design: The 1967 Topps design featured player images on a vertical layout but the "Rookie Stars" cards were printed horizontally as two rookies were shown per card.
In this case, Carew is shown alongside Hank Allen, who did not end up having nearly as impressive of a career.
Carew hoists a bat over his left shoulder and looks confident and focused as he stares into the camera.
His name and position are shown atop a black background underneath his image while a facsimile signature rests just above.
I've always enjoyed the bright, yellow borders on this card as it gives it a lot of pop.
Reverse Side: The reverse side of the card is printed vertically and mentions briefly how Carew had dueled with Al Kaline as the best hitter in the American League.
His Minor League successes are also mentioned prior to a stat box featuring stats from his time in the Minors.
A green border surrounds the card giving it a nice cool tone and color compliment.
Condition Issues: Centering will usually be the biggest condition obstacles that you'll find with this card.
This is a common issue throughout the entire 1967 Topps set.
The green borders on the back side of the card can also show wear and chipping quite easily.
Rod Carew Rookie Card Value
The first thing people usually ask is: how much is a Rod Carew rookie card worth?
The value of a Rod Carew rookie card can vary from less than $100 in low grade to over $5,000 in mint condition.
It's actually one of the most expensive cards of the 1960's...
If you find one graded by Professional Sports Authenticators (PSA) in PSA 9 Mint condition then you're looking at a four figure price tag easily.
PSA is considered to be the benchmark in the vintage card industry so collectors put heavy premiums on their graded cards.
The following are typically what you would expect to buy or sell this card in each of the different conditions:
PSA 9 MINT: $5,250
PSA 7 NM: $375
PSA 5 EX: $150
Rod Carew's Legacy
While Carew may never have hit for power, he definitely hit with consistency.
In fact, Carew won an incredible seven batting titles over his career.
His skill as a hitter was great enough to send him to the All-Star game ever year except his last.
That alone says a lot...
Some of his most outstnading accomplishments include:
- 1967 AL Rookie of the Year
- 18x All-Star
- 7x Batting Champ
- 1977 AL MVP
- .328 Career Batting Average 311 career wins
- 3,053 Hits
Carew was an amazing talent that just doesn't come around very often and for his efforts, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.
That's why Rod Carew rookie cards remain some of the most sought after rookie cards in the vintage baseball card hobby today.