1967 Topps Tom Seaver Rookie Card: The Ultimate Collector’s Guide

Key Facts

Distinction: This is Tom Seaver's only recognized mainstream rookie card.

There was, however, another Seaver card printed in 1967 which was part of the New York Mets team issue postcard set (picture farther down in this article).

But it is his 1967 Topps card that collectors are typically after and along with the Rod Carew rookie card, it's a key to the entire set.

Number: This is card #581 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, Seaver is shown alongside teammate Bill Denehy, who did not end up having nearly as impressive of a career.

A young Seaver is shown in his New York Mets jersey and cap with a facsimile autograph just below his chin.

His name and position are shown atop a black background underneath his image.

 What really makes the card pop is the bright yellow background, in my opinion. 

It's a fairly straightforward design overall and makes for a great looking rookie card of one of the game's all-time greatest pitchers.

Reverse Side: The reverse side of the card is printed vertically and contains a brief mention of his four games as a New York Met.

His Minor League stats are also shown although he only had one year as a Minor Leaguer.

The card also covers the same topics for Bill Denehy as well.

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.

Tom Seaver Rookie Card Value

The first thing people usually ask is: how much is a Tom Seaver rookie card worth?

It's actually one of the most expensive cards of the 1960's...

Along with the Rod Carew rookie, it's a key rookie in the 1967 Topps set and one of its most expensive cards.

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.

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: $7,000

PSA 8 NM-MT: $2,000

PSA 7 NM: $1,000 

1967 Mets Team Issue Postcards

As mentioned earlier, Seaver also appeared in the Mets team issue postcards series in 1967.

Despite it being printed in 1967 as well, it is not considered to be an official "mainstream" rookie card.

But I think it's still a really nice card that depicts Seaver starting his windup in full color photography.