During his playing days, “Hammerin’” Hank Aaron was often overlooked in favor of some of his peers such as Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, but by the time he retired there were no doubts that Aaron was a bastion of class and consistency—and he held the all-time home run record, too.

Despite never hitting more than 47 home runs in a season, Aaron blasted 755 during his career, breaking Babe Ruth’s record of 714 in the first days of the 1974 season. Aaron’s record stood until 2007 when it was broken by Barry Bonds. Some still consider Aaron to hold the legitimate record, though, due to Bonds’ alleged steroid use. Even with his official record gone, Aaron remains baseball’s all-time RBI leader, with 2,297.

Aaron’s home run balls may be his most attractive collectors’ item. They are limited in number and difficult to authenticate, but when collectors get their hands on them, these b...

When Aaron broke into the league with the Milwaukee Braves in 1954, few could have predicted that he would one day be home run king—that year he hit just 13 home runs. Aaron’s lone rookie card, a 1954 Topps, is his most collectible baseball card. It features two images of Aaron. One is a full-card portrait of Aaron in his Braves cap; the other is a smaller inset shot of him bending down to field a ground ball, even though he was an outfielder. The card is not difficult to find in high-grade, yet it's still a favorite among collectors for its vivid portrayal of the young man.

Just a few years into his career, Aaron asserted himself as one of the stars of the game. In 1957 he had what most fans consider his best season. That year Aaron won his only National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and his only World Series title. For the year he hit .322 and led the league with 44 home runs and 132 runs batted in.

In the World Series, Aaron’s Braves defeated the New York Yankees in seven games. In commemoration of the showdown between the clubs, Topps released a “World Series Batting Foes” card featuring Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron in 1958. It is the only card to feature both future Hall of Famers, and it shows them both with bat in hand and smiling, though positioned as if ready for a duel.

The Braves and Yankees met again in the 1958 World Series, giving even more credence to the Topps card. This time, the Yankees prevailed in seven games.

Also released in 1958 was a very popular regional set featuring Aaron: the Hires Root Beer set. The Hires Root Beer Aaron is an attractive card. It shows Aaron kneeling in full uniform, a tan Hillerich & Bradsby Louisville Slugger bat in his hands. This card's value is complicated, however, because it came with a removable tab that was used to prop it up for display in the pack of root beer. It was supposed to be removed, so many price guides only list the card without the tab because it is so difficult to find with the tab intact, but that doesn't mean collectors don't try.

Through the end of the 1950s and into the 1960s, Aaron continued to be a prolific player, going to All-Star game after All-Star game. In 1966, he was among those Braves who moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta.

In 1973, with Aaron fast approaching Ruth’s mark, a Hank Aaron-themed board game entitled, “Hank Aaron Baseball Game” was released by Ideal. The game required one player, the pitcher, to send a small wooden ball down a plastic chute (the pitcher could throw different pitches depending on how he or she released the ball), and a batter tried to hit the ball by spinning a dial which controlled the bat. The game was only briefly issued, and is thus collectible for Aaron aficionados.

The 1973 season ended with Aaron one home run shy of Ruth’s record. After a winter full of death threats and bigotry—many Americans did not want a black man to break Ruth’s record—Aaron tied the record in his first at-bat of the ’74 season before taking Al Downing deep a few days later on April 8 to break the record.

That year, electronics company Magnavox released a “Hank Aaron 715 Club Membership Kit.” The kit included a 2’ by 3’ poster of Aaron’s record breaking home run, a membership card, a badge, and a sportscaster guide. It is difficult to find the entire kit intact, though the poster, especially when autographed by Aaron, is the most popular item.

Aaron retired after the 1976 season, and five years later he was inducted into the Hall of Fame with 97.83 percent of the vote, which at the time was the second highest percentage ever received by a player, after Ty Cobb.

Today, other popular Aaron collectibles include autographed baseballs, game-worn jerseys, statues, photographs, and commemorative coins.

About our sources | Got something to add?

▼ Expand to read the full article ▼

Interviews & Articles

How To Build a Killer Baseball Collection: Scouting the Minors With Dave Bloomer

Like most people my age, when I was growing up, baseball memorabilia meant baseball cards. The great thing about baseball cards at… [more]

The Secrets of Collecting Baseball, From Cards to Signed Bats and Balls

I played baseball, basketball, and ran track from the time I was eight years old all the way through high school. Like the other k… [more]

Hitting a Home Run with Baseball Cards

I started collecting in 1986. If you’re in Boston and you’re a baseball fan, the Red Sox may take over your life. They take over y… [more]

Now Batting, National Baseball Hall of Fame Curator Tom Shieber

The Baseball Hall of Fame officially opened in 1939, so we’re coming up on our 70th anniversary. If you include baseball cards, we… [more]

19th-Century Tobacco Cards

Dave Campbell contacted me after reading a post on The Baseball Card blog. He's been collecting baseball cards non-stop since 1981… [more]

▼ Expand this section

Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

Old Cardboard

Old Cardboard

Check out this well-organized collection of 500 sets of baseball cards, each over 50 years old. Browsable by type a… [read review or visit site]

The Baseball Card Blog

The Baseball Card Blog

Ben Henry's lively vintage baseball card blog, started in January 2006, offers hundreds of great posts on (and pict… [read review or visit site]

Cardboard Junkie

Cardboard Junkie

Dave Campbell's in-depth blog on old baseball (and some football) cards lives up to it's motto: 'do cards, not drug… [read review or visit site]

Baseball Cards 1887-1914

Baseball Cards 1887-1914

Roll up your socks for this Library of Congress collection showcasing hundreds of players on colorful early basebal… [read review or visit site]

Baseball Hall of Fame

Baseball Hall of Fame

A home run for baseball collectors, this site features special online exhibits, ranging from a baseball-uniforms da… [read review or visit site]



Other Great Reference Sites

Top eBay Auctions

Showing 60. See all 106 by  highest bidmost watchedcompleted
1958 Topps Baseball Complete Set Of 494 W/ Yellow Letters - Mantle Mays Aaron!1954 Topps Henry (hank) Aaron Rc #128 Psa 6 Ex-mt2005 Playoff Contenders Aaron Rodgers Rookie Auto Psa 10 Gem Mint1954 Topps Hank Aaron Rookie #128 Psa 7 Nm **high End** !! Hof Rc HenryTed Williams Signed Bat Baseball Stan Musial Hank Aaron Psa Autograph Hof Mays 1957 Topps Hank Aaron #20 Psa 8 Nm-mt Baseball Card Milwaukee Braves1957 Topps #20 Hank Aaron Psa 8 Nm-mt Milwaukee Braves500 Home Run Club Hand Autographed Picture - Ted Williams, Mays, Mantle, Aaron+1955 Topps Baseball Starter Set W/ 126 Different Cards W/ Spahn Aaron Plus2005 Spx Spxciting Aaron Rodgers Rookie Auto Jersey /250 Psa 10 Gem Mint1960 Topps #300 Hank Aaron Milwaukee Braves Hof Psa 8 Nm-mt Centered1955 Topps #47 Hank Aaron Psa 81957 Topps #20 Hank Aaron (hof) Milwaukee Braves Psa 8 1954 Topps Hank Aaron Rc Psa 42005 Sp Authentic Aaron Rodgers Triple Jersey Auto /15 Rookie Fabrics1959 Topps #380 Hank Aaron Psa 82005 Leaf Certified Hank Aaron Auto Jersey Patch 3 Clr #1/1 BravesAaron Rodgers Drew Brees Eli Peyton Manning 12 National Treasures Quad Auto /101963 Topps #390 Hank Aaron Psa 81989 Perez Steele Set Signed By 35 Hof Nr Mint Aaron, Berra,banks, Spahn, Etc.Aaron Rodgers Gai Coa Autograph Inscribed "12" Green Bay Packers Jersey Signed!1963 Topps #390 Hank Aaron Psa 8Aaron Rodgers Drew Brees 2011 Exquisite Ensembles Dual Auto Autograph /25 Live!1960 Topps Set Break #300 Hank Aaron Psa 7.5 Nr-mint+1956 Topps Hank Aaron # 31..psa Nm 7..beautiful Card!!!!!1969 Topps Hank Aaron #100 Psa 9 Mint *blazer* No Reserve3000 Hit Club Signed Autographed Looney Tunes Baseball Print W/ Yaz Mays AaronOriginal 1950's/60's Hank Aaron Braves Hartland Statue W/bat - No Reserve1964 Topps #300 Hank Aaron Psa 81965 Topps #170 Hank Aaron Psa 81955 Bowman #179 Hank Aaron Psa 7Awesome $4000 All Sport 1000 Card Collection 40 Graded Lot Mantle Aaron Mays Psa2012 Topps Triple Threads Hank Aaron Auto 17/18 Autograph Relic Braves Ttar-1401969 Topps #100 Hank Aaron Braves Hof Psa 8 Nm-mt Centered " Looks Undergraded "All 24 1968 Topps Baseball Posters Mantle Mays Aaron Clemente Rose Drysdale Atlanta Braves Collection Autos Patch Aaron Heyward Mccann Freeman Others1967 Topps #250 Hank Aaron Atlanta Braves Hof Psa 8 Nm-mt1968 Hank Aaron Psa 8.5 (very High End)1954 Topps #128 Hank Aaron Rookie Psa 3.5 Vg+ "looks Undergraded!"2012 Topps Five Star Hank Aaron Game Used Bat Relic Auto *very Clean Auto*1960 Topps All Star #566 Hank Aaron Milwaukee Braves Hof Psa 8 Nm-mt1968 Topps #370 Hank Aaron All Star Psa 9 Mint Atlanta Braves1955 Topps #47 Hank Aaron (hof) Milwaukee Braves Sgc 70 Ex+ 5.5 BeautyRare! 1961 All Star Program @ San Francisco Mantle Mays Aaron Clemente Maris Nl1955 Topps #47 Hank Aaron Psa 5 Ex Milwaukee Braves1957 Topps #20 Hank Aaron Ex-mint Psa 6 Nq(hof)(razor Sharp Corners!)1960 Topps #300 Hank Aaron Hof Baseball Card Mint Set Break 50/50 Center BravesHank Aaron 1965 Topps #170 - Nrmint-mint!!! Breathtaking!!!1968 Topps #110 Hank Aaron Atlanta Braves Hof Psa 8 Nm-mt Centered 1971 Topps Baseball Card Complete Set (752) Rose Ryan Reggie Mays Aaron Clemente2011 Upper Deck College Football Legends Bowlgame Heroes Aaron Rodgers Auto 4/5290 Gu Jersey Patch Relic Collection Michael Jordan Kobe Aaron Rodgers Rc Auto1956 Topps #31 Hank Aaron Milwaukee Braves Hof White Back Sgc 86 Nm+ 7.5Aaron Hill Silver Slugger Bicycle Bobble Bobblehead Statue/figurine Sga June 8thHank Aaron 1959 Topps #380 - Nrmint-mint!!! Phenomenal!!!New Nfl Green Bay Packers Aaron Rogers #12 Beer Real Neon Bar Pub Light Sign 1958-1963 Hartland Baseball Statue Hank Aaron Braves Missing BatAaron Rodgers Signed Ncaa Cal Berkeley Mini Helmet Steiner Coa1955 Topps Hank Aaron #47Huge 500 Vintage Star Card Lot1949-1979, Koufax, Ryan, Williams, Aaron,killebrew