My Top 50 Players on Cardboard #43-Sammy Sosa

My Top 50 Players on Cardboard
#43
Sammy Sosa

1990 Leaf Sammy Sosa

Hobby Impact-
The first steroid guy on my list of players.  Ten to fifteen years ago Sosa would have easily been on the top half of this list, but time has changed how many view the home run hitters of the late 90s and early 2000s.  Most within the hobby have followed suit and jumped of the bandwagons of players like Sosa. Sosa may have more valuable cards than the players on my list up to this point, he may have more than players listed in the coming days and weeks, but Sammy's demand and popularity have taken a nose dive.  Of course, with Sammy, it was sometimes more than just steroids that made him look bad...




Sosa cards are still fairly collectable and nice graded copies of rookie cards and his autographs will cost collectors a pretty penny.  Anything beyond those two items is usually a slow mover and has dropped significantly in value.

At one point I had a pretty nice Sosa collection.  I started adding some of his cards after the 1998 Home Run race and held onto them past the 2003 season.  Sadly, I sold many of the cards at a loss which was a smaller loss than if I tried to sell the same cards today.

On The Field Impact-
I should just post a video of Sosa hitting a home run....



Please note the trademark bunny hop.  Sammy hit home runs.  That's all.  On to my favorite part of my Sammy Sosa post...favorite card.  Really good.

Favorite Card-
What can I say about my favorite Sammy Sosa card?  If the Louvre had to display one autographed baseball card as artwork a Sammy Sosa autographed card could possibly be picked.  I was trying to find a video of Sammy Sosa actually signing an item and could not actually find one.  I have seen Sammy sign something in person.  It takes awhile.

2001 Upper Deck eVolve Sammy Sosa Autograph 

Back to the top of the post.  Sosa card values have plummeted. When I redeemed this card in 2001 I am pretty sure that I could have easily sold it for more than $100.  By 2004, not so much.  It looked really cool though, so it stayed in my collection.  Today, collectors with lots of patience can easily find a Sosa autograph for around $50.  If you have to have one now then it might run somewhere in the $60-$75 range.  Pricy autograph, but a tip of the cap to Sammy for signing things the right way.

FYI-Sammy's at-bat walk up music of choice: The Pointer Sisters.  Here's what it sounds like when Russian people cover I'm So Excited.