When it comes to collecting my favorite players, I’m a huge fan of quantity over high priced cards. While 1/1s and high dollar autos have their place in the collecting world, personally, I’d rather have 100 different cards than one high priced auto or parallel. With that in mind, here are seven of my favorite Mike Trout cards, all of which can be found for under $15 on eBay, Amazon, or Sportlots.
1) 2012 Heritage
Mike Trout made his major league debut in July of 2011. And while he had a Heritage Minor league card that season, collectors had to wait until 2012 to get their hands on the first Heritage card in a MLB uniform. One of my favorite players, in one of my favorite sets, for less than $15 on eBay, makes this my top card.
2) 2012 Topps 1987 Mini
I love this card. The classic 1987 Future Stars design, combined with the throwback jersey in the photo bring this mini card to second on my list. Even the back highlights a cool fact. On June 8-9, 2012, Trout became the first player in modern history to have back to back games with at least three hits, three runs scored, and two stolen bases. A recent eBay sale shows someone picked this card up for about $5 delivered. That’s a steal compared to the one that sold for over $20 two days later!
3) 2014 Bowman
Get dirty! Some of my favorite memories from my high school playing days are the head first slides into second or the dive back to first on a pickoff attempt. This card brings back all those memories for me (and brings nightmares for my mom when she thinks about washing my uniform). It’s a great shot of Trout having the time of his life getting dirty playing ball. This paper base card can be picked up for .18 on Sportlots!
4) 2017 Topps Heritage 1968 Game Insert
The 1968 game inserts were one of the most popular aspects of the 2017 Topps Heritage release. I think Topps nailed it with this one, and the photo and the facsimile autograph make this one of my favorites. Keeping true to the original, the rounded corners are another design element that make this card stand out over other “die-cut” cards. This is another one that can easily be found for around $5.
5) 2016 Topps Gypsy Queen Glove Stories
This image of Trout robbing Jesus Montero of a home run is an amazing photo. The back of the card highlights the event, and although the Gypsy Queen insert used the photo which was originally issued as card #1 in the 2016 Flagship set, this version shows a more zoomed out perspective and really showcases how high he was on the wall. It’s another one can will cost you less than .50.
6) 2015 Topps Archives
Continuing with the retro insert theme from the last couple years, the 2018 Topps flagship release goes back to 1983, and the standard and Silver Pack chrome version provide two options to get a Mike Trout card in the ‘83 design. However, the 2015 Topps Archives gave us our first opportunity to see him in that classic layout, and I prefer the main photo with him leading off over the 2018 insert versions.
7) 2017 Topps 5 Tool Insert
Artist Tyson Beck created drawings for an entire 50 card insert set in 2017 Topps Series 1. It was probably my second favorite insert set of the release, and the Trout card makes my list of seven. The multi-image design creates a unique look without being too busy. I think a red in-person auto right above the 5 Tool logo in the bottom left corner would be amazing.
There you have it, seven awesome Mike Trout cards that can be found for less than $15. You might even be able to pick up all of them together for under $30 with combined shipping on eBay or Sportlots!
So what do you think? Do you have any other favorite low end Trout cards?