Justin Upton

Overview

Following a trade to the high-profile Atlanta Braves, Justin Upton cards and memorabilia took a leap. Although one of baseball's most promising young stars, he was somewhat overlooked while playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks. But following a trade before the 2013 season began, Justin Upton cards started looking up, just like his on-field fortunes.

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The first overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft, the Diamondbacks took Upton out of high school. Touted as a five-tool talent, the outfielder could hit for average, power, move quickly and play solid defense. It didn't take Upton long to make the majors, debuting for Arizona in August, 2007 while still a teenager.

With the Diamondbacks, Upton was a two-time All-Star and one of the team's most potent offensive weapons. However, outside of a couple of key prospect cards, he failed to fully catch on in the hobby. But a switch to the Atlanta Braves, where he'll play alongside his brother B.J., could provide the necessary spark.

The first mainstream Justin Upton cards are part of 2004 Bowman Draft -- sort of. He was added to the set's Bowman Chrome AFLAC redemptions as an autograph following a redemption mistake. Extremely rare on the secondary market, it's traded for high amounts since it was released. And while it came as a result of a 2004 redemption, the card didn't come out until 2006, following the release of other Justin Upton cards.

More common but still very popular is the 2006 Bowman Chrome and 2006 Bowman Sterling Justin Upton autographs. Although technically an insert and not an official rookie cards, it's treated like one by many collectors. The situation is similar with Justin Upton cards in 2006 Bowman Heritage and 2006 Bowman Originals.

Justin Upton rookie cards can be found in 2007 products from Topps and Upper Deck. Most are very reasonably priced, including some low-numbered autographs.

Autographed Justin Upton memorabilia is out there but not in large quantities. Also, the vast majority currently pictures him as a member of the Diamondbacks, which may not be as desirable in the long-term.

Top Justin Upton Rookie and Prospect Cards

2004 Bowman Chrome Draft AFLAC Justin Upton Prospect#JU Autograph #/125

This card came to being as part of a Topps error. The company issued redemptions for AFLAC sets in 2004 Bowman Draft. After running into some major licensing issues, the sets weren't released for more than a year in 2006. The mistake came with extra Gold Refractor redemptions getting printed. As a make good, Topps gave the collectors the option of the original Gold Refractor set or a set of newly created autographs including this Justin Upton.

2006 Bowman Chrome Prospects Justin Upton #BC223 Autograph

This is another pre-rookie Justin Upton card that gets considerable attention from collectors. An on-card signature, Chrome technology with black borders make high-grade examples highly desirable.

2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Justin Upton RC #162 Autographed Jersey #/199

This is the only Justin Upton rookie card to include an autograph and memorabilia combo. Numbered to 199, there are also two parallel versions numbered to 99 and 25. The cards numbered to 25 have patch swatches.