Top Freddie Freeman Cards to Collect
Freddie Freeman has become one of the most popular players in modern baseball along with being a long-time favorite in the card hobby. The first baseman has steadily built a Hall of Fame-worthy rΓ©sumΓ© on the field, while the Freddie Freeman cards have grown into highly sought-after commodities off of it. With a long timeline in the hobby, this list looks at the very best Freddie Freeman rookie cards and prospect cards for your collection.
Freddie Freeman spent the bulk of his career with the Atlanta Braves, assuming the mantle as the face of the franchise after the retirement of Chipper Jones in 2012. He has become one of the most complete players in the game, hitting for average and power, while also showing great defensive prowess at first. The 2020 National League MVP has taken home multiple Silver Slugger Awards, a Gold Glove, and has been a regular at the All-Star Game. The hug-dispensing Freeman combined with Ronald Acuna Jr. to lead a young, talented group to the 2021 World Series title. Following the 2021 season, he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent.
While he was a second-round draft selection, Freeman was not widely regarded as a top prospect until he reached the higher levels of the minors. There is a limited selection of Freddie Freeman pre-rookie cards, but he became a regular in all major card releases following his MLB debut in 2010. Freeman's official rookie cards arrived in 2011 products. Although his cards have always been popular, the demand has grown exponentially throughout his career. Likewise, Freddie Freeman card values have also accelerated over time, but there are still plenty of great options available for any level of collector.
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Top 10 Freddie Freeman Baseball Cards
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10T. 2011 Topps Heritage Freddie Freeman RC #76
If you are looking for a good place to start with a Freddie Freeman card collection, look no further than his 2011 Topps Heritage rookie. The set borrows its design from the distinct, wood-bordered 1962 Topps Baseball. This official Freddie Freeman rookie card was included in the lower numbers of the base set, meaning it is not a short-print and is widely available on the secondary market.
While 2011 Heritage does lack some of the flair that can be found with other early Freeman cards, the simplicity of this card makes it more affordable. At one time, collectors could add this card for a few dollars, but the popularity and price have grown in recent years with Freeman's National League MVP Award and the Braves' World Series win.
10T. 2011 Topps Chrome Heritage Freddie Freeman RC #76 #/1,962
Those wanting something more challenging or that have a little more to spend on a Freeman card can seek out copies of his Heritage Chrome card. The skipped-numbered Chrome parallels were limited to 1,962 copies. With just two Chrome cards per box of Heritage, this card is not in great supply, but is still not overly tough to locate. There are two additional parallels of Freeman's Chrome rookie card. The Refractors are numbered to 562 and the Black Refractors have just 62 copies.
9T. 2006-07 Upper Deck USA Baseball Signatures Freddie Freeman Autograph #36
Freddie Freeman's first official appearance on a baseball card took place in 2006-07 Upper Deck USA Baseball. The product was sold as a complete set with players from both the USA National Team as well as the Junior National teams. Upper Deck included seven autographs with each set. Freeman had two Junior Signature cards as a member of U18 baseball team. The first of these cards featured is a solo autograph. There were several different ink colors and many of these cards have print runs greater than 150, making them widely available for collectors. Freeman also autographed the cards using the long version of his signature, which he only used early in his professional career.
9T. 2006-07 Upper Deck USA Baseball Signatures Freddie Freeman Auto Relic #36
The second version of Freeman's 2006-07 Upper Deck USA Baseball autograph features a jersey swatch. The relic/autograph Freeman card has the same colored ink options as the autograph with the same generous production numbers. No matter the version, these USA Baseball autographs offer collectors an affordable, easy-to-find alternative to his more expensive pre-rookie and rookie signatures. If you are just starting out with a collection of Freddie Freeman cards, or on a limited budget, these are great cards to acquire for your collection.
8. 2007 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects Freddie Freeman #BDPP12
Freddie Freeman's appearance in 2007 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects was the superstar's first card in a major brand. At the time, Bowman Draft was a much smaller set than more recent editions of the annual late-year release. While Freeman landed a spot on the Bowman Draft Pick's checklist, his card initially lagged behind other young players in the product. The popularity of this card has grown as Freddie Freeman has established himself as a perennial All-Star and one of the best first basemen in the league. While the demand for this card has risen, the price is still very reasonable. Collectors can also look for copies of the base Refractor parallel, shown below. The X-Fractor (#/299), Blue (#/199), Gold (#/50), Orange (#/25), and Red (#/5) Refractor parallels are all much more difficult to find and have a larger price tag.
7. 2011 Topps Freddie Freeman RC #145
The Freddie Freeman card in 2011 Topps Baseball is another must-own, but it is also one of his most affordable rookies. While 2011 Topps UpdateΒ rightfully gets a lot of attention for the rookie cards of Mike Trout, Paul Goldschmidt and Jose Altuve, the flagship set often gets overlooked. Freddie Freeman is the lone rookie card of significance. Freeman's base card is very easy to find and still relatively inexpensive, but 2011 Topps Baseball also featured a high number of parallel cards, far beyond what is typical. The parallels are one of the real selling points, especially for collectors with higher budgets.
Fans of the Topps base set can find the usual assortment of colored and foil parallels (Gold #/1999, Red #/245, Foil #/75, Black #/60), but there are also retail-exclusive parallels and a set of Diamond Anniversary parallels that were created in conjunction with the set's "60th Anniversary" theme. The two retail exclusives are the throwback cards included in packs at Target and the all-black cards available at Walmart. The Anniversary parallels include two notable choices without serial numbering: Diamond Anniversary and Cognac Diamond Anniversary. The Cognac parallels were inserted into packs of Update, so they carry a heavy premium and are very popular. There is also a Hope Diamond Anniversary parallel numbered to 60 copies. It is worth noting that Freddie Freeman was not included in the Silk parallel.
6. 2010 Bowman Platinum Prospect Autograph Refractors Freddie Freeman #BPA-FF
Topps first produced Bowman Platinum in 2010 as a further expansion of its prospect-driven brand, offering collectors a high number of autograph cards with chromium and foil finishes. Beyond the prospects that are normally found in Bowman, Topps was in the first year of holding the USA Baseball license and it used 2011 Bowman Platinum to house some of those cards. The initial reception of Bowman Platinum was tepid, forcing Topps to offer collectors an additional autograph in each Hobby Box via an exchange card. The redemption cards did not promise a specific player, but Topps used nine different autographs to fulfill the exchanges, including Freddie Freeman.
The base Bowman Platinum Freddie Freeman autograph can be found at a lower cost than some of his other early autographs. The card is not numbered and Topps has never released a print run number for any of the exchange cards. Topps did make a full run of colored Refractor parallels for the Freeman autograph, including Green (#/199), Blue (#/99) and Red (#/10). While collectors were initially slow coming around to 2010 Bowman Platinum, its popularity has increased over the past decade due to this Freeman autograph, along with other early signatures of superstar players.
5. 2011 Bowman Sterling Rookie Autographs Freddie Freeman RC #7
The high-end 2011 Bowman Sterling was released near the end of the 2011 calendar year. Freeman established himself as one of the best young players in the game during the season. As such, it was not a surprise that Topps gave him a prominent place in the end-of-year Bowman Sterling set. Freddie Freeman had several cards in the product including a base card and relics, but the real prize is his Rookie Autograph. The main version of the Freeman autograph is one of his better rookie signatures. Even though it is not numbered, the limited production of Bowman Sterling has made this one of Freeman's most difficult-to-find autographs from early in his career. It is also one of his more expensive autographs.
Collectors with deeper pockets and patience can try to track down one of the parallels, which include Refractor (#/199), Gold Refractor (#/50), Black Refractor (#/25), and Purple Refractor (#/10) editions.
4. 2011 Topps Finest Freddie Freeman RC #72 Autograph Refractor #/499
In an attempt to cut back on the high number of redemption cards that plagued the popular product in the preceding years, Topps pushed the release of 2011 Finest Baseball to the end of the season. The 100-card set featured 40 different rookie cards in the back half of the checklist. Each rookie had three different card versions for collectors to track down, including a base rookie, an autograph and an autograph relic card. The most popular for Freddie Freeman collectors is the Rookie Autograph Refractor. This card was set apart by its on-card signature and a limited print run of 499 copies.
Furthermore, collectors could also hunt down the different colored parallels that are a staple of the Finest brand.Β The most common parallels are the X-Fractor (#/299) and the Green Refractor (#/149), with all the other colors having a print run under 100 copies, including Orange (#/99), Gold (#/75) and Red (#/25).
Topps also created an Autographed Rookie Dual Relic for each of the first-year players on the checklist. The card number and the colored parallels are exactly the same as the Refractor autograph, but there are two key differences between the cards. First, this card contains jersey pieces. Second, the relic cards featured sticker autographs, which are not as desirable as on-card signatures. Fortunately, Topps had generally phased out the use of silver foil stickers in 2010, so at least the sticker is clear and well-blended into the design.
Both versions of the Freddie Freeman rookie autographs have become pricy as he continues to build a strong case for future enshrinement in Cooperstown. If you love the aesthetics of the two 2011 Finest Freeman autographs, consider adding a copy of his base card from the set to your collection. This card is very affordable, but also offers the same colored parallels with the same serial numbers as the autographs.
3. 2011 Bowman Chrome Freddie Freeman RC #205 Autograph
2011 Bowman was incredibly popular due to the inclusion of Bryce Harper's first Bowman Chrome MLB cards. No doubt the 2011 Bowman cards of the superstar are still some of the better cards from this product, but Freeman's rookie signature has also been elevated. This first-year autograph of Freddie Freeman is one of his quintessential cards. The Chrome Rookie Autographs set featured 15 rookies at the end of the Bowman base checklist, which included Freeman. While he was just one of three cards that were available as an exchange, it is believed that Freeman signed a full run of cards. The card is widely available on the secondary market, although the card is one of his pricier rookies.
The colored parallels have become harder to find in recent years, often with a steep price tag, including Refractors (#/500), Blue Refractors (#250) and Gold Refractors (#/50).
2. 2011 Topps Chrome Freddie Freeman RC #173 Autograph
Topps started including rookie autographs in 2004 Chrome. However, outside of the 2005 Justin Verlander autograph, there were very few notable cards produced during the few years of the format change. That trend started to turn around in the early 2010s with autographed cards of Giancarlo Stanton in 2010 ChromeΒ and Freddie Freeman in 2011.
There were a total of 20 players in the Rookie Autograph checklist, with Freeman being the standout name in the group. Collectors were given two autographs per box, which lends to the initial impression that the Freeman autograph is easy to find. However, given this card's status as one of the top Freddie Freeman rookie cards, it has become tougher to find. Raw, mint copies of this Topps Chrome card can often sell for more than other graded first-year Freeman cards.
Naturally, several parallels are available, including Refractors (#/499), Blue Refractors (#/199), Black Bordered Refractors (#/100), Sepia Refractors (#/99), Gold Refractors (#/50), and Red Refractors (#/25).
Similar to his Finest card, if you like the style of this Freddie Freeman rookie card, you can opt for the base Chrome version without the autograph. This Freddie Freeman rookie card is much easier on the wallet. Collectors can find the same group of parallels for this card as the Chrome autograph.
1. 2009 Bowman Chrome Prospects Autograph Freddie Freeman #BCP101
After appearing in a few of the end-of-year Bowman releases in 2007, Freddie Freeman was largely absent from cardboard in 2008 and 2009. However, Topps did manage to include him on the checklist for 2009 Bowman Chrome Baseball, which offered Freeman's first certified autograph as a member of the Braves. The 2009 Bowman Chrome set had an unusually sparse autograph lineup as the product focused heavily on international players from the first World Baseball Classic. The Freddie Freeman Chrome autograph has become his most important baseball card in the hobby and one of the best from the 2000s. This pre-rookie autograph is the crown jewel of any Freddie Freeman collection, but is also a great addition for modern card collectors. In keeping with many players who debuted after the early 2000s, it should be little surprise that Freddie Freeman's most desirable card is a Bowman Chrome autograph.
His Refractor (#/500) is shown, but fans can also seek out several other limited Refractors, including X-Fractor (#/250), Blue (#/150), Orange (#/25), Gold (#/50), Orange (#/25), and Red (#/5).
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