Hank Aaron: The Dignified Home Run King & His Baseball Cards

Hank Aaron baseball cards, old and new, have become increasingly popular as the dignified "Home Run King" has become more appealing than many of today's controversial sluggers.

The slender 180-lb. outfielder accumulated 755 home runs over his 23-year career. A right-handed hitter with remarkably powerful wrists and a smoothly crafted swing, Aaron was recognized for home runs, but his legacy included 3,771 hits (third all-time), 2,174 runs (tied for second), 2,297 RBI (first), and a career .305 average. Aaron also displayed outstanding speed and one of the better right-field arms of his time.

A Hall of Fame career combined with several Topps production mishaps have made Aaron a collector’s favorite. His 1954 Topps rookie (#128), sells for $1,500 in near-mint condition. The card design sports two pictures, a large headshot and a small in-action shot in the lower left-hand corner.

After just a few years of producing baseball cards, Topps had yet to establish much of a photo library, so pictures were often recycled during the '50s. The same Aaron headshot was used from 1954-1956.

The 1956 card (#31) also includes an action shot in the lower right-hand corner picturing Willie Mays sliding into home plate wearing a Braves uniform. A Topps artist painted the uniform. The actual photo of Mays appeared in a baseball card publication a year earlier. This hard-to-find relic accidentally picturing two of baseball's greatest players sells for $275.

Topps made an even bigger gaffe on Aaron's card the following year. The production staff accidentally reversed the negative on the 1957 card (#20), which displays baseball's most prolific right-handed hitter batting left-handed. This unique card sells for $300.

The ultra conservative Topps rolled the dice in 1974 by printing "New All-Time Home Run King" on Aaron's 1974 Topps card (#1) despite Aaron entering the '74 season one home run shy of tying Babe Ruth's career mark. Fortunately for Topps, Aaron kept the suspense to a minimum, hitting a home run on Opening Day. The '74 Topps card became officially accurate a few days later when Hamerin' Hank broke the record on a nationally televised Monday Night Baseball game with a homer against the Dodgers' Al Downing.

Aaron has gained popularity with today's collectors, as baseball card manufacturers continue to combine baseball history with modern day memorabilia cards. His 2005 Bowman Heritage "Game-Used Seat" card is a great pick up for under $15. A piece of an actual seat from Milwaukee County Stadium is embedded in the lower left-hand corner of the card celebrating Aaron's 1956 NL batting title.