Which Aaron Judge RC's are the best to buy?

Odessafile

Im wondering what you all think are the best 2 or 3 Judge RC's to go after? I've focused on 2013 Bowman Chrome Refractors and the 2017 Heritage Auto's both RED and BLue versions....... Your thoughts? I am surprised by the low population of Judge's PSA 10 graded cards in the above two sets in particular.

Jimmy_Commonpants

Buy the 2 or 3 you think look the best. Don't buy any with the expectation of re-selling to someone else for more than you paid. Don't buy into fake "populations" - there's thousands of Judge autograph cards out there.

Odessafile

@Jimmy_Commonpants ...thanks for your wisdom.....Im a little confused by "fake" populations of the PSA 10 pop reports....is this a fact that the PSA pop. reports are inaccurate or intentionally misleading? Im aware there must be gazillions of Judge autographs.... I was merely commenting on the Heritage auto's being relatively low in the PSA 10 grade compared to total pops......thanks much Jimmy!

Jimmy_Commonpants

IMO, one reason "populations" of modern cards are "fake" is because the majority of people don't have their cards graded. This is especially true of autograph cards. So, IMO, claiming there is a "low population" of a certain card in a certain grade is done so simply with the intent of making people believe the card is "rare" and in high demand when, in fact, it is neither rare nor in high demand. Further, the difference between a "9" or "10" in a modern card is nothing more than the result of manipulating the population of "10"'s for the purpose stated above. You couldn't find five collectors who agree on a "9" vs a "10" grade and there is thread after thread here with people "disputing" their grade they got back, some claiming different graders apply different standards. Its just a bunch of silliness that I would have thought more people would have easily caught onto.

Dpeck100

Don't listen to a word Jimmy is typing. Modern collectors pay big bucks for graded copies and yes a 10 sells for more than a 9 every time.

If you want to get a true sense of what the population totals are look at PSA and BGS and that will give you a better idea of what it really is. The notion that most collectors do not get their cards graded is way too broad of a statement to make. Yes the vast majority keep their 1978 Topps commons ungraded but the vast majority that purchase Aaron Judge cards end up getting them graded. The total population created of modern product across all types of cards is a fraction of what it was with older cards. Many are numbered 1 to 25 or 1 to 100 etc.

Is there always the possibility that the population totals can increase? Yes but if you match up the two companies totals it will give you a better idea of by how much. Is it a perfect science? No but because of the limited print run it can only theoretically be the total number produced.

I can't offer advice on which to buy and I would probably stick with a leader like Bowman Chrome where there are defined trends from prior years of market acceptance but there could easily be others that may be a better buy.

There are some on here that constantly have negative opinions on card grading and he is one.

If you do a search there is a huge thread on Aaron Judge and there is great information there.

Good luck.

Dpeck100

https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/980227/aaron-judge/p1

Here you go. Hit these guys up and also you will enjoy reading this thread.

Odessafile

@Dpeck100 ~Awesome thread....thanks so much for the critique and the data resource!

Walt

13 chrome and 17 heritage real one are great starts, I might add 17 chrome to that also.

Odessafile

Im looking it up now!

PmanFL

@Odessafile said:
Im looking it up now!

You should be able to pick up the 13 Chrome psa 9 in the mid $40’s, that’s where i sold one the other day. The refractor is a great card but at a higher price point.

Odessafile

Walt is that the '17 Bowman chrome RC auto? You have to be an M.D. to locate all these varieties.

PmanFL

Chrome Rookie was 13, but 17 is a great card too

mattyc_collection

Well, in terms of the buying and selling Judge cards referenced above, anecdotally I can offer that I bought one card of his for $4600 the day he broke the rookie home run record. In relation to my collection, it wound up being superfluous; sold it the other day for $7250.

I pretty much collect only Judge these days, and he has a few great options to choose from, in terms of RCs from his 2017 season. Some descriptions and examples images below...

• Heritage "dual," with Tyler Austin is a favorite for its traditional design, and the rare variations which provide a fun challenge to hunt down. There is the yellow back/25, gray back/10, reverse stock/5, blue border/50, then the chrome refractor/568, blue refractor/68, gold refractor/5, and the lone superfractor 1/1. There are also more common purple refractors.

• Heritage Red Ink/68 and Blue Ink are the signed versions of the Heritage "solo" card.

• Topps Archives has the base #62 card, which comes in rarer colored parallels, including a black bordered 1/1 that is still at large. There is also a scarce gray back version of this card.

• Topps Archives also has the Fan Favorite Autograph, the Bazooka Auto, and the 1960 Rookie Star Auto. These come in rarer colored border parallels as well, for a challenge in terms of both finding them and grading high.

• Topps Chrome has the "catching" card, in both regular and auto versions, with rarer colored parallels. The super 1/1 auto of this card has yet to surface.

• Topps Chrome also has the 1987 card, which comes in rarer colors.

• There are also the Topps 1987 autos from the different series released throughout the year. The Series One is sought after.

• Topps Definitive has a great auto card of Judge, as well as a dynamite Auto/Patch card.

• Topps Now put out some really cool auto cards that commemorate key points in his 2017 season, ranging from breaking Joe D's record to winning the derby to hitting 50HRs to his first postseason HR. These cards include base relics and even a game worn relic from the derby.

• Lastly and most recently, Transcendent has issued 1/1 retro auto cards of Judge. The more nostalgic designs are major keepers in my opinion as a Judge collector. The Transcendent base (numbered to 87) is a cool card as well, as the materials used in that set make for striking, quality cards. The retros from this set will also be available in non auto /87, and in a 1/1 version featuring a patch from a jersey in which he hit a HR. The latter two variations will be distributed at the Topps Transcendent party later this month.

Some also like the Allen & Ginter cards, it is worth nothing. Anyways those are the major options, enough to keep a collector busy hunting for a while.

Odessafile

@DM23HOF ~Thanks very much!~~~Which two or three varieties do you think in your gut will be the best options for the long haul? If you could put em in order that would be awesome..... just your gut no biggie.

sinoth23

For base - Archives (IMO), as it is condition sensitive. Will let some of the big dogs speak to the rarer/more high $ ones.

Nice thread...getting close to Spring training.

Odessafile

IF anybody can break Bonds record of 73 taters its gotta be Aaron Judge....he was injured after the home run derby for 2 months and did squat..... My guess is its NO HOME RUN DERBY attendance in '18 for ALL RISE. I HOPE!

mattyc_collection

@Odessafile said:
@DM23HOF ~Thanks very much!~~~Which two or three varieties do you think in your gut will be the best options for the long haul? If you could put em in order that would be awesome..... just your gut no biggie.

I think for a basic base/non-auto, the Archives is the way to go.

For non-auto variations, I think any of the rare Heritage duals are a great pick; it is the card that comes to mind when I think of Judge's RC. At a lower price-point, the Transcendent base. A shade lower than that, the 1987 Topps Chrome variations.

In terms of autos, obviously the 1/1s reign. I would look at the auto offerings in a tier system, and the Top Tier would include Archives Bazooka, Archives FFA, Archives Rookie Star, the Heritage Red and Blue, Topps Chrome (its rarer variations ob obviously get pricey). Framed Definitive is the framed that I prefer over the framed Transcendent autos. Also in the Top Tier, in my opinion as a Judge collector, are the key Topps Now cards. As to unreleased cards, I am eagerly awaiting the 1987 Chrome Auto and the Heritage High Number Auto Relic.

Odessafile

I find the huge variety of total Rookie cards ~ not the variations ~to be a bit confusing and almost toxic... its too much ... I think Ill be sticking with the Heritage autos (Red and Blue) and the 2013 chrome Refractors ....I find myself not even interested in the non-autos altogether.... not sure why. I really appreciate your time regarding this issue...many thanks !!

dictoresno

Besides the obvious autos, there are other sought after cards. The 2017 Heritage Rea One Red Ink I think is considered the most common "must have" and "key" card on the top of the list. However its price can be very high. As mentioned above, the 2017 Topps Archives #62 in a PSA 10 are hard to come by because most are off center so there is a lower pop of 10's. Personally, I love the Bowman Platinum and Bowman Platinum Rookie Radar cards. Most people overlook them but they are extremely hard to grade well (foil stock) and I love the look. Here are some of my personal favorites from my collection. I own all the "basics" of his cards, and a few rarer pop 1 or 2 cards (the 6/10 and 17/25 pictured below).

Odessafile

What is the common perception of the Panini cards? I am not interested in those at all ...am I in the minority?

dictoresno

@Odessafile said:
What is the common perception of the Panini cards? I am not interested in those at all ...am I in the minority?

most people on other forums tend to stay away, as they prefer licensed cards and logos. I own the base 2017 Panini Donruss Optic Judge RC and thats it, and sometimes I wonder why I even got it. A lot of people have the auto stuff from Panini and relics, but I don't think they hold weight vs the Topps stuff.

Odessafile

I own 1 Red Auto Heritage Judge PSA 10 and 4 of the Blues, and 1 of the 2013 Blue Refractor 1/99 PSA 10's .....Im finding premiums are garnered for better looking autographs within the grade....centering, positioning and flow etc... especially in the Blue Auto '17 Heritage Real Ones...as they are far more common.

BLUEJAYWAY

My preference as well is to stay with the Topps brand. Go with the logo cards.

dictoresno

I also like the Bazooka, but when they used to go for $50+ early on, the amount of PSA 10's really started churning out later and now they can be had for way less. I also really like the mini A&G cards.

Odessafile

In terms of the grader I find PSA 10's sell for more than BGS graded Gem Mint 10's with the exception of Black Labels ...they sell for outrageous premiums ...thats an interesting issue in and of itself...I'd rather own a PSA 10 vs. a 9.5 BGS but the Black labels are the bomb.