The 10 Most Valuable Marvel Trading Cards Ever Sold

When you search eBay for “Marvel rookie PSA” cards, you might be as surprised as I was to discover that most of the popular cards that come up are all from the very same set.

I did some digging, and as it turns out, the first of four sets from Impel (and SkyBox as they later became), happens to contain the inaugural “rookie” cards of all your favorite Marvel superheroes and villains. That should make things easy, right? Let’s get into it.

The 1990 set has a 162-card checklist. The first half is dedicated to individual hero cards, while the second half includes several subsets. There are even six cards labeled "rookies" that could prove to be a play if you’re a Ghost Rider or Guardians of the Galaxy fan.

You could flip a high-grade version of pretty much any card from this set because they’re all quite rare. And since it’s the de facto Marvel rookie release, you can bet there are a lot of collectors out there trying to piece together the whole thing.

Let’s showcase some of the better cards you can find in the set and their value:

Two years ago, at the height of the card market boom, this card sold for well over $4,000 at PWCC. Today, you can buy it for $100-150. While that drop in value is jarring, it does make this visually striking card much more affordable. Furthermore, the Cap has cemented himself as one of the most iconic superheroes in film history, so this is an easy add to the personal collection if you ask us.

With the box office success of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, everyone’s favorite web-slinger grows even more notorious. Spidey has definitely remained the most valuable card from this set, as PSA 10s still trade steadily above $500 on eBay with asking prices all over the place, including this one for $1250 on PWCC. We see this as a blue chip addition in the realm of card collecting since Spider-Man is one of the most recognizable figures in the world.

We’d be remiss to not mention a villain or two while we were at it. Thanos has emerged as the most infamous film antagonist of the 21st century, aside from maybe The Joker. His quotes and calmness as a villain stunned viewers, and we all remember how we felt leaving the theater after Infinity War. If you want a cool PSA 10 with unparalleled artwork, look no further. Plus, you can pick up this Thanos “rookie” for under $150 like the example in the above photo from PWCC.

Many niche markets were explored (and sometimes exploited) during the Hobby’s pandemic boom. In certain areas, Marvel was subject to astonishing price rises. This was most evident with the Precious Metal Gems (PMG) sets, which are some of the most desired paralleled cards in the world. We’ve talked extensively about the impact of PMGs in the basketball and football market, with players like Kobe and Jordan each having a seven-figure PMG sale. However, your friendly neighborhood superheroes are worth a pretty penny too.

With that being said, let’s break down the top 10 most expensive Marvel cards ever sold. As you will see, many of the aforementioned PMGs will crack the list.

Sold on: PWCC Premier Auction (3/22/2022)

To start the list off, we have an elusive gold 1/1 PMG. Morbius finally got a standalone film in 2022, bringing the character into the mainstream. For a hardcore Marvel collector, this is by far the best Morbius card you’ll find. It sold for over $50,000 in March of 2022.

Sold on: Goldin Auctions (2/24/2022)

Played on the silver screen by Benedict Cumberbatch, Doctor Strange became a fan-favorite of the MCU. With eye-popping artwork, we can see why this 2017 Fleer Ultra PMG is so highly coveted. Graded a Beckett 8.5, this copy sold for $52,806 in February of 2022.

Sold on: Goldin Auctions (2/24/2022)

With a final price of over $57,000, this marks the most expensive card of the Hulk to sell in a public auction. Unlike any other copy on this list, this blue PMG secured an extremely rare PSA 10 grade, which is almost unheard of for a metal trading card. Long term, we could see these low pop copies become highly sought-after.

Sold on: Goldin Auctions (5/21/2022)

While not found in the traditional MCU timeline, Wolverine has an undeniable fan base from the extensive comic series, TV shows and X-Men franchise. He’s also one of the more nuanced and complex heroes on the list, which may be why he still collected to this day. This green PMG sold for over $70,000, marking the most expensive Wolverine sale of all time.

Sold on: PWCC Premier Auction (2/20/2022)

Just like Michael Jordan’s iconic Chicago Bulls red, this Spider-Man card is a sharp PMG color match. While many of these stunners have taken a hit over the last few years, we’d challenge you to find a more aesthetically pleasing trading card. This POP 6 gem sold for an all-time high of $78,000 in early 2022.

Sold on: Goldin Auctions (2/24/2022)

By the looks of it, several PMG blues closed on the same Goldin auction. Few were as crisp as this 2017 Spider-Man PSA 9, which shows Spidey in his iconic red and royal blue look. With new projects of the webslinger planned down the road, it will be interesting to see how these cards resell over time.

Sold on: Goldin Auctions (2/24/2022)

You will never be able to knock these cards for their visual beauty. The Fleer Retro set utilized a blue parallel, which is not found in the earlier basketball cards they are modeled after. When you have an All-American hero like Cap, the blue background just makes this card even more aesthetically pleasing.

Sold on: Goldin Auctions (12/28/2022)

If anything, this list shows just how collectible Stan Lee’s Spider-Man really is. From movie franchises to video games, people cannot get enough of Peter Parker. Case in point, this PMG green sold for just shy of six figures at the end of 2022.

Sold on: Goldin Auctions (1/8/2022)

At the #2 spot, we have another Spidey PMG. This one, just like the 2017 Fleer Ultra shown earlier, contrasts the iconic red get-up with a sharp blue parallel. With a final price dating back to January 2022, this sale arguably catapulted the Marvel market into its sharp rise.

Sold on: Goldin Auctions (5/21/2022)

Peter Parker’s first PMG is one of the highest-selling non-sport cards ever, and it is limited to just 10 copies. The sensitive foil on these cards makes them subject to relatively low grades, so a BGS 9 is more than impressive. While this piece may not be worth $168,000 today, it is still the crown jewel of any Marvel/DC trading card collection.