Black Friday Deals: Bargain Basemet Prices on Stars

It’s Black Friday! Card retailers have some strong deals, but I’m more interested in what singles one can snag on the cheap. So, here are five players whose cards have dipped substantially in the last year. These might not be official Black Friday deals, but the hobby has conspired to drop the prices on these five standouts enough that I’m considering them my Black Friday card deals.

Note: The percentage value drops listed for each player are how much their Card Ladder Index has dropped in the past year.

Albert Pujols (-70.72%)

 Pujols’ precipitous drop is a stark reminder of the dangers of buying even a first-ballot Hof player when they are in the news. Pujols cards spiked with his not suspicious at all stellar final season that saw him get to 700 homers. The buzz has died down and so has his card prices.

He’s still one of the top five players in my lifetime (Bonds, Griffey, Henderson, and Trout round out the rest). He tops my Black Friday deals list easily.

Jayson Tatum (-50.15%)

 He won a title and has a good shot at more yet his cards are way down from this point a year ago.

 It’s not just the basketball market tanking. The Card Ladder basketball index is down less than 2% in the same period.

Tatum is a steal. A second title would surely move the needle. Right? Well, I thought the first one would, but nope. Regardless, Tatum seems to be criminally undervalued currently.

Erling Haaland (-47.45%)

Haaland’s prices are down 90% from their peak. He’s still one of soccer’s brightest stars even if a few other young players have muddied the conversation about who is the next big star.

A lot of collectors are probably like me and have simply written Haaland off as being too expensive. It’s time to check in on some of those Haaland singles that were way too expensive in 2021.

Pele (-41.79%)

If you want a sure thing, look no further than soccer’s GOAT. The vintage market has been erratic this year with some players seeing big gains and others seeing sharp drops. Pele’s cards have taken a big hit in the past year and it’s hard to imagine a better time to snag some.

Victor Wembanyama (-27.18%)

Wait, Wembanyama is supposed to be the hottest thing since sliced bread. What’s the deal? The premiums for his first cards to hit the market were way too high and a drop was inevitable.

The deals are most noticeable on some of Wemby’s early in-demand cards like his SI for Kids card and his Bowman Chrome University card. As other Wembanyama rookies entered the market, these two lost their status as his key cards. If you wanted one a year ago and held off due to the high prices, check them out again.

Wrap Up

That’s five players I’m after this Black Friday. What players are you bargain hunting for? Let me know in the comments.