Let's start with a bit of the history of baseball cards. Baseball Cards have been in production since the late 19th century. What was once a business of bringing fans closer to the game has become a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. What was once just a product of tiny pieces of cardboard with pictures of baseball players on them first came with tobacco products and has turned into a business where trading cards of almost everything you can think of are available, from every sport to your favorite cartoon.
In 1952, the Topps Chewing Gum company released its first flagship set. Topps has released the same product every year since, featuring the current players and a new design, but it has evolved so much. When the mid-1990s rolled around, chase cards (cards signed by players and cards with pieces of game-used jerseys) were introduced, along with many other card sets. Whereas nowadays, Topps makes boxes that hit the market at many thousands of dollars, and if sealed, those boxes can go up exponentially over time. What kids once collected for fun, put cards in their bike spokes, and put in their pocket, unprotected--now has turned into a hobby, where many people chase valuable cards out of the pack.
James Wood came to the Washington Nationals from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto trade. At the time, he was a prospect with lots of potential, and his baseball card prices have shown just that--and still even in 2025, he has cards selling for thousands of dollars. 2025 is the year of his Rookie Cards, as he was not called up on time last season to make the cutoff to be in the later-in-the-year sets. His first licensed cards are in the prospect-centered 2022 Bowman, where his best card produced to date is still missing; his one-of-a-kind 1st Bowman Superfractor autograph card. This card could be worth up to $50,000. For star players, their 1/1 superfractor auto is often the most valuable card of their career. For some of the games' biggest superstars, they've sold in the millions. James Wood might get there one day, but not quite yet.
Investors have spent tens of thousands of dollars on the Nationals' arguable face of the franchise already. His 2022 1st Bowman Sapphire Padparadscha Autograph, a mint-condition card similar to his 1st Bowman Superfractor, has sold multiple times for above five figures. Most recently, this past August, for $31.5K through a Fanatics' Premier auction.
A 30+ home run hitter this past season has shown that he is built for greatness. He is strong, a fan favorite, and has the typical power-hitter build. In the card market, when hitters' power numbers soar, as well as their ability to drive in runs, their prices soar. In the modern card market, position players usually have higher card prices than comparable pitchers who are equally talented in their skill set. The phrase "chicks dig the long ball," is an excellent metaphor for the card market as well. When a hitter is on a power surge, their market value goes up not only for when they hit the free agency market, to get paid their worth, but their card prices can soar with just two or three high-level performances.
It is possible that when all is set and done, a card that will be released later this year, will be his highest-selling card of all time. His Rookie Debut Patch autograph, which is a one-of-a-kind card, will be inserted into a random box of 2025 Topps Chrome Update. Topps, owned by multi-billion dollar sports merchandise and collectibles company, Fanatics, announced in 2023 that all rookies in Major League Baseball would wear an MLB Debut Patch on their jersey sleeve (as seen in the article image at the top of the page) for their first ever game, to insert into a 1/1 trading card to be signed by the player, and inserted randomly into a box of cards for collectors to find. Collectors highly seek after these MLB Debut Patch cards, as do investors, but more interestingly, the players the cards are of. If a collector hits one of the big names in the set, their Debut Patch could sell for six figures or more. For some players who want their card, they'll make a trade with the collector who pulled their 1/1 card, because for most players this will be the biggest card they'll ever have--while they may get to keep their jersey from their MLB Debut, it won't be complete without owning the patch anymore, so some players have traded a lot of signed gear as well as a personal meet and greet so that they can reunite with their prized patch. For some cards, even big-name brands have bought them to put on Display.
In March of this year, Dick's Sporting Goods acquired the Paul Skenes Debut Patch autograph to display at their Pittsburgh House of Sport for a staggering $1.11 million. Better yet, a middle school-aged kid pulled the card out of one box he opened for a Christmas gift.
Back to James Wood. The Nationals' young power hitter is still one of the massive chases in 2025 baseball cards. His Debut Patch card will certainly shatter his record for highest-selling card to date--will it be his highest-selling card of all-time? We'll see when his 2022 Bowman Superfractor autograph card gets found and eventually put up for auction. Every player in today's league wears many jerseys throughout their career, and I'm not talking about style or team; they have multiple versions of each jersey. Topps acquires many of them to cut up and insert jersey pieces into cards throughout their careers. With the Debut Patch, some of the greatest players in the league will never have one, because they debuted before the Debut Patch had its inception in the hobby.
With his previous high sale prices, I can definitely see a world where James Wood's upcoming big chase card sells for close to six figures, if not more. I can't wait to see what his card sells for, in the months ahead.