5 Best Albert Pujols Rookie Cards (Buyers Guide)

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Albert Pujols is one of the best players the game has ever seen; making his rookie cards will be an excellent long-term investment. His 2001 SP Future Watch and 2001 Bowman rookie cards are the best bets.

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Albert Pujols was born on 1/16/1980 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He was drafted in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB Amateur Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pujols made his debut on April 2, 2001, and quickly became a dominant player in the league, batting .329 with 37 jacks and a mind-blowing 130 RBIs in his first year!

Sir Albert won World Series Titles with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 and 2011 (lost in 2006 to the Boston Redsox). In 16 WS Games, he batted .255 with 4 jacks and 8 RBIs. Along with Sir Albert, he was also known as El Hombre, Phat Albert, and The Machine, which paid homage to his insane baseball work ethic.

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Albert is one of the game’s best players of all time, and we would rank very few players ahead of him (more on this later). So without further ado, here are the best three Albert Pujols rookie cards to buy and profit significantly from in the future.

2001 Albert Pujols SP Authentic Gold #126 (Shop eBay)

The HOLY GRAIL of Albert Pujols rookie cards.

This card is unimprovable in any way whatsoever and is a must for all sports card investors.

Numbered #126 the back of the card reads “Pujols was already a highly regarded prospect with the Cardinals when entering the 2011 season, but he played so well during Spring training that he made the club to start the year. He got off to a blazing start, ranking among the league leaders in nearly every offensive category during April. Pujols began the season in the outfield but seems to have found a permanent home at third base. He has the skills to become an All-Star.”

Not only is this our favorite Puljos rookie card it is one of our favorite cards in all of sports card collecting (an easy top 5, maybe 3).

2001 Albert Pujols SP Authentic RC /1250 #126 (Buy on eBay)

This card is very similar to the 2001 SP Authentic SP Limited Gold card other than the fact that there were 1250 of these made instead of 50. Plus, the front of the 2001 SP Authentic card is absent the wording “Future Watch Unlimted.”

You will find this card much more affordable than the Gold card, but your profits won’t be as significant when it comes time to sell. Regardless we love this card and would be comfortable adding more than a few of these to our investment portfolio.

2001 Albert Pujols Bowman RC #264 (Buy on eBay)

BOOM! The 2001 Bowman Pujols RC shows Albert CRUSHING the ball out of the park (classic Albert home run swing result). Numbered #264, the back of the card shows his vital stats, resume, skills, and up-close “I’m proud of myself for having a good year… but I didn’t expect to get so many honors“. A great card to add to your collection (Mike Trout Rookie Cards are also a great investment option to add to your collection… maybe better than Pujols!).

2001 Albert Pujols Topps Chrome Traded RC #T247 (Shop eBay)

Another great-looking Albert Pujols rookie card by the legendary Topps company. A solid option will be one of his cards’ best, if not the best, in terms of ROI.

2001 Albert Pujols Ichiro Suzuki Topps Chrome Traded RC #T99 (Shop eBay)

Is Albert Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki on the same rookie card?

Yes, please!

2001 Albert Pujols SP Authentic Chirography RC #AP

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The 2001 SP Authentic Chirography Albert Pujols RC is a simple, dry, beautiful card numbered #AP. The card shows Pujols tossing the ball over to what we assume first base from third base. This bad boy is 100% worthy of a spot in your sports card investing portfolio.

Checklist

2001 Bowman Albert Pujols RC #264
2001 Bowman Heritage Albert Pujols RC #351
2001 SP Authentic Albert Pujols RC /1250 #126
2001 Fleer Tradition Albert Pujols RC #451
2001 Leaf Rookies and Stars Albert Pujols RC #205
2001 Topps Chrome Traded Albert Pujols RC #T247
2001 SP Authentic Limited Gold Albert Pujols RC /50 #126
2001 Topps Gallery Albert Pujols RC #135
2001 Topps Stars Albert Pujols RC #198
2001 Topps Chrome Traded Retrofactor Ichiro Albert Pujols RC #T99
2001 Topps Traded Albert Pujols RC #T247
2001 SP Authentic Chirography Albert Pujols RC #AP
2001 Bowman’s Best Albert Pujols RC /2999 #174
2001 Bowman Certified Auto Albert Pujols RC #BA-AP
2001 Donruss Baseball Best Silver Albert Pujols RC #156
2001 Donruss Studio Albert Pujols RC #191
2001 Donruss Signature Series Auto Albert Pujols RC #151
2001 Donruss Classics Significant Signatures Auto Albert Pujols RC #108
2002 Topps Chrome Gold Refractor Rookie Cup Logo Albert Pujols RC #160

Rookie Year Stats

As a rookie in 2001, Pujols had one of the best rookie years in the history of the MLB and was unanimously voted the NL Rookie of the Year (check out all Albert Pujols stats).

In 2001 Albert JACKED 36 home runs, had a mind-blowing 130 RBIs, batted a head-shaking .329, and had an explosive 1.013 OPS. WOW!

36 homers were more than double the number of home runs when compared to Ken Griffey Jr.’s first year in the league.

Albert Pujols Rookie Card Values

Albert Pujols’s rookie cards trend upward over the next few years as his Hall of Fame nomination draws closer.

If you would like us to estimate the value of one of your Pujols cards, email us at info@goldcardauctions.com (include pictures of the card and allow up to 48 hours for a response). You can also message us on the Gold Card Auctions Facebook Page.

Other Key Cards

2003 Leaf Cert Material Albert Pujols Mirror Gold Signatures #173
2003 Fleer EX Essential Credentials Future #81
2003 Topps Autographs AU Auto Signed 2003 Autographed Card #TA-AP
2005 Topps Chrome Refractor #100
2007 Topps Triple Threads AUTO RELIC Albert Pujols #TTRA-51
2011 Topps Chrome Atomic Refractor #150
2014 National Treasures Albert Pujols Mike Trout Majestic Tag Patch #16
2019 Topps Now Mike Trout Albert Pujols Shohei Ohtani AUTO /10 #502B

Investment Outlook

Albert Pujols is one of the most overlooked sports card investments in the game right now. Ever since he foolishly moved out to Los Angels, people have seemingly forgotten how ungodly his numbers were in St. Louis (not to mention his career numbers compared to the all-time greats).

Investment Rating: Buy (4.8 out of 5)
Ownership Disclosure: None
Best Albert Pujols Rookie Card: 2001 Albert Pujols SP Authentic RC /1250 #126

Albert is one of the best players ever to play the game.

Once he retires and enters the HOF in his first year of eligibility, his rookie cards will explode in value (in other words, start buying his rookie cards now and thank us later). We would rank him in the top 10 (MLB all-time greats) without a doubt… where in the top 10 is up for debate beyond the scope of this article.