Cincinnati Reds

Baseball’s First Professional Team

The Cincinnati Red Stockings, founded in 1869, were the first openly professional baseball team. The modern Cincinnati Reds franchise dates to 1882 in the American Association and 1890 in the National League, and has won five World Series championships and nine NL pennants since (Cincinnati Reds, Wikipedia). That makes the Reds one of baseball’s founding franchises and gives collectors a catalog that reaches back to the 19th century.

For collectors, the Reds story has three peaks: the Frank Robinson era of the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Big Red Machine of the 1970s (Rose-Bench-Morgan-Perez-Foster), and the 1990 wire-to-wire champions. The modern Reds — largely a rebuilding organization through the 2010s — have recently been revitalized by Elly De La Cruz, whose speed-power combination has made his cards some of the most-watched in the current market.

The Big Red Machine cards are particularly deep. Bench, Morgan and Perez all reached Cooperstown off that roster, and Rose sits alongside them in the hobby, so the mid-1970s team sets carry more long-term names than any other stretch in franchise history.

Reds Vintage Era (pre-1970)

• T206 (1909-11) — the Deadball-era tobacco issue is where pre-war Reds collecting starts, and Cincinnati players run right through the set.
• 1957 Topps Frank Robinson Rookie (#35) — the Hall of Fame outfielder’s rookie (1957 Topps checklist); 1956 Topps #5 is Ted Williams. Steep grade curve between PSA 9 and PSA 10.
• 1957 Topps Frank Robinson — classic design, widely collected.
• 1960 Topps Frank Robinson (#490) — MVP-era Reds card.
• 1963 Topps Pete Rose Rookie (#537) — a Rookie Stars card shared with Pedro Gonzalez, Ken McMullen and Al Weis (1963 Topps checklist), and one of the most dramatic grade-to-value curves in the hobby.
• 1965 Topps Tony Perez Rookie (#581) — a National League Rookie Stars card shared with Kevin Collins and Dave Ricketts (1965 Topps checklist). Jim Maloney has his own card in the same set at #530.
• 1967 Topps Tony Perez (#476) — his 1967 base card, two years after the Rookie Stars card.
• 1968 Topps Johnny Bench Rookie (#247, 1968 Topps checklist) — shared with Ron Tompkins. Franchise flagship vintage, with a steep premium for gem-mint copies.

Reds Modern Era (1970-2000)

The Big Red Machine era is the deepest collecting window in franchise history.

• 1972 Topps Joe Morgan (#752, the Traded subset) — his first Reds card after the November 1971 deal with Houston; his base card that year, #132, still shows him as an Astro (1972 Topps checklist).
• 1972 Topps Cesar Geronimo (#719) — Big Red Machine supporting cast.
• 1975 Topps Pete Rose (#320) — his card from the middle of the Big Red Machine run; his MVP season was 1973.
• 1975 Topps Johnny Bench (#260) — Big Red Machine’s catcher.
• 1976 Topps Cincinnati Reds Team Card (#104) — the Sparky Anderson team card for the defending World Series champions.
• 1977 Topps Johnny Bench (#70) — one of the most-collected cards in the set.
• 1987 Donruss Barry Larkin Rookie (#492) — Hall of Fame shortstop’s rookie (1987 Donruss checklist).
• 1990 Bowman Hal Morris (#57) — champion-era role player.
• 1991 Topps Chris Sabo (#45) — third baseman.

Reds Contemporary Era (2001-2026)

• 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights Joey Votto (#UH185) — a Highlights card from the first baseman’s breakout season, not a rookie card.
• 2010 Bowman Chrome Aroldis Chapman — the lefty fireballer’s Bowman Chrome prospect card. Refractor parallels collected.
• 2013 Topps Chrome Todd Frazier (#123) — the Reds’ key card from that set.
• 2021 Topps Update Jonathan India Rookie (#US286) — ROY-season rookie.
• 2022 Bowman Chrome Elly De La Cruz (#BCP-224) — the prospect card that started the run. Refractor parallels highly chased.
• 2023 Topps Update Matt McLain Rookie (#US199) — middle infielder.
• 2023 Bowman Draft Rhett Lowder (#BD-52) — pitching prospect.
• 2024 Bowman Chrome Elly De La Cruz Rookie (#42) — the current flagship of the De La Cruz era.
• 2024 Bowman Chrome Christian Encarnacion-Strand Rookie (#91) — infielder.

Featured Reds Players

Player-focused guides for the Reds are expanding on Baseball Cards. Look for deep dives on Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joey Votto, and Elly De La Cruz.

How to Build a Reds PC

Starter collection: Raw 1987 Donruss Barry Larkin rookie, a raw 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights Votto (#UH185), a 2024 Bowman Chrome De La Cruz rookie. Add current-year Topps/Bowman for roster depth — a multi-era foundation.

Mid-tier collection: PSA 9 1968 Topps Bench rookie, PSA 10 2021 Topps Update India rookie, PSA 10 2024 Bowman Chrome De La Cruz rookie, and sealed Bowman hobby boxes for refractor prospect hunting.

High-end collection: PSA 10 1968 Topps Bench rookie, a PSA 9 or 10 1963 Topps Pete Rose rookie, a colored-refractor De La Cruz 2022 Bowman Chrome prospect card (#BCP-224), and a PSA 9 1957 Topps Frank Robinson rookie. Four cornerstone pieces across seven decades.

Best Products for Reds Fans

The cards below are the easiest starting points for any Reds fan building a collection — sealed boxes where Reds players will feature in proportion to their roster presence, plus graded singles when available on Amazon.

Reds Team Sets and Factory Products

Topps issues Reds team sets every year. For the Big Red Machine era, the 1975 Topps Reds team card (#531) and the 1976 Topps Reds team card (#104) are the anchors collectors build around. Amazon stocks current-year Reds factory team sets alongside Bowman products for De La Cruz-era prospect collecting.