Los Angeles Dodgers

Brooklyn to LA: Two Cities, One Franchise

The Brooklyn Dodgers played in New York from 1883 to 1957, won one World Series (1955), and broke baseball’s color barrier when Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson in 1947. In 1958, the franchise relocated to Los Angeles, where they’ve won eight more World Series (1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988, 2020, 2024, 2025) — nine in all, plus a record 26 National League pennants (Los Angeles Dodgers, Wikipedia) — and become one of the most-collected franchises in the hobby.

For card collectors, the Dodgers catalog is essentially two catalogs. The Brooklyn-era cards (1948-1957) are pre-war and early-post-war collecting, anchored by Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, and Roy Campanella. The LA-era cards (1958-present) feature Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale in the 1960s, Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser in the 1980s, Mike Piazza in the 1990s, Clayton Kershaw in the 2010s, and the current Ohtani-Betts-Freeman super-team.

The 2024 World Series (Ohtani’s first title) has driven an explosion in Dodgers collecting demand. His 2018 Topps Chrome Update rookie (#HMT1) and his first Dodgers-uniform flagship cards are among the most-watched cards in the modern market.

Dodgers Vintage Era (pre-1970)

• 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson Rookie (#79) — his rookie card, with an especially steep value gap between PSA 8 and PSA 9.
• 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson (#312) — a high number, from the scarce #311-407 final series (1952 Topps checklist); among the most significant cards in the hobby in top grade.
• 1952 Topps Pee Wee Reese — classic design.
• 1953 Topps Jackie Robinson / Roy Campanella (#1, #27, 1953 Topps checklist) — the Dodgers’ two icons.
• 1954 Topps Duke Snider — Hall of Fame center fielder.
• 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax Rookie (#123, one card ahead of the Harmon Killebrew rookie at #124 — 1955 Topps checklist) — franchise flagship pitching card, with a steep grade-to-value curve.
• 1956 Topps Jackie Robinson (#30) — his final-year card.
• 1957 Topps Don Drysdale Rookie (#18, 1957 Topps checklist) — Hall of Fame pitcher.
• 1958 Topps Dodgers Team / Roseboro — first LA season.
• 1963 Topps Sandy Koufax (#210) and Willie Davis (#229) — the Koufax-era Dodgers keys (1963 Topps checklist).
• 1966 Topps Don Sutton Rookie — Hall of Fame pitcher.
• 1968 Topps Don Drysdale (#145) — late-career card of the Hall of Fame right-hander (1968 Topps checklist).

Dodgers Modern Era (1970-2000)

• 1973 Topps Steve Garvey (#213) — the Dodgers’ 1973 key; Ron Cey shares the #615 Rookie Third Basemen card with Mike Schmidt (1973 Topps checklist).
• 1975 Topps Steve Garvey (#140) and Ron Cey (#390, 1975 Topps checklist) — core Dodgers infield cards of the era.
• 1978 Topps Dodgers Team Card — 1977 NL champion team.
• 1981 Fleer Fernando Valenzuela Rookie (#140) and 1981 Topps (#302, a three-player Dodgers Future Stars card with Jack Perconte and Mike Scioscia) — Fernandomania’s two rookie cards (1981 Fleer · 1981 Topps).
• 1985 Topps Orel Hershiser Rookie (#493) — his Topps rookie card (1985 Topps checklist).
• 1988 Score Mike Scioscia (#53) — catcher on the 1988 champion Dodgers (1988 Score checklist).
• 1988 Topps Orel Hershiser (#40, 1988 Topps checklist) — his Cy Young season.
• 1989 Upper Deck Ramon Martinez (#18) — the Dodgers’ key card in Upper Deck’s debut set (1989 Upper Deck checklist).
• 1992 Bowman Mike Piazza Rookie (#461, 1992 Bowman checklist) — Hall of Fame catcher’s iconic late-round rookie.
• 1992 Bowman Pedro Martinez Rookie (#82) — Hall of Fame pitcher (Dodgers prospect before the Expos trade).

Dodgers Contemporary Era (2001-2026)

• 2001 Bowman Chrome Adrián Beltré (#76) — the third-base era (2001 Bowman Chrome checklist).
• 2006 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks Clayton Kershaw Autograph (#DP84) — modern pitching icon. Refractor parallels are the chase, climbing steeply as the print run shrinks.
• 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights Clayton Kershaw Rookie (#UH240) — his official rookie card (2008 Topps Updates & Highlights checklist).
• 2013 Bowman Chrome Yasiel Puig — outfielder rookie-era.
• 2017 Topps Update Cody Bellinger Rookie (#US50) — ROY season (2017 Topps Update checklist).
• 2018 Topps Chrome Update Shohei Ohtani Rookie (#HMT1) — his MLB rookie, Angels uniform. Essential Ohtani piece.
• 2018 Bowman Chrome Walker Buehler Rookie (#34) — pitching anchor.
• 2022 Bowman Chrome Bobby Miller (#AFLS-23, AFL Fall Stars autograph) — pitching prospect.
• 2024 Topps Series 2 Shohei Ohtani Dodgers (#500) — his first Dodgers-uniform flagship base card.
• 2024 Topps Chrome Shohei Ohtani (#1) — his Dodgers-uniform chrome flagship base card.

Featured Dodgers Players

The players below have their own deep-dive guides on Baseball Cards. Each player page covers the full card catalog, key rookies, parallels to chase, and buying tips.

How to Build a Dodgers PC

Starter collection: Raw 1981 Fleer Fernando Valenzuela rookie (#140). Add raw 1992 Bowman Mike Piazza rookie, the 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights Kershaw rookie, and a 2024 Topps Series 2 Ohtani Dodgers. Current-year Topps/Bowman fills roster — a multi-era start.

Mid-tier collection: PSA 10 1981 Fleer Valenzuela, PSA 10 1992 Bowman Piazza, PSA 10 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights Kershaw, PSA 10 2018 Topps Chrome Update Ohtani. Four modern-era anchor rookies.

High-end collection: A PSA 8 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson rookie is the historical anchor. Pair with a PSA 8 1955 Topps Koufax rookie, a PSA 10 2006 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks Kershaw autograph refractor, and a PSA 10 2018 Topps Chrome Update Ohtani. The Dodgers’ high end is one of the hobby’s deepest.

Best Products for Dodgers Fans

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

Dodgers Team Sets and Factory Products

Current-year Topps Dodgers team sets are widely available on Amazon. Brooklyn-era team cards (1952-1957) are specialist items available through Baseball Card Exchange and eBay. Bowman hobby products are the fastest path to the Dodgers’ deep prospect system.