Comparison: Max Verstappen vs. Carlos Alcaraz Topps Sapphire Gold /50

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. The goal is simply to explore an interesting comparison within the sports card market and spark discussion among collectors.

For some rare sports cards, the closest "comp" you can often find may be a card from a completely different sport.  

This was my thought process when trying to comp out a 2024 Topps Chrome Sapphire Gold /50 Carlos Alcaraz. While there are other tennis players featured in the set, none of them are anywhere near the popularity of Alcaraz, with the exception of Novak Djokovic. 

This led me to try and compare Alcaraz's version to a similar card from another sport: F1. Although F1 is a much more mature collecting market, I thought that Max Verstappen's 2020 Topps Chrome F1 Sapphire Gold /50 would be a helpful reference point.

However, once I looked at the actual sales of the card, I realized how massive the gap is between the two. 

On the surface, these cards have a ton in common.

Both are:

  • Gold Sapphire parallels numbered to 50
  • First-year Topps cards for the player / driver
  • Cards of young superstars already building GOAT-level resumes

Before looking at the market, I definitely expected there to be a gap between the cards, but nowhere near as what actually exists.

The Sales Gap Is Huge

Here are the most recent public sales for Verstappen:

Max Verstappen Sapphire Gold /50

  • March 29th, 2026: PSA 9 — $6,900
  • March 29th, 2026: BGS 8.5 — $5,160
  • December 11th, 2025: PSA 8 — $4,200

Now compare that to Alcaraz:

Carlos Alcaraz Sapphire Gold /50

  • April 13th, 2026: PSA 10 — $1,075
  • February 8th, 2026: PSA 10 — $1,200
  • January 9th, 2026: PSA 9 — $182.50

The Grades Do Matter… But Probably Not That Much

To be fair, the higher grades for the Alcaraz vs. the Verstappen probably don't matter as much for the sale value, as the Verstappen is much tougher to find in a high grade.

According to PSA's database:

The Alcaraz currently has a pop of 25:

  • 13 PSA 10s
  • 12 PSA 9s

The Verstappen has a pop of 37:

  • 2 PSA 10s
  • 8 PSA 9s
  • 16 PSA 8s
  • 9 PSA 7s
  • 1 PSA 6
  • 1 Authentic

So yes, a PSA 10 Alcaraz probably shouldn't have a massive premium over a PSA 8 or 9 Verstappen. 

However, even after accounting for grading difficulty for Verstappen, the overall market gap is still much stronger than I would've anticipated.

What Makes This Comparison So Interesting

This was a really interesting comparison for me because of how similar Verstappen & Alcaraz are viewed within their respective sports. 

Max Verstappen is already considered one of the best F1 drivers of all time and is competing head-to-head with Lewis Hamilton, who many consider the greatest F1 driver ever.

Carlos Alcaraz has already won seven majors at age 23, and is competing head-to-head with Novak Djokovic while also having a compelling rivalry with Jannik Sinner.

Both are:

  • Globally recognized champions
  • Incredibly young relative to what they’ve already accomplished
  • Viewed as players / drivers who will end up in GOAT conversations

Initially, I thought their global popularity numbers would also be fairly close. Looking at social media though (which is not a perfect barometer, but is still a useful reference point), Verstappen does have a noticeably larger following:

Instagram

  • Verstappen: 18.4M
  • Alcaraz: 8.6M

X / Twitter

  • Verstappen: 4.2M
  • Alcaraz: 2.3M

I Think This Mostly Comes Down to Market Development

I think the explanation for the huge price gap is relatively simple:

The F1 card market is way more developed than the tennis card market right now.

In large part because of Drive to Survive, F1 cards have seen their prices soar recently. 

Tennis cards, on the other hand, haven't quite had their moment yet.

Even though tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world, the card and collectibles market around it is still developing.

That's a big reason why I'm personally so intrigued by tennis cards as a whole. If tennis cards ever reach a level of popularity comparable to F1, it's easy to imagine some of these Alcaraz cards — and tennis cards more broadly — reaching a higher price stratosphere in the future.

    Of course, there's no guarantee this will ever happen, but I do think the sport is getting more popular and could see some of that popularity translate into tennis cards as well.

    The other factor to consider is that as other sports cards (e.g., basketball, baseball, football, F1) get more expensive, collectors often start looking for the "next" area of the hobby where prices are still relatively affordable. 

    We'll see what happens in the near future, but I personally think it's an exciting time for tennis cards. Comparing cards like these side-by-side highlights just how underdeveloped the tennis card market still is compared to other sports like F1. 

    Back to blog