Cricket Card Values: From Cigarette Cards to the BBL
Cricket cards run from Victorian-era cigarette cards worth a few dollars to rare Don Bradman issues and signed modern chase cards worth thousands. Value comes down to age and scarcity, the player, condition, signatures and the set. Whether you've found a shoebox of old cards or you collect modern Big Bash packs, here's how to tell what yours are worth.
What makes a cricket card valuable?
Cricket cards span more than a century, so the value drivers stretch from "is it pre-war and rare?" to "is it a low-numbered modern signature?". The fundamentals are the same as any card.
- Age and scarcity: pre-war and rare survivors, and low-numbered modern parallels, command the premiums.
- Player: Bradman historically, and marquee current internationals today.
- Condition: especially decisive for fragile vintage cards — a clean copy can be worth many times a worn one.
- Signatures: on-card autographs, especially of legends, lift value sharply.
- Set and completeness: a complete vintage set often beats the sum of its singles.
Vintage cricket cards: cigarette and tea cards
Cricket has the deepest history in the hobby. W.D. & H.O. Wills issued what's regarded as the first sporting-themed cigarette set — "Cricketers" — back in 1896, and ran further cricket sets into the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s (the 1928 "Cricketers" set ran to 50 cards). British makers like John Player & Sons, Ogden's and Churchman produced their own cricket series through the 1930s.
Australia issued its own too: early Melbourne tobacco firm Sniders & Abrahams produced cricket cards, and confectionery maker Sweetacres released sets such as the 1932 "Test Match Records". Because most of these were mass-produced, common singles and even complete sets can be surprisingly affordable — but condition is everything, and a clean copy can be worth many times a tatty one. A complete vintage set in good order also tends to be worth more than the sum of its individual cards, so don't break one up without checking.
The Bradman hook: the cards collectors chase
No name matters more than Don Bradman. He appears across cigarette and trade cards from the late 1920s through to the 1990s — his earliest are generally the 1928–29 Ogden's and early-1930s Sweetacres issues, and signed modern pieces (such as the Sanitarium/Weet-Bix and Futera releases of the mid-1990s) are especially prized.
The genuine rarities can be remarkable: a 1932 Friends' Temperance Union Bradman card, one of only six or seven known examples worldwide, surfaced at an Australian auction and was described as the first the expert had seen come up locally. Cricket memorabilia more broadly can reach extraordinary figures — Shane Warne's baggy green famously sold for over £500,000 — though cards sit well below caps and bats. Treat the Bradman headlines as the rare exception, not the rule.
Modern cricket cards: Big Bash and Test
Modern Australian cricket cards are produced by TLA under the Cricket Australia Traders banner, covering Test, Big Bash and women's stars across men's and women's competitions. The 2025/26 release has a 153-card base set, with silver parallels, numbered "MoJo" parallels, tiered signature cards and match-worn jersey-patch cards as the chase. Current internationals such as Pat Cummins and Travis Head, and women's stars like Meg Lanning, anchor the marquee cards.
One thing to know: cricket has had patchier card production than the football codes, with gaps over the years and intermittent coverage of touring internationals. The 1990s Futera era — including the signed 1995 "Heritage Collection", which carried autographs of greats like Bradman, Lindwall and Harvey — is regarded as one of the high points of Australian cricket cards, and those signed cards remain highly collectable. If you collect modern packs, the scarce, signed and low-numbered cards are where the value concentrates: a numbered MoJo parallel, an on-card signature or a match-worn patch is worth far more than the base card of the same player.
The modern sets cover the women's game too, with stars like Meg Lanning featured alongside the men in subsets and signature chases. As with the women's football codes, early cards of leading women's cricketers are inexpensive today and are an area collectors are increasingly watching.
Which cricket cards should I pull aside to check?
Across vintage and modern cricket cards, these are the ones most likely to carry real value, from common to scarce:
- Common vintage cigarette/trade cards: affordable individually, but worth more as complete sets and in clean condition.
- Early Bradman issues: his late-1920s and 1930s cigarette and trade cards, and signed modern pieces, are the blue-chip names.
- Modern base cards: low value unless a marquee player in top condition.
- Serial-numbered modern parallels: numbered MoJo and similar inserts — scarcer the lower the number.
- Signature and patch cards: on-card autographs and match-worn jersey patches of internationals.
- Genuine rarities: scarce sets like the 1932 Friends' Temperance Union Bradman are auction-house territory.
How does the Australian cricket card market work?
Cricket is a niche card market in Australia — smaller and more thinly traded than the football codes, partly because of those production gaps. That means fewer recent sales to price against and wider price spreads, so it pays to identify a card precisely and check several comparable sales rather than relying on one listing.
The price reference, as elsewhere, is eBay Australia's sold listings. Cricket cards also trade through Facebook groups, communities like OzCardTrader, the official Cricket Australia shop for sealed product, and specialist dealers and auction houses — the last of which are where genuinely rare vintage and Bradman material tends to surface.
How much do condition and grading matter?
For vintage cricket cards especially, condition is the single biggest factor — old cards are fragile, and a mint survivor can be worth many times a creased or trimmed one. Handle them by the edges and store them in sleeves; never tape or trim a card, which destroys value.
Grading authenticates a card and seals it in a 1–10 slab, which can lift value and reassure buyers — useful for valuable vintage and rare modern cards. Australians mostly use PSA, Beckett (BGS) and SGC (SGC is popular for vintage), submitting via local dealers and bulk services since PSA paused direct international submissions in 2025. Grade only cards worth enough to justify the cost and wait — so value the card first.
How do I value my cricket cards from a photo?
Identifying old cricket cards by hand is fiddly. With CardLoft you photograph the front and it identifies the card and estimates a value from recent sold listings in seconds — across vintage and modern alike. It's free, and it's the fastest way to find the few cards in a collection worth a closer look.
For the best result, fill the frame, shoot straight and front-on, avoid glare on glossy modern cards, and keep any text and set details legible. With a value in hand, you can decide what to sleeve and keep, what to consider grading, and what to trade — and price anything you sell against recent sold listings rather than hopeful asking prices.
How do I trade cricket cards safely?
With vintage cards in particular, fakes, reprints and altered cards are a real risk — and counterfeit graded slabs exist too. Facebook groups and direct deals carry the most risk because they have no built-in buyer protection. The safe trading guide covers how to verify cards and slabs, and CardLoft is built around trading inside closed, invite-only groups so you're dealing with people you trust.
Frequently asked questions
Are old cricket cigarette cards worth anything?
Many common Wills and Player's cricket cards are affordable because they were mass-produced, but condition matters enormously, and rare cards — especially early Bradman issues and scarce sets — can be worth a great deal. Value depends on the exact card, the issuer and the condition.
How much is a Don Bradman card worth?
It varies hugely by issue and condition — from modest sums for common trade cards to thousands for his earliest or signed pieces, and far more for genuine rarities like the 1932 Friends' Temperance Union card (one of only six or seven known). Identify the exact set and check recent sold prices for that card.
Who makes cricket cards in Australia now?
TLA produces the current Australian cricket cards under the Cricket Australia Traders banner, covering Test, Big Bash and women's stars. The 2025/26 release has a 153-card base set plus parallels, signatures and patch cards.
Where do I sell cricket cards?
eBay Australia, Facebook groups, communities like OzCardTrader, the official Cricket Australia shop for sealed product, and specialist dealers and auction houses for valuable vintage. For rare or vintage cards, an auction house or graded sale can reach the right buyers.