1951 Bowman Willie Mays #305 Value & Price Guide (2026)

Willie Mays was 20 years old when Bowman put him on card #305 of their 1951 set. He'd just been called up from the Minneapolis Millers to the New York Giants. Within three years, he'd make "The Catch" - that over-the-shoulder grab in the 1954 World Series that became the most replayed moment in baseball history. His rookie card has been climbing in value ever since, with top-grade examples selling for over $500,000.

Quick Value Summary


Item	1951 Bowman Willie Mays #305
Year	1951
Category	Sports Cards - Baseball
Set	1951 Bowman
Card Number	#305
Condition Range
Raw, lower condition	$25 – $500
PSA 3-4 (Very Good to Good)	$2,000 – $6,000
PSA 5 (Excellent)	$8,000 – $15,000
PSA 7 (Near Mint)	$40,000 – $50,000
PSA 8 (NM-MT)	$100,000 – $200,000
PSA 8.5 (NM-MT+)	$390,935
Record Sale	$572,077 (highest known)
Rarity	Scarce in high grades

The Story

The 1951 Bowman set was ambitious - 324 cards, the largest set Bowman had produced. Card #305 featured a young outfielder named Willie Howard Mays Jr., fresh off a season in the minor leagues where he'd hit .477 in 35 games for the Minneapolis Millers. The Giants had seen enough. They called him up.

Mays struggled early - he went 0-for-12 to start - and reportedly asked manager Leo Durocher to send him back down. Durocher refused. Mays finished 1951 with 20 home runs and won the Rookie of the Year award. The Giants won the pennant on Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World."

What followed was one of the greatest careers in baseball history. 24 All-Star selections. Two National League MVP awards (1954, 1965). 660 career home runs. A World Series championship in 1954, highlighted by "The Catch" - the legendary over-the-shoulder grab in deep center field at the Polo Grounds that robbed Vic Wertz and remains the most famous defensive play ever made.

Mays passed away on June 18, 2024, at age 93. His death renewed interest in his memorabilia, and his rookie card values reflected it.

How to Identify It

Key Visual Markers

Card #305 - printed on the back
Color image of a young Willie Mays in a baseball cap
1951 Bowman design: Color art-style images with a simple border
Back features biographical information and statistics
Standard card size for the era (approximately 2 1/16" x 3 1/8")

Common Condition Issues

The 1951 Bowman set is 75 years old. Most surviving copies show:

Corner wear - rounded or soft corners are the norm
Centering issues - off-center printing was common in this era
Surface creases - from handling, rubber bands, or being stored in shoeboxes
Staining - from age, moisture, or contact with other cards

A "nice" raw copy with good color and no major creases is a solid find, even if the corners aren't sharp.

High-Number Series

Card #305 falls in the high-number series (cards #253-324) of the 1951 Bowman set. High-number cards were printed in smaller quantities and distributed later in the season, making them naturally scarcer. This adds to the card's value beyond Mays' star power.

Value by Condition

Raw (Ungraded)

Condition	Value
Poor to Fair (heavy creases, damage)	$25 – $200
Good (visible wear, no major damage)	$200 – $1,000
Very Good (moderate wear)	$1,000 – $3,000
Excellent (light wear, good eye appeal)	$5,000 – $10,000

PSA Graded

Grade	Value
PSA 1 (Poor)	$1,000 – $2,000
PSA 2 (Good)	$2,000 – $3,500
PSA 3 (Very Good)	$3,000 – $5,000
PSA 4 (VG-EX)	$5,000 – $8,000
PSA 5 (Excellent)	$8,000 – $15,000
PSA 6 (EX-MT)	$15,000 – $30,000
PSA 7 (Near Mint)	$40,000 – $50,000
PSA 8 (NM-MT)	$100,000 – $200,000
PSA 8.5 (NM-MT+)	$300,000 – $400,000

A PSA 8.5 sold for $390,935. A PSA 7 has sold for $46,360. The all-time high for any copy is $572,077.

The jump from PSA 7 to PSA 8 is enormous - roughly doubling or tripling in value. This is because very few copies survived in near-mint condition after 75 years.

Authentication & Fakes

How Common Are Fakes?

The 1951 Bowman set is old enough that counterfeits are less common than with modern cards. However, reprints and altered cards do exist.

What to Watch For

Reprints: Several companies have produced reprint sets over the years. Reprints use modern card stock with different texture and gloss. Compare the card stock to known originals.
Trimmed cards: Cards with edges cut down to improve centering or remove wear. A trimmed card will measure slightly smaller than standard dimensions.
Cleaned cards: Surface cleaning to remove stains can alter the card's texture. Under magnification, cleaned areas may appear smoother or duller.
Re-colored cards: Faded cards with color added back. UV light and magnification can reveal this.

Professional Grading

For any copy worth more than a few hundred dollars, submit to PSA, BGS (Beckett), or SGC for professional authentication and grading. The grading fee ($20–$150 depending on declared value and service level) is a tiny fraction of the card's worth. An authenticated, graded card sells for significantly more than a raw copy of the same quality.

Where to Sell

Lower-Grade Copies (under $5,000)

eBay - Largest marketplace for vintage baseball cards
COMC (Check Out My Cards) - Consignment platform for sports cards
Local card shows - Bring it graded for best results

Mid to High-Grade Copies ($5,000+)

Heritage Auctions - The leading auction house for sports memorabilia
Robert Edward Auctions (REA) - Specialist in vintage sports cards
Goldin Auctions - Strong buyer base for high-end cards

Top-Grade Copies ($100,000+)

Heritage Auctions or Goldin - These are event-level cards that need a major platform

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Common Questions

How much is a 1951 Bowman Willie Mays #305 worth?

It ranges from $25 for a heavily damaged copy to over $500,000 for the finest known examples. A PSA 7 (Near Mint) sells for around $40,000 to $50,000. Most raw copies in decent shape sell for $1,000 to $10,000.

Is this Willie Mays' only rookie card?

It's his primary and most recognized rookie card. The 1951 Bowman is the standard Mays rookie. There is no 1951 Topps Mays card - Topps didn't produce a significant baseball set until 1952, and Mays appeared in the 1952 Topps set (#261), which is also valuable but considered his second-year card.

Why is this card so expensive in high grades?

Two factors: Mays' status as one of the five greatest baseball players ever, and the scarcity of high-grade surviving copies. Card #305 is from the high-number series (shorter print run), and 75 years of handling, storage, and rubber bands have destroyed most copies.

Should I get my copy graded?

If it's in decent condition (no major creases, corners still present), absolutely. The cost of PSA or BGS grading ($20–$150) is minimal compared to the value difference between a raw card and a graded one. Even a PSA 3 is worth $3,000 to $5,000.