2017 Topps Update #287 Aaron Judge Variation SP rookie, TAG 4.5
- Player
- Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
- Set
- 2017 Topps Update
- Card #
- 287 (Rookie Card)
- Insert
- Variation SP (leaning on the dugout rail)
- Grader
- TAG
- Grade
- 4.5 VG-EX+
- Cert #
- X9308529
- TAG pop
- The only VG-EX+ 4.5; 7 graded
- Est. value (Oct 2026)
- ~$150–$225 (estimate: raw copies sell around $290, few low-grade sales)
- Status
- Personal collection, not for sale
Number nineteen in my personal collection: the short-print variation of Aaron Judge's rookie card, #287 from 2017 Topps Update, graded a 4.5 VG-EX+ by TAG.
The card
Topps likes to hide photo variations of its big rookies. They look like the regular card from the front at a glance, but they're printed in much smaller numbers. On this one, instead of the regular photo, Judge is leaning on the dugout railing with his arms crossed, eye black on, looking back at the camera. It's one of the most popular Judge rookies around.
Why it matters
Judge won Rookie of the Year unanimously in 2017 and set what was then the rookie record with 52 home runs. In 2022 he hit 62, the American League record, and he's been the face of the Yankees ever since. Short prints of his rookie card are some of the most chased modern baseball cards.
The grade
TAG grades with computer imaging and posts a full report for every card, with close-ups of the corners, edges and surface. This one isn't pretty, a 4.5 VG-EX+, with corner wear on the front and back and a couple of small dents in the surface. But it's still the real short print, and as of October 2026 it's the only 4.5 among the seven TAG has graded. You can see the whole report at my.taggrading.com.
Photos are from TAG's grading report.
