Dansby Swanson Rookie Card: 2017 Topps #87 and Bowman

Dansby Swanson's rookie card is the 2017 Topps #87, which shows him with the Atlanta Braves and carries the RC logo; Topps released the set on Feb. 1, 2017 (Cardboard Connection). Rookie cards come out the year after a player's debut, and Swanson debuted in August 2016 but kept his rookie status into 2017, when he was the only rookie on the Braves' Opening Day roster (Wikipedia).

His other 2017 rookie cards:

• 2017 Topps Chrome #8 RC, released Aug. 2, 2017, plus a Rookie Autograph RA-DS (Cardboard Connection).
• 2017 Topps Finest: refractor parallels such as Blue /150 and Purple /250 were listed for sale at SportsMemorabilia.com.

His earliest cards are not rookie cards. 2015 Bowman Draft #1 (paper and Chrome) and the Chrome Draft Pick Autograph BCA-DS came out on Dec. 9, 2015, after Arizona took him first overall in the 2015 draft and before his MLB debut (Cardboard Connection; Wikipedia). Collectors call these prospect or draft cards; many value them as his first cards, but they do not carry the RC logo.

The base card is the most common version. The parallels below are scarcer, and the numbered ones state the print run on the card. From Cardboard Connection's checklists:

• 2017 Topps #87: Rainbow Foil (1 in 10 packs), Gold numbered to 2017, Vintage Stock /99, Black /66 (hobby and jumbo packs only), Platinum 1/1. Swanson is also in the set's super-short-printed (SSP) photo variations.
• 2017 Topps Chrome #8: Blue Refractor /150, Green /99, Gold /50, Orange /25 (hobby), Red /5, SuperFractor 1/1.
• 2015 Bowman Draft #1 (paper): Blue, Green, Gold, Orange /25, Red /5, printing plates and Metallic 1/1.
• 2015 Bowman Chrome Draft #1: Blue Sky, Blue, Green, Gold, Orange /25, Red /5, printing plates and SuperFractor 1/1.
• 2015 Bowman Chrome Draft Pick Autograph BCA-DS: Purple Refractor /250, Green /99, Gold /50, Black Asia /35, Orange /25, Red /5, SuperFractor 1/1, printing plates 1/1.

To check which one you have, look at the serial number stamped on the front or back, and compare the border color and finish with the base card. A photo-variation short print shows a different picture from the regular #87.

We could not read SportsCardsPro or eBay sold data for his cards on Sept. 25, 2026, so we do not quote a market value. What we could see were retail asking prices at SportsMemorabilia.com that day, which are what a dealer asks, not what cards sell for:

• 2015 Bowman Chrome Draft, signed, Beckett autograph grade 10: $199.99.
• 2015 Bowman Chrome Refractor, signed, Beckett autograph grade 10: $199.99.
• 2015 1st Bowman, signed, Beckett autograph grade 10: $123.99.
• 2017 Topps Finest Blue Refractor /150 or Purple Refractor /250: $65.99 each.
• 2017 Topps Chrome: $45.99.

For a sale price, search completed listings for the exact card number and parallel. For grading costs and what each grade means, see our PSA grading scale page.

From Wikipedia:

• Born Feb. 11, 1994; played college baseball at Vanderbilt.
• 2015: first overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks; traded to Atlanta on Dec. 9, 2015 with Ender Inciarte and Aaron Blair for Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier.
• 2016: MLB debut in August; hit .302 with 3 home runs in 38 games.
• 2017: his rookie-card year; hit .232 with 6 home runs and 51 RBI in 144 games.
• 2021: won the World Series with Atlanta and made the final out.
• 2022 and 2023: All-Star and Gold Glove both years.
• Dec. 21, 2022: signed a seven-year, $177 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.

Cards from his Braves years, including the rookie card, show him in an Atlanta uniform; Cubs cards start after 2022.

Research and drafting for this page were assisted by AI and checked line by line against the sources listed below. Every price names its source and the date we read it. SportsCardsPro, eBay and Sports Card Investor refused automated access on Sept. 25, 2026. Where that left a gap, the page says so instead of guessing. Prices change; treat them as a reference, not an offer. If you find an error, tell us and we will correct it.