Bobblehead Price Guide

The kitschy figurines that are given away free by sports teams may be cute, but they can also fetch hundreds or even thousands of dollars in Internet auctions. That’s because the limited editions—most teams don’t produce more than 10,000 bobblehead dolls based on popular players—create the instant scarcity that collectors seek out.

A bobblehead’s value is determined by its popularity, how rare it is and whether it has a special relic attached, like an infield dirt or jersey piece. It also depends on the subject, such as a famous player or mascot, or whether it celebrates an important milestone. A few of the most expensive bobbleheads in recent history include a juggling Muhammad Ali and a bobbleheaded version of Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist, numbered and signed by the artist.

Most fans who collect bobbleheads focus on a particular team or period, but it’s not uncommon for people to pick up a handful of them just because they’re interesting. Many people use their bobbleheads as desk accessories or place them on a shelf. Others display them in a glass case. It’s important to keep these figurines stored and displayed safely, out of reach from children or pets. It would be awful to break a five-dollar Jason Bay bobblehead, but it would be devastating to damage one worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.

The resurgence of the bobblehead started in the early 1990s. Interest in the collectible peaked around the 1970s, but it resurged after MLB teams began giving them away during regular season games in 1998. That resurgence is continuing, as more and more teams introduce bobblehead giveaways.

In addition to generating ticket sales, the bobbleheads can boost brand awareness for sponsors. They’re usually produced in small runs, with some distributed to all fans attending a game and others given to those who purchase a certain number of tickets. Teams generally give them away on summer weekend games, which attract the largest crowds.

It’s not unusual for sports fans to request that their favorite players, politicians and celebrities be made into bobbleheads. But the demand for bobbleheads of public health officials during the coronavirus pandemic was unprecedented, says Phil Sklar, co-founder of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum near Milwaukee. He and his partner, Brad Novak, have offered more bobbleheads of the National Institutes of Health’s infectious-disease expert, known as “Gritty,” in the five months since the mascot’s October 2018 birth than they did of other NHL mascots over the course of their entire lives.

They’ve also fielded a flood of emailed requests for bobbleheads of White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. Sklar and Novak have decided to make these political figures, as well as some that don’t fit the mold, on a limited basis, donating $5 per bobblehead sale to charity. But they won’t be making bobbleheads of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones or other controversial personalities.