On July 11, 2025, Heritage Auctions sold a signed 1953 Fargo-Moorhead Twins team-issued Roger Maras (Batting) card for $22,570. It’s an eye-opening result for one of the rarest and earliest known collectibles of the future home run king, still going by his birth name, “Maras.”
Here’s how Heritage described the card:
Signed 1953 Fargo-Moorhead Twins Team Issue Roger Maras (Batting) PSA VG 3, Auto 10. Sometimes from the least likely of places one finds a diamond in the infield dust. The Fargo-Moorhead Twins were the Class C Northern League affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. That season, an average of 1,700 fans watched the hometown heroes go 86 and 39 and we are sure a good time was had by all. What they didn’t know is that the team had an eighteen-year old slugger (he batted .325 with 80 RBIs) who in four years would be wearing a Cleveland Indians uniform in his MLB debut and in for more years, now in Yankee pinstripes, would etch his name into baseball history. The twins issued a team sponsored set giving the hobby the earlier pre-rookie of future Home Run King Roger Maris! It seemed Roger’s birth name “Maras” was too tempting of opposing fans to insult him so he changed his name to “Maris” in 1955, so this is no typo. We can only imagine some of the names he was called as he was chasing the revered record of one of the most beloved men in sports history. The 3×5″ real-photo card is his “batting” pose as there is also a “Fielding” pose out there and exhibits only minor corner wear. Graded PSA VG 3, PSA/DNA Auto 10. A monumental addition to any Maris, Yankees, or 1950s collection. There are just two examples noted on the PSA census. The other is “AUT” making this not only the highest graded example but the only example with a numeric grade.
The signed card first surfaced on the Net54Baseball forums in March 2025 when a user shared seven signed Fargo-Moorhead Twins cards, including the one Heritage sold.
The post read:
Hi! I don’t post often but had something worthy of posting. I bought a large local collection from a lady from near Fargo. Her husband had obtained these signatures at a Fargo-Moorhead game apparently in 1953, or so she tells me. Maris signed his name Maras, as I saw he did in some other early items as well.
These cards seem to be extremely rare, only a couple in the PSA pop reports of the Maris batting and fielding variations, none of the other players. I do not see any signed copies, either.
I’m wondering if I may have a unique Maris item here, if anybody has seen another. Thanks!
In the same Heritage auction, the other six signed player cards—Ken Braeseke, John Morse, Santo Luberto, Will Sirois, Don Nance, and Ray Seif—sold together in a lot for just $305.
Heritage described them as:
1953 Fargo-Moorhead Twins Team Issued Postcards Lot of 6 (Braeseke, Morse, Luberto, Sirois, Nance, Seif). The Fargo-Moorhead Twins were a minor league baseball team that existed from 1933 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1960, representing the neighboring cities of Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota. They were the Class C Northern League affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. Offered is a set of six signed Fargo-Moorhead player postcards showcasing the following six teammates: outfielder Ken Braeseke, infielders John Morse and Santo Luberto, and pitchers Will Sirois, Don Nance and Ray Seif. Each of the postcards is signed in ink. An incredibly obscure minor league type-issue highlighted by the earliest known Roger Maris card (offered elsewhere in this sale). The signatures have been deemed inconclusive due to lack of exemplars and are being offered as-is.
While the Maras cards are extraordinarily rare, there have been a few other public sales over the years. In May 2008, Heritage sold an unsigned Maras fielding pose card for $2,270.50. The card was signed, unslabbed, and came with both PSA and James Spence (JSA) letters of authenticity.
Another notable grouping came via REA’s Fall 2016 auction, which included both team-issue variations, a 1953 Fargo-Moorhead Twins program, and an accompanying lineup sheet. The lot sold for $3,300.
The full description read:
Collection of rare items dating from Roger Maris’ first professional season with the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in 1953. The Twins were a Northern League Class C affiliate of the Cleveland Indians and this collection is comprised of a 1953 program, an accompanying lineup sheet, and two different team-issued cards picturing Maris. It should be noted that Maris’ birth name was “Maras” (the family later changed it to “Maris”) and all of these early items feature that original spelling of his last name. The eight-page program (7.25 x 10 inches), issued for a game against the Grand Forks Chiefs, features Maris’ name (first name only; all of the players are listed by first name only) handwritten in the lineup for the Twins. Neatly scored in pencil to record a 3-0 Twins victory. The accompanying lineup sheet for the game (8.5 x 5.5 inches) features the rosters for each club. An interior page of the program displays a toning outline of the lineup sheet (the sheet had been stored in the program since the time of the game); otherwise both items are in Excellent to Mint condition. The two team-issued cards (3.125 x 5.25 inches), which are blank-backed, picture Maris, respectively, in a batting pose and fielding pose. The text, located in the lower left corner on each card, reads “Roger Maris/Outfielder/F-M Twins 1953.” Both cards have been encapsulated by PSA, with the batting card graded “PR 1” and the fielding card graded “GOOD 2” (both display light-to-moderate creasing). Total: 4 items (program, lineup sheet and 2 different cards). Reserve $500. Estimate (open).
According to PSA’s Population Report (which seems to differ from HA’s description), just five 1953 Fargo-Moorhead Maras cards are currently graded: two in the batting pose and two in the fielding pose without signatures, plus the July 2025 example being the only one assigned both a numeric card and auto grade.
As for the name change, some sources suggest Maris altered the spelling himself in 1955. Others report that it was actually his father who changed the family name (let me know in the comments if you have more info). Either way, these 1953 issues are among the few items that capture a young Roger before the records, the fame, or even the name “Maris.”
Whether you collect Yankees legends, minor league oddities, or ultra-rare regional sets, the 1953 Fargo-Moorhead Twins issue remains a cornerstone of early Maris material, and the $22,570 result may only be the beginning of what these cards can bring.
Happy collecting!
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