As usual, the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony featuring Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent and Carlos Beltran produced some cool collectibles.
By Mike Shannon⋅
AUG 11, 2026
The 71st annual Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was held in Cooperstown on July 26 under a bright and blazing sun, which served as nature’s spotlight for the three players receiving the game’s ultimate honor: Jeff Kent, Andruw Jones, and Carlos Beltran.
The three inductees were similar in that all of them played for multiple teams: Kent with the Blue Jays, Mets, Indians, Giants, Astros, and Dodgers; Jones with the Braves, Dodgers, Rangers, White Sox, and Yankees; and Beltran with the Royals, Astros, Mets, Giants, Cardinals, Yankees, and Rangers.
Each of them also had signature accomplishments which highlight their careers. Kent is the all-time leader in home runs (377) and 100-RBI seasons (8) among all second baseman and is one of two 2B/SS position players with at least 350 HRs, 550 doubles, 1,500 RBI, 1,300 runs, and 800 walks. Jones has the highest career defensive WAR (24.4) of all center fielders in history and is one of the three outfielders with at least 400 home runs and 10 Gold Glove Awards. Beltran has the highest stolen base success rate (86.4%) of any player in history with a minimum of 300 steals and is just one of four players with at least 400 home runs, 300 steals, and three Gold Gloves.
As always, the weekend produced a number of collectibles honoring the three players which any collector would be happy to see grace his collection.
Years ago, the Hall of Fame stopped producing one-off Induction Day programs and replaced them with an issue of the Hall’s official magazine, Memories and Dreams, that is devoted to the inductions.
Heavy hitters Jones, Kent, Beltran join Baseball Hall
There’s no crying in baseball if you’re Jeff Kent
CF Andruw Jones makes biggest catch with election to Baseball Hall
How switch-hitter Carlos Beltrán slugged his way to Cooperstown
The cover of this year’s magazine-program features a replica of the artwork used for the induction press pin, as well as in-action color photos of the three inductees. Inside, there are well-done stories on each inductee (including their complete major league records and several color photos), along with a number of other interesting articles; especially Bill Francis’ report on a new museum display on “hand-written drafts of baseball’s early rules.”
Every supporting member of the Hall of Fame receives a copy of the program, but the Hall of Fame also generously distributes free copies to all attendees.
The 2026 Hall of Fame Yearbook is not free, but is definitely worth its $12 price tag. Featuring color portraits of Kent, Beltran and Jones by renowned baseball artist James Fiorentino, this 152-page magazine offers a slew of unusual color photos and some great reading, including articles on Award Winners Bill White (Buck O’Neil Award), Paul Hoynes (BBWAA Career Excellence Award), and Joe Buck (Foord C. Frick Award).
The heart of the publication, though, is the lengthy section devoted to all the players, umpires, managers and executives in the Hall of Fame. Each page features four members, each of whom is represented by a photo of himself with his plaque superimposed in the upper right-hand corner. These are not the same photos we often see but ones the Hall of Fame clearly went to some trouble to find and share.
To obtain admission to the reserved seating area for the induction ceremony one must present a ticket, which serves as a terrific souvenir of the event as the tickets are not torn by the gate keepers.
These green 2½-by-7-inch paper ducats feature an image of the press pin at the top and photos of the three Inductees, along with the wording “INDUCTION CEREMONY” in silver. If one of the three inductees is your favorite player, this ticket would definitely make a terrific framed display piece.
The best and most sought-after collectible available from this year’s induction is the official Induction press pin. I have covered the Hall of Fame Inductions every year since 1986, and this year’s pin is one of my favorites, one certainly offering a design superior to many other recent ones.
The waves of red lines under the blue heading “INDUCTION” are in keeping with the Hall of Fame’s official colors, but they also reference the bunting seen at special baseball events as well as our nation’s official colors of red, white, and blue—quite appropriate in this 250th anniversary year.
The topper is the gold-edged home plate, raised above the pin base, containing the last names of the three inductees, which, by the way, are quite legible in contrast to some years when the names are printed so small one almost needs a magnifying glass to read them. One thing to note: the press pin used to be much harder to come by as it was issued only to the inductees and their families and friends, VIPs, and members of the media. For years now, fans who become Hall of Fame members at a certain level are also given a press pin, as well as a ticket to the reserved seating area; quite a perk to say the least.
Finally, two types of additional collectibles were available, like the Yearbook, from the newly expanded Hall of Fame gift shop. First, each inductee is available on an acrylic ticket, a thick slab of clear plastic shaped like a baseball game ticket, with two photos of the player below his last name embedded in the back of the slab. The coolest thing about these tickets? The numbers for the SEC, ROW & SEAT which are, of course, the date of the players’ induction.
And last but not least, there were postcard “Plaques” of the three players—a photo of each player’s bronze Hall of Fame plaque, which hangs in the Hall of Fame Gallery, against a solid yellow background. These Plaques are a staple of the hobby universe, especially when autographed, and very inexpensive (unsigned) when purchased directly from the Hall of Fame.
The Plaques of Kent, Jones and Beltran were available immediately after the ceremony, but only after it, as the players do not see their plaques for the first time until they are presented to them on stage at the induction ceremony.
The Hall of Fame also conveniently packaged the Plaques of the three “new guys” together in a plastic envelope and priced them at $2.98. That’s as good a deal as you will ever get on baseball collectibles.
Andruw JonesBaseball Hall of Famebaseball memorabiliaCarlos BeltranJeff KentSports Memorabilia
Mike ShannonWriter
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