Ryan Barone (@ballcardgenius, Card Expert) is a lifelong member of the hobby. He has been quoted in PSA Magazine, and his content has regularly been mentioned in “Quick Rips” (the Topps RIPPED Newsletter) and across other hobby publications. hello@ballcardgenius.com; Last Time Ago LLC dba Ballcard Genius.
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As I am a part of the eBay Partner Network and other programs, if you follow these links and make a purchase, I’ll receive commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you’re a regular observer of the hottest football cards on a weekly basis, you might be wondering if the hobby is only about all of the new stuff and if old football cards are even worth anything at all.
The good news is, the hobby is what it is today because it was built on the cards that came before the mega shine, autos, and ultra premium short prints. Yes, those old football cards could be worth something—and I’m not just talking those vintage Walter Payton rookies you’ll probably never come across.
No, I’m talking about the cards sitting in a shoe box in a closet or garage near you, and here are a few you should look out for:
- Joe Montana 1981 Topps #216 Base Raw, $100.06
- Santa Claus 1989 Pro Set #1989 Promo Raw, $68.64
- Reggie White 1984 Topps USFL #58 Base Raw, $61.09
- Jerry Rice 1986 Topps #161 Base Raw, $49.63
- Emmitt Smith 1990 Score Supplemental #101T Base Raw, $47.25
- Herschel Walker 1984 Topps USFL #74 Base Raw, $42.11
- Barry Sanders 1989 Score #257 Base Raw, $39.71
- Brett Favre 1992 Stadium Club #683 Base Raw, $39.26
- Dan Marino 1984 Topps #123 Base Raw, $37.97
- John Elway 1984 Topps #63 Base Raw, $31.66
- Lawrence Taylor 1982 Topps #434 Base Raw, $24.72
- Troy Aikman 1989 Score #270 Base Raw, $13.36
- Deion Sanders 1989 Score #246 Base Raw, $12.85
- Emmitt Smith 1990 Topps Traded #27T Base Raw, $12.1
- Brett Favre 1991 Stadium Club #94 Base Raw, $11.51
- Steve Young 1986 Topps #374 Base Raw, $11.38
- Bo Jackson 1988 Topps #327 Base Raw, $11.04
- Bo Jackson 1991 Fleer #6 Pro-Visions Raw, $11.04
- Barry Sanders 1989 Topps Traded #83T Base Raw, $10.7
- John Randle 1991 Pro Set #835 Base Raw, $10.05
Why these old football cards?
(Pause, amazingly, who knew Pro Set cards were worth anything?)
First of all, the cards listed above are those in the Market Movers catalog sorted by greatest average sales price over the last 365 days. These are also “raw” or ungraded prices.
So, at the top of the list, the 1981 Topps Joe Montana rookie card has sold for an average of $100 over the last year. Thus, this is a great card to look for as you’re digging through old collections because who would turn down $100.
What’s even better, though, this Joe Montana has the potential to be worth even more.
One reason is the $100 is a 365-day average, but the 30-day average on that same card is actually $130, and is selling for more than it has all year (not to mention 5 sales yesterday 1/1/24 averaging over $200!)
The second reason, though, is that same Joe Montana in good enough condition to send in and get graded has the potential to be worth a lot more. Take a look at these averages:
- PSA 10: $47.9K
- PSA 9: $1.93K
- PSA 8.5: $712
- PSA 8: $353
- PSA 7: $193
Next, when it comes to football cards on the current market, Panini rules the land, while Topps is more recognized for its baseball products. And when it comes to these old football cards in particular, the same holds true.
Take a look at the two Barry Sanders cards and the two Emmitt Smith cards. Barry’s Score rookie card is #7 on the list with an average value of $39.71, while his Topps card is near the bottom (#19) with an average value of $10.70.
Same story with Emmitt Smith—his Score rookie has an average value of $47.25 while his Topps Traded rookie is just above $10. Joe Montana didn’t have a Score or Pro Set rookie card, nor did Dan Marino or John Elway. Thus, Topps rules in this case. But, Deion Sanders had a rookie card across multiple brands, as did Troy Aikman, yet their Topps rookies didn’t crack the list.
A couple of other observations—Reggie White’s “true” Topps NFL rookie card is his 1986 Topps (average value of $7.48) but it’s his USFL Topps rookie that holds the value ($61.09). Same for Herschel Walker—1987 Topps NFL RC has a $3.22 365-day average value and a USFL rookie with a $42.11 average.
Last, what’s up with Brett Favre? As you might already know and can even see on the list, Brett Favre has a few 1991 rookie cards—1991 Stadium Club, 1991 Upper Deck, and 1991 Upper Deck Rookie Force. But while his 1991 Stadium Club is 15th on this list with an average value of $11.51, it’s his 1992 Stadium Club that is much more valuable ($39.26 average). Why?
It all comes down to what makes a card valuable, with scarcity being a huge component. 1992 Stadium Club was simply printed in lesser quantities than 1991. Well, that and the fact that 1992 features Favre in his Packers uniform (he was drafted by the Falcons out of the University or Southern Mississippi).
