NFL Championship Weekend: Sports Cards to Watch

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NFL Championship Weekend: Sports Cards to Watch

By Vinnie Rullo

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The NFL championship weekend kicks off today featuring the Cincinnati Bengals versus the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC and San Francisco 49ers versus the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC. The sports cards of players on these teams the last couple of games have continually trended up in value. We are just one game away from knowing who will face off in Super Bowl LVI (56). Determining which card is the best card to buy of a player is often one of the biggest debates in sports cards. A player’s most popular rookie card is often one of the best types of cards to invest in. Let us breakdown one card of each player on the remaining teams left in the playoffs. We are going to examine the current value of each card, the previous history of the cards value, pop report and projecting the future value.

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Joe Burrow – Key Card – 2020 Prizm PSA 10 Rookie Card Number 307 – POP Report 2,530

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Joe Burrow was the number one overall pick during the 2020 NFL Draft. Burrow was having a nice rookie season until a season ending ACL cut his rookie season short. Many collectors and buyers began investing in Burrow while he was injured last year. His Prizm PSA 10 rookie last year was valued around $230-300 in a PSA 10. Burrow had a great second year this season throwing 34 touchdowns with 4,611 yards. He led the Bengals to their first playoff victory in over 31 years and is just one game away from reaching the Super Bowl. His nickname is “Joe Cool” and he is already one of the most popular young quarterbacks being collected in sports cards. Burrow’s Prizm rookie is easily regarded as his most popular rookie card as this is a great long-term investment. Burrow is only 25 years old and will be regarded as one of the faces of the NFL for the next 10+ years. Does Joe Cool upset and beat the Chiefs this weekend?

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Patrick Mahomes – Key Card – 2017 Prizm PSA 10 Rookie Card Number 269 – POP Report 884

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Patrick Mahomes since becoming a starting quarterback in 2018 has arguably had the best four years of all-time to begin a career besides Tom Brady. Mahomes has already won a Super Bowl, SB MVP and regular season MVP. He is trying to appear playing in his third straight Super Bowl, and is just one win away against the Bengals. Mahomes Prizm rookie began to explode in value heading into the start of the 2019 season. You could have bought this card graded a PSA 10 example for around $4-450 around that time. The current value of this card is $8,000 plus and many collectors and buyers believe this card one day will be comparable to Tom Brady’s 2000 Bowman Chrome rookie graded a PSA 10 example. Brady’s Bowman Chrome PSA 10 rookie is nearly $20,000 and Mahomes has the best chance to be the next Brady. Mahomes Prizm rookie is a high-end investment but a smart one especially if he can continue to win more Super Bowls in his career.

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Deebo Samuel – Key Card – 2019 Prizm PSA 10 Rookie Card Number 346 – POP Report 522

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Deebo Samuel had a breakout 2021 season and is one of the best hybrid players in the NFL. Samuel dominated as both a receiver and running back for the 49ers. As a receiver, he had 61 catches for 1,088 yards, and as a running back 269 yards with seven touchdowns. Samuel is a very explosive player and made the All-Pro team this year as well, which means he was one of the best players at his position. Samuel’s Prizm rookie graded in a PSA 10 was around $70 only a few weeks ago and now this card has reached $150-180 value with the 49ers just one win away from the Super Bowl. Samuel is a great long-term buy especially because he can pile up touchdowns at will being both a wide receiver and running back. He is only 26 years old and should continue to dominant for years to come as one of the best dual threats in the NFL.

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Cooper Kupp – Key Card – 2017 Prizm PSA 10 Rookie Card Number 203 – POP Report 219

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Cooper Kupp had a historic season in 2021, winning the Triple Crown of receivers, which was most catches, yards and touchdowns amongst all receivers in the league. Kupp was close to breaking the all-time single season record of most receiving yards in a season too. Kupp was not even ranked as one of the top 100 players in the league prior to this season. His Prizm PSA 10 rookie card could have been bought for around $30 in a PSA 10 example in late 2019. This same card is now value at $500 and continually trending up in value. This is a limited card graded in a PSA 10 example with only 219 of these that have received a 10, which is why this card is already becoming tougher to find. Kupp turns 29 next season but his card has seen one of the biggest increases in value of any within the last couple of years.

During the playoffs is when many football sports cards reach an all-time high in value. One other thing to look for within the next week is which players get elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. New players that are announced to the Hall of Fame see an uptick in value on their rookie cards once they are elected. Look for the current Hall of Fame finalists and invest in rookie cards of players that you think might get elected within the next week. These are great cards to buy for your collection as well as the four cards we profiled in the NFL Playoffs.