Few athletes have matched the precipitous fall from grace of Brett Favre.
Once the beloved “Gunslinger” leading the Green Bay Packers to multiple Super Bowls in the late 1990s, Favre has become somewhat of a pariah, thanks to his involvement in a high-profile welfare scandal in Mississippi as well as multiple sexting scandals.
The three-time NFL MVP's complicated legacy moved into the forefront this month as a new Netflix documentary, “Untold: The Fall of Favre,” further tainted fans’ collective memories of the Hall of Fame quarterback's career.
One would think, given the shifting of public sentiment concerning Favre, the collecting world would follow suit. But there does not appear to be much evidence of his diminished popularity in the hobby.
For starters, the most expensive Favre card ever sold — a 1999 Metal Universe 1/1 — sold for $125,000 just last month. That sale came prior to the release of the documentary, but still was recorded more than a year since Favre’s role in the Mississippi welfare scandal became widely known in 2023. That record smashed the previous high of $78,000.
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Similarly, a look on eBay’s data tool Terapeak shows little change in the market for Favre cards.
Over the past three years, a search for Favre in the trading card category on Terapeak reveals sales volume has generally trended upward, peaking in October of last year. This is despite the fact his reputation has taken a big hit as details of the scandal continued to emerge.
CardLadder’s Brett Favre index, which tracks 22 cards considered indicative of his market, is currently near an all-time high. It does show a decline around the time in 2022 when awareness regarding the scandal began circulating, however, it is difficult to differentiate the cause as it coincides with an overall market decline following highs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Market Movers shows sales the volume of Favre cards has increased 30% over the past two weeks (the documentary was released 10 days ago). In the past year, Favre card sales volume has increased 11.6% and risen modestly in average price (5.8%).
If collectors vote with their dollars, all of this data, while imperfect, heavily suggests a decoupling between public opinion of the former fan favorite and the collectability of the disgraced star.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.