Temperatures outside might be sizzling, but the pads are already popping in NFL training camps across the country.
That's a sure sign that fall will be here very soon ... and with it, the return of NFL football.
To celebrate the new season, cllct looks back at the 10 most iconic football cards in history.
1. 2000 Playoff Contenders Tom Brady Championship Ticket Autograph
The process for determining this ranking was easy: The best card for the sport’s greatest player reigns supreme.
Limited to just 100 copies, the Championship Ticket variation of Brady’s most important card delivers an on-card autograph and extreme scarcity.
For Brady, a private sale of one BGS 9 example holds his public record with a $3.8 million result in 2022.
Though Brady doesn’t hold the record for the most expensive football card ever sold — that arrives later on this list — he does hold a stunning 21 public sales of $1 million or more, according to Card Ladder’s records.
This card is so coveted among high-end collectors that it represents the top 41 sales for Brady among public sales logged by Card Ladder. If one could own a single Brady card, this would be the overwhelming choice for many.
2. 1958 Topps Jim Brown
Considered by some to be the greatest and most versatile athlete of all time — Brown was one of the best lacrosse players of his era, too — the 1958 Topps “Jimmy Brown” is one of the most coveted vintage cards across all sports.
Plagued by centering and registration issues, Brown’s key rookie card has never received a PSA 10 in more than 6,000 grades, according to GemRate. In fact, high-grade examples are so rare, that of the more than 9,300 copies graded across the major authenticators, just six PSA 9s and only one BGS 9 copy exist.
The record for a 1958 Topps Jim Brown is the $360,000 paid for a PSA 8.5 example during a bullish market in 2022. Cherished as a “coffin card” by the few who hold high-grade copies, there are just three recorded sales of a PSA 9 selling at public auction, including one example that has sold twice.
3. 1981 Topps Joe Montana
Montana’s public record of $103,200 seems low compared to other all-time greats, but few cards have been more important and recognizable over the last 40 years than Montana’s 1981 Topps.
Despite featuring a forgiving white border, the card has a gem rate that rounds out to about 0%, according to GemRate. Of the nearly 53,000 examples graded by the major authenticators, just 227 have scored as gem-mint or better.
Montana might no longer be considered the greatest quarterback ever, but his 1981 Topps still remains one of the key chases from a moment in time cherished by collectors.
4. 1986 Topps Jerry Rice
Similar to many cards from the late 1980s and early 1990s, Rice’s key rookie card isn’t exactly rare. To find it in high grades, however? Nearly impossible.
Rice’s signature card stands out thanks to 1986 Topps’ distinctive green border and a photograph outlined in yellow. The card can be spotted from across the room, but that’s also what has made it so hard to find in gem-mint condition.
Edge wear and centering issues are all common for Rice’s 1986 rookie, and that has resulted in just 125 gem-mint examples across the more than 62,000 copies graded by the major authenticators.
To date, the record for a 1986 Topps Rice at public auction is the $125,655 paid at PWCC in 2021.
5. 1976 Topps Walter Payton
One of the most significant rookies of the decade, “Sweetness” received an appropriately iconic cardboard debut in the 1976 Topps set, featuring a grinning headshot of the Bears’ fourth overall pick in 1975.
The card is Payton’s most expensive by a long shot, with the top slot occupied by a 2021 sale of one of the two SGC Pristine copies for $228,000.
According to GemRate, just 0.34% of the 27,618 examples graded by PSA, BGS, SGC and CGC received gem-mint grades, including 56 PSA 10s out of 16,793 graded by the company.
Centering and printing issues are common causes for the card to receive less-than-exemplary grades, in addition to the normal wear-and-tear one would expect from a card released decades before the popularization of grading companies.
6. 1965 Topps Joe Namath
Unlike the other names on this list, Joe Namath was not one of the greatest players in NFL history. Instead, it was the larger-than-life legend of “Broadway Joe” that has powered his legacy for decades.
Just like the man himself, his 1965 Topps rookie card loomed large ... literally. Coming in at around 2.5-by-5 inches, the 1965 Topps Football set stands out for its Tall Boy look and iconic photography, especially with regard to the short-printed No. 122 Namath card, whose source photography has sold previously for nearly $200,000.
Despite its mass appeal, and years of collectors searching their binders and attics for well-kept copies, there has yet to be a gem mint example graded by PSA, SGC, BGS or CGC. In fact, even PSA 9s are rare, with just five out of the 2,317 submitted receiving the grade.
One of those PSA 9s sold for $264,000 in 2018, the top price paid for any Namath card.
7. 2017 National Treasures Patrick Mahomes Platinum Shield 1/1
Though Brady is widely considered the greatest football player of all time, it’s actually Mahomes who owns the most expensive card sale for the sport.
Sold during the hobby’s unsustainable run-up in 2021, it’s unlikely Patrick Mahomes’ National Treasures Rookie Shield 1/1 would fetch the same $4.3 million result on the open market today, but that shouldn’t take away from the fact that it pairs Panini America’s most famous high-end brand with one of the greatest QBs of all time.
According to Card Ladder’s records, eight of Mahomes’ most expensive sales have been variations of his 2017 National Treasures Rookie Patch Autographs, and each of them have sold for $500,000 or more.
Created during an era when players have dozens of high-end cards to choose from, variations of Mahomes’ 2017 National Treasures RPA will be among his most coveted grails when he finally retires.
8. 1984 Topps Dan Marino
Along with John Elway, the 1984 Topps Football set boasted the rookie card of all-time great Dan Marino. Already a star coming into the league after his time at Pitt, Marino’s flagship rookie was highly anticipated upon its release.
Over 40 years later, collectors continue to recognize its significance, having submitted nearly 50,000 examples of the cards to grading companies, including nearly 34,000 to PSA alone. Of those, 419 received PSA 10 grades.
In 2021, copies traded hands for nearly $10,000. Today, they go for around half that.
9. 1935 National Chicle Football Bronko Nagurski
The first nationally distributed pro football set, featuring 36 cards of players in action poses adapted from oil paintings, the 1935 National Chicle Football set is among the hobby’s most legendary.
The Bronko Nagurski No. 34 card has been compared to the T206 Honus Wagner of football cards due its rarity — it is believed to have been short-printed — and difficult to find in decent condition.
Just 247 examples have been graded across the four major grading companies. PSA has graded a total of 212, handing out no 10s and just a single 9.
The most expensive sale to date occurred for a PSA 8.5 example, which sold for $174,000 in 2019. According to PSA, the PSA 9 copy is rumored to have sold for $275,000 in a private sale prior to 2008.
10. 1957 Topps Bart Starr
One of the most aesthetically pleasing sports cards ever produced, as well as the rookie card of one of the game’s greatest and winningest quarterbacks, the 1957 Topps Bart Starr rookie card rounds out the top 10 as a stalwart of its era.
Introducing the now-standard 2.5-by-3.5-inch card size and bringing a 154-card, two-series checklist, the 1957 set is hobby history.
The most expensive sale for one of the Starr rookies is $288,000 paid for a PSA 9 in 2017. There have been 3,675 examples submitted to the major grading companies and no 10s to be found.
PSA has given out just three 9s.
Ben Burrows and Will Stern are reporters for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.