Since the design concept first debuted in 2016, Downtown cards have been some of Panini America’s most coveted chases.
Built around city-, player- and team-specific designs, Downtown sets are among the most unique cards on the market, and collectors are willing to pay top dollar for the best of the best.
With the newest lineup of Downtown designs releasing Wednesday as part of 2025 Donruss Football, here’s a look back at some of cllct’s favorites from over the years, in no particular order.
2020 Donruss Optic Joe Burrow
Keeping it simple can often be the key to any great design, and that’s what Panini has done with Joe Burrow over the years. Since his rookie Downtown in 2020, the recipe has been:
- Joe Burrow action shot
- Bengal tiger background
Bon appétit.
Some are better than others, sure, but Panini has found a winner with this combination. Of Burrow’s Downtowns, it’s hard to not to give the most credit to the original design, specifically the Optic example.
Both Donruss and Donruss Optic releases had the same design, though the chrome finish certainly sets the two apart.
The Gold Vinyl 1/1 example of Burrow’s 2020 Optic Downtown holds the record auction price for any Downtown card with its $108,000 sale in 2023.
2016 Panini Studio From Downtown LeBron James
We’d be remiss if we didn’t include a card from the original Downtown set, which debuted as Panini Studio’s “From Downtown” in 2016.
Considered case hits at the time, these original designs were highly detailed and remain some of the best artwork in Panini’s catalog.
The LeBron James design in particular stands out, with The King flanked by an electric guitar on his left and an electric bass on his right, as a nod to Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The public record for this James Downtown, according to Card Ladder’s public records, is the $32,400 paid for a BGS 10 Black Label in August 2025.
2025 Donruss Saquon Barkley
By far the most popular Downtown design from the new 2025 Donruss Football set, this card is made by the player image much more so than the background.
Featuring one of the most impressive and viral plays in modern NFL history, the card shows off Saquon Barkley’s reverse hurdle against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The play was an instant highlight, and even helped land Barkley on the cover of Madden 26.
Naturally Panini America placed it onto the next Barkley Downtown, and it’s poised to be among his most coveted cards ever created — despite arriving in his eighth NFL season.
One copy of the card sold for more than $2,000 on eBay before 2025 Donruss Football was even released to the public.
2018 Panini Cornerstones Kobe Bryant
Considered one of the most collectible athletes ever, Kobe Bryant has two Downtown designs and they are both exceptional.
The first arrived as part of the 2016 Panini Studio’s “From Downtown” set mentioned above, and the other landed with 2018 Panini Cornerstones.
Though Cornerstones is most associated with patches and autographs, it featured beautiful designs across the entire set before eventually being sunset by Panini. Even if Cornerstones didn’t resonate with collectors longterm, Downtown designs from it remain highly coveted, including this Bryant card.
Bryant’s “From Downtown” could land here without argument, but it’s hard to pass on the 2018 Downtown with so much Hollywood-inspired detail in the background. From the director’s chair and movie posters to the theater marquee highlighting the next showing of “Black Mamba,” this might just be one of Bryant’s best cards ever created.
2020 Donruss Optic Pat Tillman
More than 20 years after his death, Pat Tillman remains an American hero best known for leaving his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals to join the United States Army following the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Since then, collectors have coveted Tillman-related cards and memorabilia, especially the patriotic depiction on his 2020 Optic Downtown.
Tillman is shown in his Cardinals uniform backed by his military portrait, an American flag, a bald eagle and a hand-drawn depiction of the area surrounding a statue of Tillman at State Farm Stadium.
Tillman’s Downtown is regularly shown off by collectors on holidays, such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Independence Day, and has become so popular it now commands high secondary-market value.
The record for a Tillman Downtown is the $30,000 paid in a private sale for the Gold Vinyl 1/1. Base PSA 10 examples of the card have sold for as much as $15,000, according to Card Ladder.
2023 One and One Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama has two Downtown designs from 2023 One and One Basketball — one of Panini’s high-end sets that contains just two cards per box — and one is widely considered better than the other.
Wembanyama’s main Downtown in the set features the Spurs superstar swatting a shot in front of the Alamo in San Antonio, and it is a great card in its own right.
His Downtown variation is exceptional, however, and features the French star pulling down a rebound in front of the Eiffel Tower, Pont du Gard and Arc de Triomphe.
One criticism the Downtown set has had through the years has been a common overreliance on generic “city” backgrounds, but this card manages to capture a variety of unique and recognizable landmarks at once.
A PSA 10 example of this card has sold for as much as $11,100 at public auction.
2024 Donruss Optic Jayden Daniels
Jayden Daniels has been one of the most collectible athletes after leading Washington to the NFL Championship Game in his first season, and his rookie Downtowns from 2024 Donruss and 2024 Donruss Optic have been considered two of his best cards.
As expected, his backdrop features well-known monuments from Washington D.C., including the Washington Monument on the left and the National Mall leading up to the Lincoln Memorial in the middle of the card. The composition here is strong with the space filled well without feeling stuffed.
The Gold variation numbered to 10 of this card is especially striking with a powerful color match to Daniels’ jersey.
One BGS 10 Black Label example sold for $74,378 at Alt in August 2025, and, as of this writing, remains one of his most expensive cards to date.
2021 Donruss Optic Trevor Lawrence
Much like the Burrow Downtown, simplicity can be the best option, and slamming a bunch of Jaguars around Trevor Lawrence has managed to be a winner.
The design itself isn’t overly dynamic, but the designs of the Jaguars are well done, and this card simply looks cool. If it’s on your shelf, it’s standing out from the pack.
Lawrence hasn’t panned out the way collectors hoped when he was drafted in 2021, but this card was undeniably one of the most important chases at the time, and Lawrence collectors still covet it.
One collector paid more than $53,000 for the Gold Vinyl 1/1 example in 2023 — back when optimism around Lawrence and the Jags was still high.
2020 Donruss Optic Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes is deservedly one of the players who most often appears in Downtown sets, so he has benefited from having a variety of designs since his rookie season in 2017.
Mahomes’ 2018 Donruss Downtown, which features a backdrop of Kansas City fit into an arrowhead design, is a great visual. As is 2023 Donruss Optic’s design, which highlights Mahomes winning Super Bowl LVIII.
The best of Mahomes’ Downtown designs might be his 2020 Donruss Optic, which shows him celebrating his first title in Super Bowl LIV. Played in Miami, Mahomes is flanked by palm trees and flamingos on the beach.
It’s nice when Downtown designs highlight the player’s city and team, but it’s even better when they capture a specific moment in time. This card does that.
2020 One and One Anthony Edwards
It’s important to note from the start that some artistic liberties were taken with Anthony Edwards’ 2020 One and One Downtown.
You might notice there isn’t really a town featured here, and it’s more or less just a giant Wolf alongside some timber. It’s not a terribly unique idea, but it looks great and collectors have considered it a favorite.
It’s simple, is composed well compared to most layouts, and is simply a fun card to see. No, it doesn’t really follow the traditional spirit that Downtown cards have been known for, but who cares? Rules are meant to be broken, and this one paid off in our opinion.
To date, the most paid for Edwards’ 2020 One and One Downtown is $13,00 on eBay in May 2025.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.