Our long wait is over: The NFL is back.
As the 2025 season kicks off Thursday night with the defending champion Eagles hosting the Micah Parson-less Cowboys, the quest has begun for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California.
To celebrate, cllct is thinking about football cards ... namely, the 10 most valuable in hobby history. Let's count down the all-time rankings.
(Note: Cards can appear on the list only once, and the top individual sale for each card is listed.)
1. 2017 Panini National Treasures Patrick Mahomes Platinum Shield RPA 1/1: $4.3 million
Considered by many to be the single best card for the greatest active football player, Mahomes’ Platinum Shield 1/1 sold privately for $4.3 million during the pandemic boom in 2021.
National Treasures Rookie Patch Autographs are among the most coveted cards across both the football and basketball markets, with NFL Shield 1/1s and Logoman 1/1s carrying the highest premium on the secondary market.
The result even received a comment from Mahomes himself, with the Chiefs quarterback posting “My goodness” in response to the sale on X.
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2. 2000 Playoff Contenders Tom Brady Championship Ticket Autograph: $3.8 million
If similar examples of card variations were included on this list, it would be packed with Brady’s Championship Ticket Autographs.
Including this card, there are seven Championship Ticket examples between Mahomes and the third-place card — all of which fetched $2 million or more.
Prior to the record-breaking Mahomes sale, another copy of this card set the record for the most expensive football card when it sold for $3.1 million at Lelands in June 2021. The Mahomes Platinum Shield would break the record a little less than two months later.
3. 2020 Panini National Treasures Justin Herbert Platinum Shield RPA 1/1: $1.8 million
Of the cards featured here, it’s possible none shocked the industry as much as the Herbert Platinum RPA.
Sold through Goldin in 2022, the card was considered by many to be the ultimate risk when prospecting football players. So far, it hasn’t panned out.
With a 41-38 record as a starter entering 2025, the Chargers’ star player hasn’t finished higher than ninth in MVP voting since winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020. It has become increasingly difficult to see the Chargers competing for a title, with Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen all battling in the AFC.
Prior to selling at Goldin, this card sold privately in raw condition for $550,000 in August 2021.
4. 2020 Panini National Treasures Joe Burrow Platinum Shield RPA 1/1: $1.7 million
Much like the Herbert card, the private sale of this Burrow Platinum Shield RPA 1/1 in September 2022 stunned the collecting community.
Another example of extreme prospecting, the Burrow investment has panned out slightly better than Herbert. Though he faces a similar gauntlet in the AFC, Burrow has already appeared in two AFC Championships and a Super Bowl. The sixth-year pro appears to have the Bengals in a position to compete for a title for the foreseeable future.
5. 2020 Panini Prizm Justin Herbert Black Finite 1/1: $1.1 million
Among Herbert’s most important parallels in existence, the Black Finite 1/1 sold privately for $1.1 million in September 2022.
The sale represented a major step for Herbert’s market after the autographed variation of this card sold for just $210,330 at Goldin in October 2021.
According to Card Ladder’s records, this example was one of 16 Herbert cards to fetch $100,000 or more in 2022.
6. 2017 National Treasures Patrick Mahomes Holo Gold RPA /10: $1.08 million
The high-end of the ultra-modern football market is largely dominated by Mahomes and variations of his National Treasures Rookie Patch Autographs.
This Holo Gold copy, numbered out of 10, features a high-end patch and a BGS 9.5 grade — just a single half-point shy of securing a true-gem designation.
One of Mahomes greatest RPAs to sell at public auction, this card fetched $1.08 million at PWCC in September 2021.
7. 2017 Panini National Treasures Patrick Mahomes Black RPA /5: $840,000
Despite being a lower-numbered variation of the card above, this Mahomes Black RPA /5 likely delivered a lesser result because of the lower BGS 9 grade.
Still, it remains one of Mahomes’ greatest cards and could possibly top $1 million if it landed at public auction today.
8. 2017 Panini National Treasures Patrick Mahomes Stars and Stripes RPA /13: $720,000
Numbered to just 13, Star and Stripes variations offer an Americana twist to the typical Rookie Patch Autographs, and this example is considered the best graded copy to date.
An interesting tidbit for this card is, despite being numbered to 13, there are 16 total graded examples, meaning copies have been cracked from the holder and resubmitted multiple times.
Outside of this Gem Mint 10 example, there are three BGS 9.5 copies.
9. 2017 Panini Prizm Patrick Mahomes Gold Vinyl /5: $676,000
One of Mahomes’ best parallels, this Gold Vinyl copy fetched $676,000 at Goldin in October 2021.
Another example sold at Goldin several months later, that time with a more disappointing $570,000 result.
10. 2020 Panini Immaculate Collection Joe Burrow NFL Shield RPA 1/1: $534,000
Prior to Burrow’s record card featured above, this was at one time his best example to sell at public auction.
Also featuring an NFL Shield 1/1 patch, the Immaculate Collection example sold at Goldin in raw condition for $534,000 in February 2022. A little more than seven months later, Burrow’s public record more than tripled.
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.