Most Expensive American Football Trading Cards Sold at Auction (All Time)

About This Dataset

American football trading cards ranked by sale price at auction in thousands of USD. Patrick Mahomes' 2017 National Treasures Rookie Patch Autograph card sold for $4.3 million in 2021, making it the most expensive football card ever sold at the time — a record that reflected both Mahomes' status as the NFL's generational quarterback talent and the explosion of sports card collecting during the pandemic era, when alternative investment assets attracted unprecedented retail and institutional interest.

✨ AI Insight

The stark contrast between the top two entries and the rest of the list underscores the extreme valuation placed on cards of generational talents like Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady. Mahomes' card, valued at $4.3 million, is more than three times that of Brady's $3.1 million, indicating a significant premium on cards from the current era compared to legends of the past. Additionally, the prices drop sharply with Lamar Jackson's card at $1.08 million and Joe Burrow's at $555, revealing a gap that suggests both the rarity of top-tier cards and the influence of market trends. The surge in card collecting during the pandemic likely fueled these record prices, as investors sought alternative assets.

Source: Wikipedia

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

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Patrick Mahomes 2017 National Treasures RPA leads with 4,300 in 2021.

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Average value in 2021: 1,269 · median: 528.

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Gap in 2021: Patrick Mahomes 2017 National Treasures RPA is 26.1× larger than Joe Montana 1981 Topps RC PSA 10.

Most Expensive American Football Trading Cards Sold at Auction (All Time)

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Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

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Data Points

8 categories · 1 year

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Top Value

4,300

Patrick Mahomes 2017 National Treasures RPA

Auction Price (Thousand USD) · 2021

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Metrics

Auction Price (Thousand USD)

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Period

2021

Single year snapshot

Rankings & Full Data

8 records · Auction Price (Thousand USD) · ranked by 2021

✓ 8 sourced

#	Category	2021
🥇	Patrick Mahomes 2017 National Treasures RPA	4,300
🥈	Tom Brady 2000 Playoff Contenders RC Auto	3,100
🥉	Lamar Jackson 2018 National Treasures RPA	1,080
4	Joe Burrow 2020 National Treasures RPA	555
5	Justin Herbert 2020 National Treasures RPA	500
6	Dan Marino 1984 Topps RC PSA 10	262
7	Jerry Rice 1986 Topps RC PSA 10	192
8	Joe Montana 1981 Topps RC PSA 10	165