The Five Most Expensive Football Cards of All-Time

There are a lot of sports fans out there, which in turn, means that there is a lot of money involved. As a result, it is no wonder that sports collectibles can fetch a fair amount of money, with football cards being no exception to this rule. Granted, football cards can’t match their baseball counterparts for the most part, but there are nonetheless some examples that have managed to fetch astonishing sums in their time. Here are five examples:

5. 1948 Leaf Sid Luckman – $71,800

Over the course of 12 seasons with the Chicago Bears, Sid Luckman managed to win the championship not once, not twice, not thrice, but a total of four times. Combined with various other achievements as well as post-retirement involvement with football that consisted of him tutoring college football coaches, Luckman remains a respected name in the field. Card-wise, a Sid Luckman card with a special yellow background because of a misprint rather than an intentional choice can fetch a sum of $71,800.

4. 1958 Topps Jim Brown – $84,000

There are those who would consider Jim Brown to be the single greatest football player of all time. In short, he played a total of nine seasons for the Cleveland Browns, with the result that he led the NFL in rushing yards in eight out of those nine seasons. On top of that, he won the championship once, which was in addition to a number of shattered records as well as other impressive accomplishments. Afterwards, Brown went on to become a successful movie star, making it no wonder that his rookie card has been known to bring in more than $84,000 when sold in a near-mint condition.

3. 1958 Topps Joe Namath RC – $92,000

Joe Namath was one of the football greats. However, what might be more interesting is how his brash personality managed to make him a memorable figure to a wide range of people, which he used to turn himself into an iconic figure in more than just football. For proof, look no further than the products that he endorsed as well as the trends that he started, which have combined to make him surprisingly well-known even in present times. Regardless, Joe Namath cards tend to be valuable, but the one issued by Topps in 1958 is particularly so at more than $92,000 because of the circumstances involving its creation. In short, the picture was taken when Namath was still recovering from knee surgery, meaning that he wasn’t actually capable of standing up at the time.

2. 1933 Sport Kings Jim Thorpe – $120,000

Jim Thorpe has the distinction of being a Native American who is considered to be one of the most versatile athletes of modern times. For instance, he was the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States. Never mind the two that he actually won at the 1912 Summer Olympics for both pentathlon and decathlon. On top of that, he played professional football, professional baseball, and professional basketball, though to be fair, his basketball career was much less well-known than the other two. Technically, this Jim Thorpe card is a baseball card that went for close to $120,000, but since the picture actually shows off his involvement in football, it can be considered something in between the two.

1. 1935 National Chicle Bronko Nagurski – $240,000

Bronko Nagurski was a farm-boy who grew up to become a powerfully-built six-footer by working on his parents’ farm as well as their sawmill. He was discovered by the head coach at the University of Minnesota, who was in the region to meet another player at the time. Supposedly, said individual met Nagurski when he was asking for directions, which resulted in Nagurski actually lifting a plow out of the ground for the purpose of pointing him in the right direction. Suffice to say that this kind of strength made Nagurski very appealing for football teams, as shown by his victories in college football as well as the NFL. Interestingly, Nagurski winded up becoming a successful professional wrestler, which is why he is included in the Halls of Fame for both sports. Combined, his accomplishments contributed to a card that was able to bring in a remarkable $240,000 when offered up, though of course, said card was in very good condition as well in spite of the fact that it had been issued in 1935.