Picture above: 2017 Panini Donruss Patrick Mahomes Rookie Card
By Ian Echlin
A 900-percent increase in value? Sounds like a good investment, and that’s the case for the Patrick Mahomes rookie card.
It’s not ideal if you bought into the market late, but there’s still a chance to reap the benefits because the ceiling has yet to be seen for any card with Mahomes on it.
The “standard” rookie card used for reference in this story is the 2017 Panini Donruss Patrick Mahomes II Rated Rookie #357. Based on a recorded purchase price on eBay in Nov 2018, the card was being sold for $6. The price listed in the August 2020 issue of “Beckett Football” is $60.
A quick Google search of the same card will show you some prices near $250 (a 4000-percent increase from the 2018 price). Although Beckett has been a source for card prices in card shops since the 1970s, today mediums like eBay and social media drive the market compared to the traditional card shop.
Technology and an urge to look for socially distanced hobbies have driven a bull market in sports cards.
The coronavirus sports card market hasn’t shown any signs of a plateau. There’s evidence of that from a record breaking auction in August. A Mike Trout autographed card sold for $3.94 million passing the old record held by a T206 Honus Wagner card which sold for $3.12 million in September of 2016.
In terms of a Mahomes rookie card there’s a thin line between what the market is doing and the added value based on hype from what Mahomes has done in his short career. Shortly after being crowned Super Bowl MVP the 2017 Donruss Rookie was priced at $25 according to the April 2020 issue of “Beckett Football.”
Based on the trajectory of his career and the bull market, there’s good things coming for those who might’ve bought into the market early during the 2018-19 season when he was on pace to throw 50 touchdowns and eventually named the league MVP.
It looks especially good for collectors of the premium Mahomes cards, the cards with autographs or jersey swatches. According to sports business reporter Darren Rovell, an autographed Patrick Mahomes card sold for $65,000 on eBay in early August.
The Mahomes rookie card variations and makes seem endless which add many choices. Some collectors spend top-dollar on the premium cards while others can still be found on the lower end between $25-50.
That leaves the door open for more collectors to jump on the bandwagon.