Justin Herbert is one of the most electric young OBs in the National Football League. The 6’6 hurler has a rocket arm and has especially blossomed over the last year. Due to his unlimited potential, Herbert’s trading cards are already extremely valuable, and some collectors are generating a fortune by selling them.
Justin Herbert really burst onto the scene during his junior year at the University of Oregon when he threw for over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns. Despite NFL interest, Herbert returned for his senior season, where he led Oregon to a Rose Bowl victory while throwing 32 touchdown passes. Herbert was also an Academic All-American throughout most of his career. The stats point out that Herbert improved every season at Oregon. The Los Angeles Chargers selected Herbert with the 6th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Herbert had an outstanding rookie season, winning Rookie of The Year after throwing for over 4,000 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also had one of the top-selling jerseys in the NFL. In his 2nd year, Herbert passed for over 5,000 yards and made his first Pro Bowl. Herbert has thrown for the most passing yards in league history through the first three years of a career. This type of success projects that Herbert is well on his way to having a Hall of Fame career. That’s why the value of his rookie cards continues to rise as well.
Most Expensive Justin Herbert Rookie Card
The most expensive Justin Herbert Rookie Card is the 2020 Panini National Treasures Platinum NFL Shield autographed card. This card is a rare collector’s item that was auctioned off through the premium trading card marketplace Goldin. The winning bid was over $1.5 million.
12 Most Expensive Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
2020 Panini Donruss Optic Base #153 Justin Herbert Rookie Card
Price: $915
The 2020 Panini Donruss Optic Base #153 Justin Herbert Rookie Card merges different features. The Optic trading card set has become one of the most popular card series in the industry. The cards combine the historic design of Rated Rookie cards with enhanced anti-chrome features. Because of the style, these cards sell out quickly at auctions, leaving most collectors to settle for base versions. The PSA value of this card has risen substantially in the last year due to Herbert following up his great rookie season with an even better sophomore campaign. If Herbert continues on his current trajectory, collectors may be to sell a PSA Mint version of this card for well over 6 figures.
2020 Panini Prizm Base Silver Justin Herbert Rookie Card
Price: $1,200
The Panini Prizm series is pure quality. Panini continues to make a fortune from the new series releases. Investors love these cards because they are seen as low risk, high reward. This particular Justin Herbert rookie card has already been auctioned off at thousands of conventions. There is a large supply, which essentially limits demand because most people have a base copy. That’s why the PSA Mint condition silver cards are in high demand. The rarity of those cards has driven the market price beyond $1,000. Look for that number to continue rising over the next few years as Herbert continues to play well.
2020 Panini Mosaic Silver Justin Herbert Rookie Card
Price: $1,300
The Panini Mosaic Silver Justin Herbert rookie card is an exclusive collector’s item. It’s one of the most highly coveted non-numbered football rookie cards. The Mosaic sets are one of Panini’s newest concepts. These cards are available in multiple parallels and color variations. The silver card is one of the most highly rated because they are pretty rare. There are nice rainbow shadows in addition to the silver card outline. There’s enough on the market for serious collectors to obtain, but it is going to take a major financial commitment. Even the base cards have high PSA grades, and the ones in mint condition are projected to sell for over $3,000 by 2025, right as Herbert will be starting the prime of his career. If you contain a Mosaic, Optic, and Prizm silver card, you will receive a very large return on your investment.
2020 Panini Optic Justin Herbert Autographed Rookie Card
Price: $1,300
The 2020 Panini Optic Justin Herbert autographed rookie card is already valuable because of the clear autograph. You also have the durable chromium design and the Prizm autograph sticker. This card is also considered the move widely available autographed Herbert rookie card on the market. Base cards are available in most packs, so most collectors should have at least one copy of this card. The autographed version of the card does appear in more base sets than you would think. However, those who miss out but are still interested will have to pay a steep price to obtain this card.
2020 Panini Select Field Level #344 Justin Herbert Rookie Card
The Panini Select Football trading card set has several tiers: the base Concourse tier, the Premier tier, and the exclusive Field Level tier. Ironically, the middle Premier is the least populated card of the three currently on the market. However, the exclusive Field level tier is the most valuable. There are multiple parallels of this card that allow wealthy collectors to really find a high-level deal. Perhaps you are just trying to settle for getting your hand on the card at all. If the Select Field Level is unavailable or a little too far out of your budget, consider grabbing the more widely available Premier tier card and wait for the market to improve before trying to add the Field Level tier card to your collection.
2020 Panini Contenders Optic Justin Herbert Autographed Rookie Card
Price: $1,300
The 2020 Panini Contenders Optic Justin Herbert autographed rookie card is available in base sets as well as the optic version. The optic version is more expensive because of the card’s enhanced chromium technology. The card also includes a cool ticket stub-like design complete with a front-row seat at So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles to watch Herbert perform at the top level. Be aware that there are different colored versions of this card that include numbers, so purchasing a base card could still generate a great return on investment.
2020 Panini Optic Holo and Parallel #153 Justin Herbert Rookie Card
Price: $1,300
This card is a part of the Donruss Optic set. The Donruss Optic set is a highly popular card set among buyers and sellers. These cards have a high ceiling based on future Herbert career projections, and they are also readily accessible. The Holo version of the card is a parallel of the base silver Prizm version. The optic-rated design also includes refractive technology. These are rare cards, which automatically increases their value. The parallel versions also merge with the numbered versions, so that buyers who are willing to pay up for this card will see a major return on their investment within 3 years if Herbert keeps playing well.
2020 Panini Silver Prizm and Parallel #325 Rookie Card
Price: $1,800
There is an industry-wide belief that the Panini Silver Prizm cards are the highest-level cards on the market at the moment. This belief is based on accessibility and return on investment. You don’t necessarily have to go to auction sites, or trading card shows to find these high-level cards. Many of them are available in regular packs you can order off Amazon or find at your local card store. Because of these positive characteristics, obtaining this Herbert card is similar to winning the lottery. You can receive an excellent return whether you have a numbered or non-numbered version of the card. The numbered versions cost more, especially if you’re looking for one in mint condition. However, you could sell the card for three times what you paid for it if Herbert wins an MVP award in the near future or even takes the Chargers to the Super Bowl.
2020 Panini Flawless Rookie Justin Herbert Auto Patch #4 Card
Price: $12,000
The 2020 Panini Flawless Rookie Justin Herbert Auto Patch card is another premium collector’s item for high-level traders to chase. The unique jersey patch and signature are the marquee features, but the scarcity is also a major selling point, as there are only 20 copies available. Despite the scarcity, there are still a few parallels on the market for those who want to search.
2020 Panini Immaculate Collection Justin Herbert Auto Patch #103 Rookie Card
Price: $15,000
The Panini Immaculate Collection Justin Herbert Auto Patch rookie card is a premium card. The Panini Immaculate series was created for high-end investors. Herbert is featured in several cards in this series because of his popularity. There are only 99 copies of this particular card on the market, including a limited parallel, a 1/1 NFL Shield, and a 1/1 Platinum parallel. All of these cards are extremely valuable on the market. If you’re lucky enough to obtain one of these cards, it could be worth a fortune in a few years.
2020 Panini Prizm Black Finite Justin Herbert Rookie Card
Price: $1,100,000
The 2020 Prizm Black Finite card made headlines when it sold for over a million dollars at an auction. The card was numbered 1-1 and graded by Beckett Grading Services. Vortex Sports Cards and Boston Sports Cards & Company helped mediate the auction. When a card reaches this level of budding, there’s definitely a lack of supply that collectors look to capitalize on. For over two years, the Black Finite Herbert rookie card was not seen in any of the Panini sets. Eventually, the mint condition of the card was discovered, and the rest is history. The card features an all-Black design and technicolor imagery behind Herbert as he gets ready to throw the football.
2020 Panini National Treasures Platinum NFL Shield Autographed Card
Price: $1,800,000
The Panini National Treasures Platinum NFL Shield Autographed Card sold for over $1.5 million through an auction meditated by Goldin Marketplace. The limited edition collector’s item features the iconic NFL logo and a blue ink Herbert signature with a white background.
Honorable Mention: 2020 Panini Donruss Rated Justin Herbert Rookie Card
Price: $800
The 2020 Donruss Rated Justin Herbert rookie card is one of the simpler designs on the market. However, it is one of Donruss’s most highly coveted rookie sets. The rated card has an optic finish, and the chrome/paper combination gives off a nostalgic feel to experienced collectors. The old-school vibes of this card is why it continues to be in such high demand. Many collectors believe that the classic Rated Rookie logo even adds a lot of value to the card. This card is a good starting point for entering the Herbert rookie card market. The colored border parallels of this card are expensive yet hold the weight of a premium card.
2020 Panini Prizm Black Justin Herbert Rookie Card
Price: $900
The 2020 Panini Prizm Black Justin Herbert Rookie Card is a signature of Panini’s black card set, which is an enhanced version of the Prizm series. All the cards have a black background. The card set has become a hardcore collector’s item for those truly involved in the industry. Panini saw an opportunity to appeal to a target market of fans and the launch was highly successful. While the silver version of this card is considered the better long-term investment, the Prizm black parallel cards are selling well at auctions for people who are looking to capture a signature trend in time.
Why Are Rookie Football Cards So Valuable?
The National Football League is one of the most popular sports leagues in the World. That fact alone single-handedly makes trading cards so valuable. Perhaps you are confused why rookie football cards are so valuable compared to other types of sports cards. Rookie cards are most athletes’ official welcome into the trading card world. It’s the first opportunity for collectors to measure their potential value on the market. As successful players continue through their careers, their first card will be known as their oldest, which makes it more valuable. Exciting first-round draft picks have coveted rookie cards because they are projected to have successful, if not Hall of Fame, caliber careers. This is one of the most frustrating parts for investors: betting that someone will become a superstar at the pro level without guarantees. One of the things that people love about sports is the unpredictability. Unfortunately, that means that many highly touted draft prospects will end up having underwhelming careers or becoming flat-out busts. That can be damaging for card investors who bought cards and expected to generate a solid return on investment eventually. However, the same thing can be said for those hidden gems; the low-round draft picks like Tom Brady that eventually become superstars. Trading card collectors who can identify those diamonds in the rough will reap the benefits in a major when they put their cards up for sale.
If you have a few guys in the upcoming draft class that you believe will become superstars, don’t be afraid to take that gamble and purchase one of their cards. You can start at the base level, so you won’t make too much of a financial investment if they don’t even up having a good career. Try to research some of the guys drafted in the 2nd and 3rd rounds every year and see if you can discover a diamond in the rough. Again, it’s recommended that you only invest a little bit of money into the cards if you are a novice collector. But remember, no matter how successful a player becomes in the future, there will always be a mystique around their rookie year, which is why rookie cards are so valuable.
