A strong showing in the NFL playoffs can make a world of difference in demand for a player’s cards. This season, Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Brett Favre, Greg Jennings, Ryan Grant, Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs, LaDainian Tomlinson, Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson have all seen demand increase for their rookie cards increase, in part, due to their individual playoff success.
First, Brady’s dominance on the field has translated into huge price
boosts for all of his key 2000 rookie cards. Brady’s record-breaking
season includes throwing an NFL record 50 touchdown passes, surpassing
Peyton Manning’s 49 TDs in 2004 and also helped the Patriots establish
a new NFL team scoring record with 589 points. Some of his biggest
movers include his 2000 Leaf Limited #378 jumping from $225
to $350, his 2000
Upper Deck Pros & Prospects #124 up from $125 to
$300 and his 2000 Bowman Chrome #236 moving up from $100 to $125 this
month.
Another New England Patriot enjoying success on the field and in
the hobby includes one of Brady’s favorite receiving targets, Wes
Welker. All of his 2004 rookie cards are on the move this month,
highlighted by his 2004
Playoff Contenders jumping 250 percent from $40
to $100.
I've written about Grant before, but it presents a unique situation in today’s hobby. Since he was an undrafted free agent, he only has two rookies cards. His 2005 Playoff Honors rookie #191 jumped $175 and is priced at $300, while his 2005 UD Sweet Spot #177 doubled in value to $200). Both were common rookies a few months ago.
Jacobs’ rare combination of size and speed helped him gain 1,000 yards this season and average more than five yards per carry. His 2005 UD Exquisite (up $75 to $300) and Playoff Contenders (up $20 to $60) are his hottest rookies.
Finally, Jennings was getting virtually no collector interest before this season, but rookie single of both have steadily climbed this season. Jennings’ 2006 Playoff Contenders ($60) and
Topps Paradigm ($40) continue to sell fast.
File this one under the "What do I know" heading, but that
Favre Wildcard I talked about in my last blog and questioned why anyone would pay $1,200 for it finished at $6,600. Absurd. Congrats to the winner. As for the Walter Payton/Barry Sanders dual autographed cards, both sold right around the $2,000 level, but both to the same bidder (beaniewells), who has zero feedback so look for both to be relisted in the near future.