In order of closing date:

Sterling Sports Auctions (ending on September 24)

Sirius Sports Cards Auction (ending on September 24)

Goldin 2026 Monthly Sports Elite #8 (ending on September 26)

Memory Lane Summer Rarities Auction (ending on September 26)

Other active auctions:

The Collector Connection Post War Sports Cards & Memorabilia (ends on October 4)

Clean Sweep Champions Auction (ends on October 14)

⚾ Mickey Mantle Photograph Used for 1952 Topps Card Sells for Record $3 Million

💰 Rare Brooks Robinson Card Sets Record in Huggins & Scott Auctions

⚾ 1963 Topps Stickers Set - Part 1: A Head Above Other Topps Disembodied Offerings (Part 2 Here)

🏈 The Top 5 Most Expensive and Iconic Terry Bradshaw Football Cards

⚾ The 8 Most Iconic and Expensive 1954 Topps Baseball Cards

⚾ 120 Years After His Debut, Eddie Collins Remains One of Baseball’s All-Time Greats

Following my research last week into baseball rookie cards and WAR, it got me thinking about AV (approximate value), the statistic that Pro Football Reference uses that “is an attempt to put a single number on the seasonal value of a player at any position from any year (since 1960).” The person who came up with it also said AV “is not meant to be a be-all end-all metric,” but this seems to be the closest equivalent to baseball’s WAR.

Therefore, I wanted to ask the same question I asked about WAR: is career AV of any value when it comes to determining rookie card prices?

Much like last week’s research into WAR, I focused on the 1950s to the 1970s, due to the relative consistency of cards being issued throughout each decade. One thing to note is that football cards are more likely to take years before including a player in a set, so (as an example) even though Alan Page debuted in 1967, he didn’t have a rookie card until 1970.

Methodology:

Much like in baseball, there is a relatively wide variability in card prices, and statistical prowess doesn’t necessarily equate to rookie card value prowess.

One thing to note is, generally speaking, players on the offensive line or who play defense are not as sought-after as those considered to play the “skill positions” of quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end.

Of the above 15 players, seven of them fall into the former category, and the average price for their rookie cards is about $63, while those in the latter category have an average price almost 10 times as high, at $612. Interestingly, unlike today, quarterbacks don’t rule the roost, as the two most expensive cards belong to running backs.

There are some noticeable players missing, at least from a rookie card value standpoint, and this gets at the divergence between statistical accomplishments and popularity based on other accomplishments (Super Bowl appearances/victories, Pro Bowl appearances, memorable moments, etc.).

In the 1950s, players with pricey rookie cards like Otto Graham, Bart Starr and Y.A. Tittle aren’t on the list. In the 1960s, the most expensive rookie card (by a large degree) is Joe Namath’s, but his 115 AV places him a bit further down the list. Also, both Mike Ditka and Len Dawson have more expensive rookie cards than Fran Tarkenton. And in the 1970s, players with pricey rookie cards like Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach and Joe Greene aren’t on the list, even though each did have a career AV higher than 125.

One quirky thing I noticed is that four players who spent a good chunk of their career with the Minnesota Vikings (Fran Tarkenton, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall and Alan Page) made the list, from a team that famously lost four different Super Bowls. Meanwhile, teams with multiple Super Bowl wins like the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys have one player between the four of them: Mike Webster.

So, AV may have some value in that players with pricey rookie cards like Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Johnny Unitas and Fran Tarkenton show up pretty high on the list, but they are more the exception than the rule.

Harold Carmichael can lay claim to a pretty unique record: He’s tied with Dan McGwire as the tallest person (at 6-foot-8) in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass.

Harold Carmichael - WR-TE

HOF Induction in 2020

Standout Stats:

The average price came out to be $71.90.