Are football cards a good investment in 2025?
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Maybe you just found a box of old football cards in the attic, or just ripped a few packs with your buddies and thought to yourself - are these cards going to go up in value over the next weeks/months/years? As much fun as the hobby is, there's also money to be made. As the NFL season is about to start, now's a good time to discuss the investment case for football cards in general.
The overall sports card market has been booming. There's been more and more talk of a bubble forming lately, but if you've been betting on card prices going up, the trend has been your friend the last several years. As football has become the new "national pastime", football cards are also enjoying a boom.
It's important to remember that a rising tide does not lift all boats - many base cards will not see noticeable appreciation in price and even many rookie cards are victims of over-production. However, it's likely that the rare, highly graded vintage cards and certain numbered parallels of modern sets will continue to gain value as time goes on.
There's also always a risk to investing in current players - much like other assets, bad news can send the price spiraling. Did the heralded rookie running back break his leg last night? Card prices going down. Was the star quarterback arrested for drunk driving? It's possible that also will have an impact in the near term on his card prices.
The best approach to protect the investment level cards in your collection is by watching the player as well as trends in the hobby. Is the player performing well week after week? Is the hobby in gerneral trending up or could there be storm clouds on the horizon? Staying informed plays a big part in a sound investment strategy.
Brian Hough became a fan of the hobby by opening packs of 1986 Donruss and 1987 Topps baseball with his dad and little brother. He has been writing about the collectibles industry for years, initially as a price guide editor for Tuff Stuff Magazine, which was a monthly sports magazine focused on sports cards and collectibles, particularly known for its price guides and checklists, that initially launched in April 1984.