Bargain prices for PSA 10 Hall of Fame rookie cards from 1989 Pro Set Football
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The Dallas Cowboys visit the Denver Broncos at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS and the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Green Bay Packers at 8:20 p.m. ET for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” in two of the key games in Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season.
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Any of the four quarterbacks in those games (Dak Prescott of the Cowboys, Bo Nix of the Broncos, Aaron Rodgers of the Steelers and Jordan Love of the Packers) is capable of moving the needle for football card collectors and dealers. Still, just as impressive as the movement the current quarterbacks can create in the current-day football card market is the fact that those four franchises combined to draft six of the 15 Hall of Fame rookie cards on the 1989 Pro Set Football checklist.
Two Cowboys legends — wide receiver Michael Irvin (#89) and quarterback Troy Aikman (#490) — won their third Super Bowl in four years with a victory over the Steelers, with two future Hall of Fame selections — center Dermontti Dawson (#344) and defensive back Rod Woodson (#354) on the roster, in Super Bowl XXX. Hard-hitting safety Steve Atwater (#492) helped the Broncos win back-to-back Super Bowls (XXXII and XXXIII). Sterling Sharpe (#550), whose decorated career as a Green Bay wide receiver ended due to a neck injury two years before the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI, was enshrined in Canton in the most recent Hall of Fame class.
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Cornerback Eric Allen (#533) was also inducted in 2025, joining his former Arizona State Sun Devils teammate Randall McDaniel (#235) in the Hall of Fame. McDaniel is one of three Hall of Fame offensive linemen with a 1989 Pro Set rookie card, an honor he shares with Dawson and Bruce Matthews (#148).
Pro Set’s status as one of the hallmark releases of the hobby’s Junk Wax Era means the rookie cards of some of the best players in NFL history are available in seemingly limitless quantities. While that hasn’t helped Pro Set cards hold value over the long run compared to other sets like 1989 Score Football, PSA 10-graded copies of the aforementioned Hall of Fame players can be picked up for under $200, according to Card Ladder, including the most valuable PSA 10 rookie cards in the set.
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The most recent Aikman PSA 10 sold on eBay for $87 (best offer accepted) and only one of Card Ladder’s 65 verified sales in 2025 has surpassed $200. Barry Sanders (#494) has the most valuable rookie card in the set, but the most recent PSA 10 rookie card of arguably the best running back in NFL history sold for $177.50 on Friday in an eBay auction.
The market for PSA 10 copies of Pro Set’s 15 Hall of Fame rookie cards is such that they’re accessible for football card enthusiasts of all budgets. Within those 15 cards, there are five NFL legends whose PSA 10 Pro Set rookies can add to a long-time collector’s portfolio and help hobby newcomers get off to a strong start when building a collection.
Thurman Thomas (#32)
One of the key cogs who helped the Buffalo Bills advance to the Super Bowl in four consecutive seasons (1990-93), Thomas’ Pro Set rookie card has a PSA 10 population of just 192. An eBay sale of $105 on Oct. 10 seems to be an outlier; Thomas’ most recent Card Ladder-verified PSA 10 sale was a $69.99 eBay sale on Saturday, which is more in line with the card’s Card Ladder value ($54.95).
Tim Brown (#183)
A PSA 10 rookie card of a Heisman Trophy winner (1987), Hall of Fame wide receiver and one of the most productive players at his position in NFL history for under $75 seems like a good deal. Brown’s most recent PSA 10 Pro Set rookie card, of which PSA has 442 copies on the population report, sold on eBay for $59.95 on Sept. 28. With a Card Ladder value of $64, Brown’s PSA 10 Pro Set rookie card has sold online for as low as $18.75 among the 19 transactions verified by Card Ladder this year.
Cris Carter (#314)
Carter did more than catch touchdowns in his career (although his 130 touchdown receptions are the fourth-most in NFL history) and collectors can catch his PSA 10 Pro Set rookie card for under $50. The most recent sale ($60 in an eBay auction on Sept. 11) is the highest Card Ladder-verified transaction of Carter’s PSA 10 Pro Set rookie, which has a PSA 10 population of 238 and currently carries a Card Ladder value of just $44.
Deion Sanders (#486)
It’s not as iconic as his 1989 Score Football (#246) rookie card. Still, Sanders’ Pro Set rookie (an action shot of arguably the best cornerback in NFL history from his college career at Florida State) is one of the more popular (PSA 10 population of 1,442) and frequently transacted cards (106 PSA 10 eBay sales in 2025, according to Card Ladder) in the set.
A $68 eBay sale on Friday (best offer accepted) lines up with the card’s current Card Ladder value of $68. The last 12 Card Ladder-verified transactions in October have been under $80.
Derrick Thomas (#498)
Thomas wrapped up his 11th season with the Kansas City Chiefs a few weeks before his tragic death on Feb. 8, 2000, due to complications stemming from an automobile accident. One of the most feared pass rushers in NFL history (his 126.5 career sacks still rank 18th all-time), Thomas’ PSA 10 Pro Set rookie card routinely sells for under $50, with the most recent copy selling in an eBay auction on Thursday for $46.
-1f9b5aba42acf122a9de17edfe18f6ad.jpeg "Jeff Howe")
Jeff Howe is a sports writer with over two decades of professional experience contributing to ESPN.com, Rivals.com and the Sporting News, among other publications. He currently reports on the Texas Longhorns for “On Texas Football” after covering the Longhorns for 247Sports and CBS Sports. His hobby journey started when he was 6 years old, hanging out at his dad’s card shop and collecting cards alongside his two brothers.