Collector owns unique 1981 Topps Joe Montana rookie card
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Hawaii native and collector Davis Kobayashi grew up a fan of the San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana. If you're in Hawaii, Kobayashi says, you're a 49ers or Rams fan, but other popular teams include the Cowboys, Broncos, and Steelers.
But when the 49ers traded Montana to the Kansas City Chiefs, Kobayashi switched allegiances. He felt the 49ers didn't treat Montana right and were too quick giving Steve Young the reins to the franchise.
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Joe Montana would dominate today’s NFL pic.twitter.com/dVZh7jENAZ
— OldTimeHardball (@OleTimeHardball) August 4, 2025
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"Before the Chiefs were good, everyone would say, 'You’re the only Chiefs fan in Hawaii,'" Kobayashi told Collectibles on SI with a laugh.
Kobayashi says he grew up collecting football and baseball cards and reignited his passion for collecting during the pandemic.
"Montana and Walter Payton were my two childhood idols growing up," Kobayashi said. "I always told myself if there’s five things to collect, one would be a Joe Montana rookie PSA 10, a Walter Payton rookie PSA 10, a Jordan rookie PSA 10, a sealed 1986 Fleer basketball box, and an Upper Deck Tiger Woods PSA 10 with his autograph."
Kobayashi has checked off three of the five cards on his checklist. He's still waiting to get the 1986 Fleer Jordan rookie and a sealed 1986 Fleer basketball box.
He crossed the Montana rookie card off his wishlist shortly after attending Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. Kobayashi was rooting for the Chiefs as they played the 49ers when he noticed a familiar face.
"I ran into Montana, and he was just sitting in a box seat, and I was in awe," Kobayashi said. "It just so happened a few days after the Super Bowl, I was looking at Heritage Auctions and I was lucky enough to win the [card]."
The card he's talking about is a 1981 Topps Joe Montana rookie card in BGS Pristine 10 condition. He paid $102,000, with buyer's premium.
While Beckett has fallen on difficult times as a sports card grader, its Pristine 10 designation still carries weight in the industry. A BGS 10 is more desirable than a PSA 10, if not much rarer. According to GemRate, there are 115 PSA 10s. There are only five 1981 Topps Joe Montana rookie cards with a BGS Pristine 10 grade.
Card Ladder shows the most recent public PSA 10 sales have been for $84,000 and $81,000, respectively. Both sales occurred in June of this year. In recent years and months, Montana's rookie card has seen a sharp upswing in price.
What makes Kobayashi's card special is that of the five BGS 10s, his is the only one with subgrades. The owners of the other four copies opted not to include subgrades. Kobayashi's card received 10s on three of four subgrades, receiving a 9.5 for its surface. The 9.5 grade for the surface prevented the card from getting a coveted Pristine 10 Black Label.
Ever wondered why the Joe Montana rookie doesn’t have the NFL or 49er logos? pic.twitter.com/w2ZI3dAhWS
— Adam Gray (@the27guy) November 10, 2023
The Beckett website says, "The only difference between a black label 10 pristine and a gold label 10 pristine is the gold label 10 pristine allows for one small imperfection under magnification resulting in ONE 9.5 and THREE 10’s in any combination of subgrade categories."
Kobayashi inspected the card multiple times, using a magnifying application on his iPhone. He can't see what's preventing the card from getting a 10 for the surface. But he hopes one day he can get the mythical Black Label. A Montana rookie with a black label could be worth $700,000, he says.
“A Beckett representative said surface is subjective to the person grading it,” Kobayashi said. “So, I’m thinking maybe I have to submit it until the right person grades it.”
Horacio is an avid sports card collector and writes about trending card auctions and news across several major hobby sites, including Sports Collectors Daily and Collectibles on SI.
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