1982 Topps Lawrence Taylor Rookie Card PSA 10 Extremely Rare
When it comes to vintage football cards, there’s no better era than that of the 1980’s. On the one hand, the decade represents some of the game’s most legendary players making the moments that have etched their names in the annals of football history.
On the other hand, the mass production of its football cards, notably by names such as Fleer, Score and Topps, have dubbed the decade the “Junk Wax” era and as a result the rookie cards of many notable stars have also become some of the most highly affordable rookie cards for collectors.
With that said, I wanted to take a look through these seemingly infinite production runs and identify what I think is one of the most impossible finds of the 1980’s NFL Football Junk Wax Era and that is the 1982 Topps NFL Lawrence Taylor Rookie Card #434 in PSA 10 (Gem Mint) condition and highlight why it’s so elusive.
There’s no doubt that the things Lawrence Taylor did as a linebacker have revolutionized the game of modern football, and his 1982 Topps Rookie Card is “must-have” for any admiring collector of the 1980’s Junk Wax Era. With that said, raw copies of this card can easily be found via eBay or even at your local card shop, however, the PSA 10 (Gen Mint) version of this card is an extremely rare find.
Why are they so hard to find? Many cards from the 1980’s, even if they are pack fresh, contain print defects, misaligned centering, and were definitively “rough around the edges”. By taking those three characteristics of the card into consideration we can immediately understand why the PSA 10 version of the 1982 Topps NFL Lawrence Taylor Rookie Card is such an elusive find.
Based on its PSA Population Report, we can see that not only is there a vast difference between the PSA 10 count (192) and the PSA 9 count (1155) but there's also a tremendous difference in the value of PSA 10s (average sale price $4,888.57/card) vs. PSA 9s (average sale price $370.52/card).
Passionate sports card collector and writer based in Queens, NY. Lifelong fan of the New York Mets, Jets, and Rangers. Covering sports cards and collectibles with deep industry knowledge and enthusiasm, while bringing a fresh perspective to the ever-evolving hobby world on http://SI.com/collectibles.