Sports Cards for the Finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025

We have gotten to a strange part in the sports timeline where anyone under the age of 40 is now watching some of the stars they grew up watching go into the Hall of Fame.

This year’s finalists were announced, and it’s a combination of players from the late ‘80s to the early 2000s who are now eligible and being nominated. This, in theory, is one of the last times most of these players will be in the news for whoever ends up making it into the Hall.

There are a few moments in a player’s career where timing comes into play when selling sports cards, and the Hall of Fame inductions usually are one of the last times.

The full list of nominees can be found if you click here

Here are a few of the top nominees, what year to look for, and what might be their best card to buy. A lot of these players were rookies before Panini came into the picture, so it’s going to be a lot of Topps cards.

Reggie Wayne – 2001 Topps #344

2001 Topps - [Base] #344 - Reggie Wayne | Images Courtesy of COMC.com

Adam Vinatieri – 1996. It is uncommon for kickers to have rookie cards, so Vinatieri’s cards can be found in 1997 products, but even that selection is slim. 1997 Pacific Philadelphia -#199

1997 Pacific Philadelphia - [Base] #199 - Adam Vinatieri | Images Courtesy of COMC.com

Steve Smith Sr. – 2001 Topps - #321 - Steve Smith

2001 Topps - [Base] #321 - Steve Smith | Images Courtesy of COMC.com

Eli Manning – 2004 Topps - #350

2004 Topps - [Base] #350 - Eli Manning | Images Courtesy of COMC.com

Luke Kuechly is a player who retired early, so his rookies are from more recent years in 2012. He was part of the era where Topps and Panini made football cards.

2012 Panini Prizm - [Base] #279.1 - Luke Kuechly | Images Courtesy of COMC.com

Antonio Gates has the same rookie year as Eli Manning, but since he wasn’t a QB, he was not in as many sets, so it might be a bit harder to find.

2004 Topps - [Base] #152 - Antonio Gates | Images Courtesy of COMC.com