The Manning's SI cover history and rookie cards
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The Mannings have become NFL royalty, a legacy if you will. Grandad Archie, Sons, Peyton and Eli, and now Grandson Arch have all played Quarterback. With Arch Manning taking on the full-time starter role in Texas, we take a look back and some of the senior Mannings to grace the game of football, Archie and Peyton.
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Archie Manning first made the Sports Illustrated cover in September of 1970, that year's college football preview issue. The cover featured him just after a snap and ready to throw with Ole Miss. Manning would end up going No. 2 overall in the 1971 NFL Draft, just after Stanford quarterback Jim Plunkett.
Archie Manning's 1971 Rookie
Manning's rookie card comes out of the 1972 Topps football set. The card features a bust portrait of the young quarterback, with his name and position printed simple and cleanly at the bottom.
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Since the card over 50 years old, it is hard to find any in a PSA GEM MT 10. According to PSA cert count of a PSA 9, which has a pop count 150, there are only 15 PSA 10s. The most recent sale of a PSA 9, according to eBay sold listings, occurred on August 25, 2025 and went for $500.
Peyton, Archie's second son, got another college football preview cover in 1996, 26 years after his father. It features Peyton, leaning over what looks to be a prop of his father's 1970 cover. Archie, with him in his orange Tennessee number16 uniform.
Peyton would get drafted two years later with the first overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft. He'd go on to outshine his father's pro career with 14 Pro Bowls, five NFL MVP's, two Super bowl wins and a Super bowl MVP.
Peyton's rookies come from 1998 products
While his 1998 Topps Chrome, PSA 10 rookie card isn't his most valuable, it's one of the most recognizable Peyton Manning cards that are out there. His 1998 PMG in a PSA 10 sold for $100,000 on October 11, 2024 according to Card ladder.
The Topps Chrome has a value of around $500, with the last sale recorded on Card Ladder for $536 on August 29, 2025.
Another Manning up-and-coming
Arch Manning, starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns, is the third generation Manning to play college football and most likely the NFL. He doesn't have many cards, but the ones he does have are selling for three figures, and he's yet to accomplish anywhere close to the heights of his grandfather and uncles (his other uncle being Eli Manning).
The above 2023 Prizm Throwback, grade PSA 10, last sold, according to eBay sold listings, for $202.50 on August 31, 2025.
After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz