Top 3 Cards in Honor of the Late Mike Ditka

Multiple outlets have reported that Mike Ditka, Hall of Fame and Super Bowl-winning coach of the Chicago Bears, and a former player himself, has passed away at the age of 86. Drafted in the first round of both the AFL and NFL Draft in 1961 after three years at Pittsburgh, Ditka signed with the Bears of the NFL.

He went on to play for the Eagles and finished his career with the Cowboys before retiring to coaching, where he became a household name in the sport of football and pop culture, becoming a praised name through the famous 'Da Bears' Saturday Night Live skits.

Early Ditka cards are few and far between. He played when baseball cards dominated the market, and cards for sports like basketball and football were scarce, even skipping years. But he does have a few early pieces that sell for good amounts. And while most of his top sales come from one card, we're looking at the top three different ones of Ditka.

No. 3 | 1966 Topps #32

The third highest card from Ditka's early playing years comes from the 1966 Topps set. Card number 32 features a bust shot of Ditka and his playing gear, with no helmet. What's odd about this card is that while it says Chicago Bears and features him in a Bears jersey, the PSA label says Philadelphia.

1966 was Ditka's last year in Chicago before his trade to the Eagles. Depending on when the set was released, they could have easily put him on Philadelphia's checklist but had not yet acquired a photo of him in his Eagles uniform.

According to Card Ladder, the highest-selling version of his 1966 Topps card sold for $3,837 on March 24, 2019. The card was sold via auction; formerly PWCC (now Fanatics Collect) carried the auction. Card Ladder shows a value of this card currently at $2,275.

No. 2 | 1963 Topps #62

The second card on this list is Ditka's 1963 Topps, a third-year card, number 62. This card, while featuring a bust shot of Ditka, does show a little more of his jersey and a small part of his lower body. By the time this card came out, Ditka had already made two Pro Bowls and would be named to his first of two All-Pro Teams.

This card, graded a PSA Mint 9, is an extremely high grade for the age of this card. According to Card Ladder, this card went for $5,433 at auction. Though it doesn't name the auction house. The sale was on June 26, 2025. Card Ladder values it now at almost double, at $10,740.

No. 1 | 1962 Topps #17

Ditka's highest-selling card is his rookie card, in a high grade, too. His 1962 Topps No. 17 features a bust shot of a young Ditka on one side, and then a nice action image of him, presumably from his Pitt playing days, on the left, just above his name.

The card, graded a PSA Mint 9, is a big grade for two reasons. One, the obvious one, is that it is a card from the 1960s. And a card from that long ago, kept in that kind of condition, is rare. According to PSA's certification lookup, this has a population of just four, with none graded higher.

According to Card Ladder, this card sold for a whopping $207,525.66 on June 21, 2025 at Goldin Auctions.

The Legacy of Mike Ditka

There's no denying the legacy Mike Ditka left on football and American culture. While a player, he turned the tight end position into a wrecking ball of a reciever/blocker combination; much of his legacy came after his playing days.

He made the knit sweater and mustache synonymous with the Chicago Bears, so much so that even fans across the pond in London were dressing like him. Even though he was a commentator on the national level during NFL broadcasts, there was more. He was also featured in Saturday Night Live skits and played a part as himself in Will Ferrell's 'Kicking and Screaming,' as Ferrell's assistant coach (but not the juice guy).

The bottom line is, there's a good chance that even a casual fan who knows little-to-nothing about the game of football knows who Mike Ditka is.

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