The NFL transaction wire was belching smoke Monday from the avalanche of huge free agent signings but there was still plenty to digest from the 2023 football card collecting season. The Tom Brady era ended and new crop of players has risen to the forefront of interest from those who like to spend their dollars based upon what happens from September through early February. New data from what happened on eBay during that time frame offers some insight on the volume of that interest.
There isn’t much doubt anymore that the player collectors were after more than any other was CJ Stroud. Despite having no autographs in Panini products, Stroud cards were in demand. eBay searches for Stroud in January showed a whopping 1,500% increase from the first month of the season. Sales of Stroud cards exploded to over $3 million in the month of January alone with the average price more than doubling to over $72 per card, with more varieties arriving on the market.
Stroud, however, didn’t top eBay’s list of the most sold–or searched– trading cards during the season. The list of top five selling quarterbacks was, not surprisingly, topped by Patrick Mahomes.
Brock Purdy of the 49ers was second, followed by Stroud, Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence.
On Feb. 11, when Mahomes won his third Super Bowl MVP, global searches for Mahomes increased more than 280% compared to the day before the game. During the season, five different Mahomes cards sold on eBay for over $21,000.
Regular season MVP Lamar Jackson didn’t make the big game but collectors acted as if they thought he might. Jackson searches soared nearly 390% from September to January.
On Jan. 14, when Jordan Love led the Green Bay Packers to an upset playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys, searches for Love items increased over 570% from the previous day. Love cards have stayed relatively hot despite the Pack’s loss to the Niners the following week.
Baker Mayfield has a new deal with the Tampa Bay Bucs and he, too, was hot as the season wound down. Searches for Mayfield cards jumped over 130% between December and January as he entrenched himself as the Bucs’ quarterback of the present and future.
In August, Puka Nacua was just a relatively obscure day three Rams draft pick trying to make the squad. By January, he was among the hottest rookies in the league. eBay says searches for “Puka Nacua” increased a jaw-dropping 12,800% from August 2023 to January 2024.
The top five selling receivers during the 2023 season included:
- Justin Jefferson
- Travis Kelce
- Ceedee Lamb
- Ja’Marr Chase
- Tyreek Hill
Rookie Rashee Rice of the Chiefs didn’t make the cut but Rice searched ballooned nearly 800% from September to January. Fellow first year man Zay Flowers of the Ravens saw his market jump 480% from late in training camp to January 2024 when he caught a touchdown pass in the AFC Championship game.
The top five active running backs with the most trading cards sold on eBay during the season included:
- Christian McCaffrey
- Bijan Robinson
- Jahmyr Gibbs
- Breece Hall
- Kenneth Walker III
Searches for Gibbs in January, when he helped the Lions to the NFC title game, were up over 500% compared to August. Kyren Williams of the Rams saw an even bigger increase during the same time period.
The list of most sold players on the defensive side of the ball was led by a rookie. The top five included:
- Aidan Hutchinson
- Micah Parsons
- Sauce Gardner
- Kyle Hamilton
- Aaron Donald
And no, the world hasn’t forgotten Tom Brady, whose name was searched over 28,000 times per day on eBay from Sept. 1 to the end of February.
Related Stories:
2023 NFL Rookie Card Class Shows Clout
CJ Stroud Cards Heat Up as Rookie QB Shines
Breakers and Shop Owners See Panini and Fanatics Legal Battles Impacting Football Sales
Tom Brady Still Tops on NFLPA Top 50 Player Sales List
Notebook: Collectable Accepts $182,500 Offer for Mahomes RPA; 1916 Red Sox Photo Tops RMY Sale; Ruth Signed Ball Giveaway; Card Shop Stories
Notes: Super Bowl Auction; Missing Super Bowl Rings; KC Shop; Browns Collector Makes the HOF
Shop Talk: New Take on Shop’s Topps Inventory, Adley Auto Awesomeness, Sweet Stroud Scores
Jordan Love Rookie Cards: Underrated Issues, Hottest Auctions Featuring Packers’ Rising Star
