If you close your eyes and think of Brett Favre, you see the green and gold. You see the mud-stained jersey at Lambeau Field, the wild heaves downfield, and the ironman streak. You probably don't see a guy in a black and red Atlanta Falcons jersey sitting on a bench or looking slightly out of place in a draft day photo. But for collectors, the brett favre atlanta falcons rookie card is the actual ground zero for one of the greatest careers in NFL history. It’s also a weird, messy time capsule of a year where card companies basically printed money and couldn’t even be bothered to spell a future Hall of Famer’s name correctly.
Honestly, the Atlanta chapter of Favre's life is more of a trivia footnote than a career highlight. He threw four passes. Two were intercepted. None were completed. Yet, because he was drafted by Jerry Glanville’s Falcons in the second round of the 1991 draft, every "true" rookie card features him in that Atlanta gear. If you're looking to grab a piece of this history, you've got to navigate a minefield of overproduction, spelling errors, and "Super Bowl" variations that can make or break your investment.
The "Faver" Fiasco and the Stadium Club Mystery
The most famous brett favre atlanta falcons rookie card isn't famous because of the photography. It's famous because of a typo. The 1991 Stadium Club #94 is arguably the most desirable card from his rookie year, featuring a young Favre looking focused—but the back of the card (and some early fronts) famously misspelled his name as "Faver."
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You’d think a massive company like Topps would catch that, right? Nope. They eventually fixed it, but the "error" card isn't actually the rare one. In the world of 1990s junk wax, "uncorrected errors" are often just the standard. What makes the Stadium Club card tricky nowadays is the "Super Bowl XXVI" version.
Topps produced a special set for the Super Bowl that year, and those cards look almost identical to the base version except for a small logo. If you find a PSA 10 of the standard Stadium Club #94, you're looking at maybe $200 to $300. But if you find that same card with the Super Bowl XXVI stamp in a Gem Mint 10? You’re talking thousands. I've seen them go for north of $3,000 to $5,000 depending on the auction cycle. It’s a massive price gap for a tiny piece of gold foil.
Breaking Down the 1991 "Big Three"
Most people starting a collection gravitate toward three specific cards. You’ve got the Upper Deck, the Score, and the Pro Set. They all have a different vibe.
The 1991 Upper Deck #13 is the one most people recognize. It shows Favre in his Falcons jersey, looking like he’s just waiting for a chance to get in the game. It’s a clean, classic card. Because Upper Deck was the "premium" brand back then, the card stock is better, and they tend to hold their value well in high grades.
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Then there’s the 1991 Score #611. This is the "Draft Pick" card. Interestingly, Score was so early to the punch that they didn't even have a photo of him in a Falcons uniform yet. He's wearing a Southern Miss jersey. It’s a great card for college fans, but some purists argue it’s not a "true" Falcons card because of the jersey.
The 1991 Pro Set #762 is the "everyman" card. Pro Set was notorious for overprinting everything. You can find these at garage sales for a nickel. But, if you’re a serious collector, keep an eye out for the Spanish version. It’s exactly what it sounds like—a version printed for the Spanish-market release. It’s much harder to find and carries a significant premium over the base card that everyone and their uncle owns.
Why Condition is Everything (And Why It’s Hard)
You might find a brett favre atlanta falcons rookie card in a shoebox and think you hit the lottery. You probably didn't. 1991 was the peak of the "Junk Wax Era." These cards were printed by the millions.
To make a card actually valuable today, it has to be perfect. And I mean perfect.
- Centering: A lot of 1991 cards were cut poorly. If the image is leaning too far to the left or right, it’s not getting a PSA 10.
- The Gloss: Cards like Stadium Club and Ultra had a glossy coating. Over the last 30 years, that gloss can cause cards to "brick" or stick together in a stack. When you pull them apart, the ink rips off.
- The Corners: Pro Set and Score used softer paper stock. The corners ding if you even look at them wrong.
Basically, an ungraded Favre rookie is a $5 to $10 bill. A PSA 9 might be worth $30. But that jump to a PSA 10? That’s where the "collector premium" kicks in. It’s the difference between a nice souvenir and a legitimate asset.
The Hidden Gems: Action Packed and Pacific
If you want something a little more "boutique," look at Action Packed or Pacific.
The 1991 Action Packed #21 is cool because it’s embossed. The card has a 3D feel to it. It shows Favre actually dropping back to pass in a Falcons uniform—one of the few "action" shots from his time in Atlanta. The problem? These cards are thick. They don't fit in standard top-loaders, and the edges of the raised surface chip easily. Finding a high grade is a nightmare.
Pacific #551 is another weird one. It has a very 90s neon aesthetic. It’s not the most valuable, but it’s definitely the most "of its time." For some reason, these cards often have better centering than the big brands, making them a fun target for people who want to grade their own cards.
The Falcons Legacy That Wasn't
It's sort of funny that we value the brett favre atlanta falcons rookie card so much considering how much Jerry Glanville hated him. Glanville famously said it would take a plane crash for him to put Favre in a game. He once even sent Favre home from an away game because he was hungover.
When the Falcons traded him to Green Bay for a first-round pick in 1992, people in Atlanta thought they had committed highway robbery. They got a first-rounder for a guy who couldn't stay sober and couldn't complete a pass. Of course, Favre went on to win three MVPs and a Super Bowl, and the Falcons... well, they had a long road ahead of them.
That friction is part of the card's soul. When you look at that 1991 Stadium Club card, you aren't just looking at a rookie; you're looking at a guy who was almost a "bust" before he ever got started. It represents the "what if" of NFL history.
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What to Do if You Want to Buy One
If you're looking to add a brett favre atlanta falcons rookie card to your collection right now, don't just jump on the first eBay listing you see. There's a strategy to this.
First, decide if you care about the grade. If you just want the nostalgia, buy a raw (ungraded) card for ten bucks. It’ll look great in a folder. But if you’re looking for something that might go up in value, you have to go with a graded slab from PSA, BGS, or SGC.
Right now, SGC is gaining a lot of traction for vintage and "junk wax" era football because their black "tuxedo" slabs make the colors of the old Falcons jerseys pop. BGS (Beckett) is also a solid choice if you want to see exactly why the card didn't get a perfect score, as they provide sub-grades for corners, edges, and surface.
Check the "Sold" listings on eBay, not the "Asking" prices. People can ask $500 for a Pro Set rookie, but that doesn't mean anyone is paying it. Realistically, you should be able to land a high-end, graded Favre rookie for under $150, unless you’re going for the elusive Stadium Club Super Bowl version or a rare parallel.
Actionable Steps for Collectors
- Verify the Set: If buying Stadium Club #94, check the bottom corner for the "Super Bowl XXVI" logo. If it's there, the price should be 10x higher. If it's not, don't pay "rare" prices for it.
- Inspect the Back: On the 1991 Upper Deck #13, look for "hologram" shifts. While not a major value driver, some collectors pay a small premium for perfectly centered holograms on the back.
- Avoid "Raw" High-End Claims: If a seller says "Possible PSA 10!" on an ungraded card, they’ve likely already looked at it and decided it wouldn't get a 10. Buy the card, not the hype.
- Target the Spanish Pro Set: If you want a conversation piece that is actually somewhat rare, search specifically for the "Pro Set Spanish" Favre. It’s a low-population card compared to the millions of English versions floating around.