If you’re sitting on a stack of cards from 2017, you might be looking at a down payment on a house—or just a cool piece of sports history. Patrick Mahomes basically broke the football card market. It's wild. Before he came along, the hobby had its legends, but he turned the search for "the one" into a full-blown gold rush.
I see people all the time thinking every Mahomes card is worth a fortune. It’s not. Honestly, if you bought a random pack at Target back in the day and found a base Score card, you’ve got a nice $30 to $50 item. Cool? Yes. Life-changing? No. But if you're talking about the high-end stuff, we are entering the territory of private jets and luxury real estate.
The Absolute Grails of the Mahomes Era
Let's talk about the heavy hitters. If you’ve followed the hobby even a little bit, you know about the 2017 Panini National Treasures RPA (Rookie Patch Autograph). This card is the undisputed king. Back in 2021, a 1-of-1 version of this card featuring the NFL Shield patch sold for a mind-melting $4.3 million. Even in 2026, it remains the benchmark for modern football cards.
Why? It’s the perfect storm of scarcity and "The Shield." In the card world, that little NFL logo is like the Hope Diamond.
But you don’t need a 1-of-1 to be in the money. The "standard" National Treasures RPAs are usually numbered to 99. Even those are massive. We’ve seen BGS 9.5 or PSA 10 copies of the /99 version hovering around $150,000 to $200,000 recently. It’s the card every serious whale wants in their safe.
Then you have the 2017 Panini Prizm Silver. This is the "people’s" grail. It’s not numbered, which sounds like it shouldn't be rare, but try finding one in a PSA 10. The population is low because the centering on 2017 Prizm was notoriously bad. A PSA 10 Silver Prizm is currently moving for around $4,250 to $4,700. If you have a raw one that looks clean, get it graded. Seriously.
Not All Chrome Is Created Equal
People often confuse Prizm with Donruss Optic. They look similar—shiny, metallic, "chrome-y." But the 2017 Donruss Optic Rated Rookie Holo is its own beast. The "Rated Rookie" logo is iconic to collectors who grew up on junk wax, and the Holo version (the silver refractor equivalent) in a PSA 9 is fetching about $1,100 right now.
If you want the autograph version—the Optic Rated Rookie Auto—you're looking at a different ballgame. The base autos are great, but the Gold parallels /10 have sold for north of $80,000.
What Actually Drives the Value?
It’s not just the name on the front. I’ve seen people get frustrated because their "rookie" card is worth $20 while another one is worth $20,000.
- Condition is everything. A tiny white speck on a corner can cost you thousands. In 2026, "Raw" cards (ungraded) are a huge gamble. Most serious buyers won't touch a high-end Mahomes unless it's in a PSA, BGS, or SGC slab.
- On-Card vs. Sticker. Collectors hate stickers. If Mahomes actually held the card and signed the surface (on-card), it’s worth way more than a transparent sticker he signed while sitting on his couch and mailed back to Panini.
- The "Logo" Factor. Cards like Panini Flawless or National Treasures use "player-worn" or "game-used" patches. A plain red jersey swatch is fine. A piece of a letter from his nameplate? Now we're talking.
The Underdogs: Contenders and Select
You can't talk about Patrick Mahomes rookie cards without mentioning Panini Contenders. The "Rookie Ticket" is a staple. It looks like a game ticket, and it always features an autograph. The 2017 Contenders Mahomes is tricky because there are so many variations—playoff tickets, championship tickets, cracked ice.
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A base Contenders Auto BGS 9.5 can easily clear $10,000 today.
Then there’s Panini Select. It has three tiers: Concourse, Premier Level, and Field Level. The Field Level is the rarest. If you find a Silver Prizm Field Level Mahomes, you’re looking at a card that’s arguably harder to find than the Prizm flagship silver, yet it sometimes sells for slightly less. That’s a "buy" signal for smart collectors.
Mistakes to Avoid When Buying or Selling
Don't buy the hype without checking the data. I use Card Ladder or 130 Point to see real, completed sales. Asking prices on eBay mean nothing. Someone can ask $1 million for a ham sandwich; it doesn't mean it's worth it.
Also, watch out for "reprint" cards. eBay is flooded with $5 "RP" cards. They are worthless. They’re basically home-printed photos of the real thing. If the price looks too good to be true, it’s a fake.
If you're selling, don't rush. The market fluctuates with the NFL season. If the Chiefs are in the AFC Championship—which, let's be honest, is every year—prices spike. Selling in July is usually a bad move.
Actionable Steps for Your Collection
If you're looking to get into the game or manage what you have, here is how I’d handle it:
- Verify the Year: Make sure it’s 2017. 2018 cards are his "sophomore" year. They are still valuable because he won MVP then, but they aren't "true" rookies.
- Grade the High-End: If you have a Prizm, Optic, or Select card that looks perfect, send it to PSA. The "10" premium is massive. A PSA 10 can be worth 3x-4x more than a PSA 9.
- Diversify: Don't put all your money into one massive card. A mix of a few Silver Prizms and maybe an Optic Auto is often safer than one six-figure RPA.
- Check the "Pop Report": Look at how many of that specific card exist in high grades. If the "Population" is in the thousands, the price will be more stable. If it's under 10, it's a "moon" candidate.
Mahomes is the closest thing we’ve seen to Tom Brady in the modern era, but with a lot more "flash" in his card designs. Whether you're a fan or an investor, his 2017 rookie cards are the blue chips of the hobby. Just keep your eyes on the corners and your wallet away from the reprints.