Can Saquon Barkley Change The Landscape Of Football Cards?
Only 8 other players have achieved what Saquon Barkley did this past week in a single season. With his 167 yards has now become only the 9th player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season.
HISTORY đ„
â SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 29, 2024
2K RUSHING YARDS FOR SAQUON BARKLEY đ
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/bPbrB0Gfhf
Saquon Barkley is part of one of the most important years in sports card history: 2018. The rookies from that year in almost every sport have become some of the most influential players in their respective leagues. In baseball, the class included Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto, and Shohei Ohtani. In basketball, it featured Luka DonÄiÄ, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Trae Young.
The NFL wouldnât be what it is today without the 2018 draft class. Saquon was joined by Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, and this yearâs Comeback Player of the Year, Sam Darnold.
New King of New York?
â Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 27, 2018
Giants select RB Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 pick pic.twitter.com/B8z1jjC9bz
After the 2018 draft class, sports cards went on an absolute tear in pop culture. Many of the rookies mentioned have amassed nearly 100,000 PSA 10s of their Topps or Prizm rookie cards, which are among the most popular options. While basketball and baseball cards dominate these figures, the five football rookies collectively have just over 6,000 PSA 10s of their Prizm rookie cards.
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Considering the popularity of sports cards and the growing fandom for football, 2018 Prizm Football could be regarded as one of the best sports card products of all time. The year 2018 also marked a massive production increase for basketball cards. For comparison, Jayson Tatum (from 2017) has around 6,500 Prizm PSA 10s, while Luka DonÄiÄ (from 2018) has over 20,000. In football, Josh Allen has only 2,100 Prizm PSA 10s from 2018.
The configuration change in Prizm football production might explain why football lagged behind basketball in production numbers. Whatever the reason, the 2018 draft class was stacked, and there isnât much unopened product still available for sale.
Prizm, which debuted in 2012, underwent a significant change in 2018. Previously, rookies only had Silver Prizm rookie cards. In 2018, however, rookies were included in the base set and still had Silver Prizm versions, which became rarer.
For example, Patrick Mahomesâ 2017 Prizm rookie cards were all technically Silver Prizms but werenât more rare than base cards since Panini distributed them at the same rate. In 2018, Panini adjusted this, making the base cards the least rare and the Silvers more challenging to find and therefore more valuable. While Silvers are not numbered, they remain harder to acquire compared to base cards.
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Saquon Barkley, alongside Nick Chubb, stands out as the best running back in the 2018 class. It wasnât until this year, however, that Saquon fully showcased his potential. After signing his deal in Philadelphia, this season might turn out to be the best of his career. He has joined the elite group of NFL running backs to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season.
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Saquon's best chromium card, best auto card, and best patch auto card, all sold this season.
â chris_hoj (@HouseOfJordans) December 30, 2024
$19.1k - NT Shield Auto 1/1
$16.8k - Prizm Black Finite 1/1
$10.9k - Contenders Super Bowl Ticket 1/1 pic.twitter.com/4hk4FMwnYB
Adam has been a sports content creator since 2016, initially focusing on creating sports-related graphics for his Instagram page. In 2018, he transitioned to writing and podcasting about sports cards. Since then, he has worked both independently and with companies within the industry, producing podcasts, videos, and written content on sports cards.