The Unique Hobby History of Taysom Hill
The New Orleans Saints utility man had a record breaking day, and both fantasy football owners and Taysom Hill football card collectors are rejoicing.
Taysom Hill set an NFL record as the first player to rush for over 100 yards, have three touchdowns, at least 50 receiving yards, and over ten passing yards. His final stat line was 7 rushes for 138 yards and three touchdowns. He added 8 catches for 50 yards as a receiver, and he passed for an additional 18 yards and threw one interception. Oh, and he also returned a kick for 42 yards.
The “Swiss Army Knife” skillset that Hill brings to the field makes him a popular Tight End option in daily fantasy leagues. Performances like this also generate interest in a player’s football cards.
Here are some great options if you want to add a Taysom Hill football card to your collection!
1. 2014 Sports Illustrated For Kids #376
Taysom Hill’s first card goes back to his days as the quarterback of the BYU Cougars football team. The card was released in the November 2014 issue and was part of a sheet of cards that also contained stars like Serena Williams, Carmelo Anthony, and Diana Taurasi. It is very condition sensitive, but you can find copies for between $10 and $50 depending on condition.
2. 2017 Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket Auto #249
Taysom Hill was signed as an un-drafted free agent by the Green Bay Packers prior to the 2017 season. He was waived by the team following the end of the preseason, but he was there long enough to earn a spot in the 2017 Contenders set. He eventually signed with the New Orleans Saints practice squad and earned a spot on the active roster partway through the season. Due to production schedules, the versatile rookie did not make it into any more football card sets that year. This 2017 Contenders Rookie Ticket auto is is only rookie card!
3. 2018 Panini Instant #152
Hill’s first card as a Saint came in 2018. It was part of the On-Demand Panini Instant set which was available to purchase on paniniamerica.net. Only 115 copies of the card were produced. He also appeared on card 379 in the Instant set (pictured above), and these two cards were his only two cards in 2018. That’s right, he only had three total cards (plus some variations) over his first two complete seasons in the league.
Finally, in 2019, he made his way into a wide selection of Panini Releases. Donruss, Prestige, Score, and Contenders were a few of the products which have a variety of base cards, parallels, and autographs to choose from. A quick search on eBay or COMC will display hundreds of options with cards ranging from about .25 to hundreds of dollars.
It’s rare these days for a rookie to only have one card to choose from. Maybe it shouldn’t surprise us that a player with a unique skillset like Taysom Hill would also create a unique situation for collectors who want to track down his rookie card. From rare and scarce, to common base cards, Taysom Hill has a bunch of great cards to choose from.
Mike Sommer is a lifelong collector who has a passion for teaching others how to have a self-sustaining hobby. You can find more from him at WaxPackHero.com, Hobby News Daily, and on the WaxPackHero Sports Card Minute podcast.