10 HOT ROOKIE CARDS TO COLLECT

2017 PANINI CONTENDERS #334 AU RC

One of the coolest things about Kupp’s top Rookie Cards right now is that you can grab several for a few hundred dollars. His on-card autograph Contenders RC is up to at least $100, jumping from around $70 at the start of the season. Unlike many other Contenders RCS, there are no photo or shorter print run variations. Of course, there are parallels, but not as many as other Panini products. The Playoff Ticket is numbered to 99, Championship Ticket is numbered to 49, Cracked Ice (which seems to be the most popular level) is numbered to 25, and Super Bowl Ticket is numbered to 1. There also are four 1-of-1 printing plates.

2017 PANINI NATIONAL TREASURES #198 JSY AU RC

The most valuable National Treasures Rookie Cards reach five figures. It’s actually refreshing to see one of an elite star for less than $500. Kupp’s best RC runs about $300-$400 right now.

It’s numbered to 99, so these don’t come up for sale often. The Silver parallel numbered to 25 sells for nearly twice as much. The Green parallel is numbered to Kupp’s jersey number (18). Gold is numbered to 10, Black is numbered to 5, and Platinum is the 1-of-1. If the Rams go deep into the post season, it could certainly move up significantly more.

2017 PANINI IMPECCABLE #118 HEL PAT/75 RC

Panini Impeccable debuted in 2016 with a slight twist to memorabilia on Rookie Cards with a patch and a piece of helmet. The on-card autographs and artistic design create a cool look. There are just 75 of these, making them harder to find than the National Treasures and Contenders. Expect to pay around $100 right now. Parallels include different patches: Nameplate is numbered to 25, Glove numbered to 15 and NFL Logo numbered to 1.

2017 IMMACULATE COLLECTION #134 JSY AU RC

Many collectors see Immaculate Collection Rookie Cards as the consolation to National Treasures. Both are numbered to 99 with on-card autographs and patches. The product boxes are even configured similarly. Immaculate has smaller patches but this is a terrific vale compared to National Treasures. It sells for around $100 and is trending up. That’s roughly one-fourth the value. Gold is the main parallel, numbered to 25. Platinum and NFL Shield logo levels are each 1-of-1s.

2017 PANINI CONTENDERS OPTIC #134 AU RC

Panini launched Contenders Optic in similar fashion as Donruss and Donruss Optic. It was a hit, taking the same design as Contenders and adding the popular opti-chrome finish. This is also an on-card signature and is a slick-looking card. It’s a great buy at around $100, which is more than double what it was selling for in the summer. There are four parallel levels: Red numbered to 75, Blue to 25, Gold to 10, and Gold Vinyl to 1, plus four printing plates.

2017 PANINI MAJESTIC #134 JSY AU/199 RC

Panini Majestic had a three-year run from 2017 to 2019. The Rookie Cards had a unique greyscale design with foil printing. Photos show rookies in their college uniform since the product released in May. But there is a patch and sticker autograph with cards numbered to 199. Kupp’s sells for about $50. Parallels include Gold numbered to 15, Red to 10 and Green to 5.