GETTY IMAGES
Peyton Manning is one of the best ever but you wouldn’t know it based on the prices of most of his rookies. High-end meant something very different in 1998 than it does today. As a result, nearly every Peyton Manning Rookie Card is within reach of everyone, even those with a small card budget.
Of course, that is somewhat relative. Manning is an all-time great quarterback so you’re not going to find any of his rookies in quarter bins unless it’s by mistake or it’s in rough shape. But on the other end, you’re not going to have to pay thousands for the majority of his first base cards. There are a couple of extremely valuable Peyton Manning Rookie Cards but most can be found at reasonable prices given his place in the NFL record books.
But with more than 40 to choose from, which are the best and most valuable Peyton Manning Rookie Cards? We’ve ranked them all.
MOST VALUABLE PEYTON MANNING ROOKIE CARD RANKINGS
Rankings are based on values in the Beckett Football Card Price Guide. Only cards with the RC tag are included, not inserts or parallels. Some sets also have multiple Manning cards as part of subsets. While many of these are mentioned, rankings reflect the RCs.
44. 1998 UD CHOICE PEYTON MANNING ROOKIE CARD #193
1998 UD Choice Football was Upper Deck’s entry level brand that season. Between its low initial price tag and widespread availability, the card has never seen a lot of value attached to it. It has a look that’s both clean and of the era. Manning is found in Series 1 packs.
43. 1998 PLAYOFF PRESTIGE RETAIL PEYTON MANNING ROOKIE CARD #165
Playoff did a few sets in 1998 that were similar but different depending on if you bought the cards at hobby shops or retail. Generally, the retail versions tend to be more basic and less valuable. That’s apparent with 1998 Playoff Prestige Football. Rather than the flash of the hobby version, the Prestige retail Manning is printed on thin card stock with only a little bit of foil.
42. 1998 COLLECTOR’S EDGE ODYSSEY PEYTON MANNING ROOKIE CARD #60
Peyton Manning has a few cards in 1998 Collector’s Edge Odyssey Football. That’s because tiered base sets were all the rage in the hobby at this time. Card #60 is the most common and considered to be the Rookie Card of the set. It’s a clean, yet all the logos and marks manage to make it busy. While the short prints command somewhat higher prices, the most common one does not.
41. 1998 COLLECTOR’S EDGE ADVANTAGE PEYTON MANNING ROOKIE CARD #189
Not that there’s a ton of the product left, but you won’t find this Peyton Manning Rookie Card in regular boxes of 1998 Collector’s Edge Advantage Football. That’s because cards #181-200 were exclusive to retail boxes that came out later in the season.