Potential Worth of Soccer Cards as Market Grows

[bberns]

Originally Posted by Akphillips86

I’m officially sold on the potential of the soccer card market (especially CR7, Messi, and Sancho), but still learning the ropes. One thing that trips me up at times is finding what is considered a player’s true rookie card. Some cards have 2 years like basketball (2016-2017) and others just one. For instance, I picked up a 2017 Revolution Pulisic Disco /25 and a 2018 Kylian Mbappe RWB Prizm. Unsure if these are considered second year cards or rookies? Love the cards either way, but appreciate any input. Thanks in advance!


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If you follow the basketball market you know that rare inserts/base cards and on card autos w/ and w/out patches are THE Jordan and LeBron cards to have. They are currently extremely undervalued on the soccer side (relative to basketball), so I have been buying up all of the Messi and Ronaldo rare inserts and on card autos that I can reasonably get my hands on.

The way I see it, Mbappe has a 5-10% shot at eclipsing Ronaldo/Messi, a 10-20% shot of reaching their status and a really big shot at falling somewhere short. He's amazing no doubt, but is not the first bright star to burn. The key is longevity and rare Messi / Ronaldo cards are not going down in value. I would rather buy the sure thing.

The great thing about soccer is that the best cards are in such short supply, so you don't need a ton of demand for prices to go bonkers (see the price increases on the Revolution galactics over the last 6 months). On the basketball side there are a bajillion options, but on card Messi / Ronaldo autos and other rare cards with low print runs are very difficult to find. Especially in their club kits.

[fadster]

Originally Posted by avalanchefan21

There always seems to be confusion on which card is considered a rookie.

They usually have stickers first which ppl overlook. Then Adrenalyn/match attax (which ppl miss since the are made for sale exclusively in limited countries. Team photo cards, these are missed since nobody really knows about them, and aren;t really considered official cards since they aren't made by a major manufacturer. Then of course there are the mainstream cards (ie: topps finest, panini prizm, etc)

For example mbappe has cards in 2017-18 Panini Adrenalyn XL Foot Ligue 1. These were made in France and were released prior to the 2018 World cup, but if you look at card sales, his prizm rookies totally outweigh the adrenalyn cards

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ROOKIE-SOCC...AAAOSwdd5dXCHa
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PANINI-ROOK...UAAOSwUvldKLqb

Wouldnt be shocked if they never catch the steam like the prizm cards do... but you never know

Mbappe's 2016/17 sticker is the go-to choice for the market. It's pushing $150-$200 in PSA 9, $500 in PSA 10. Remember this is a base sticker that was mass produced not a parallel or prizm or holo. To be honest I'm not sure accross all sports what the last BASE flagship issue to get those sorts of prices is? In PSA 10 Zion base Prizm is $250-$300, Doncic a tad below, perhaps you have to go all the way to Trouts US175?

[k13]

Originally Posted by fadster

Mbappe's 2016/17 sticker is the go-to choice for the market. It's pushing $150-$200 in PSA 9, $500 in PSA 10. Remember this is a base sticker that was mass produced not a parallel or prizm or holo. To be honest I'm not sure accross all sports what the last BASE flagship issue to get those sorts of prices is? In PSA 10 Zion base Prizm is $250-$300, Doncic a tad below, perhaps you have to go all the way to Trouts US175?

McDavid/Crosby YG psa 10

[fadster]

Originally Posted by k13

McDavid/Crosby YG psa 10

Young Guns are short printed, I'm talking plain old flagship base, although they would be the only real equivalent from Hockey. Mahomes rookie Prizm is similar, there were no base rookies that year, all were silver and SP in comparison to base cards.

By my reckoning the only base flagship (no parallels, refractors, SP's, variations, etc) PSA 10 rookies of active sportsmen that go for more than Mbappe are:

Giannis - Prizm 13/14
Trout - Update 2011
Curry - Topps 09/10
Durant - Topps, TC 07/08
Rodgers - TC 2005
Messi - Megacracks, Panini Este 04/05
Lebron - Topps, TC, UD, etc 03/04
Ronaldo - Megacraques, Panini 02/03
Brady - Bowman, BC etc 2000

and if you relax the definition you can add YG Crosby and Prizm Mahomes to that list

Any way you look at it that's some pretty elite company for a 21 year old.

[jrg1128]

Originally Posted by Akphillips86

I’m officially sold on the potential of the soccer card market (especially CR7, Messi, and Sancho), but still learning the ropes. One thing that trips me up at times is finding what is considered a player’s true rookie card. Some cards have 2 years like basketball (2016-2017) and others just one. For instance, I picked up a 2017 Revolution Pulisic Disco /25 and a 2018 Kylian Mbappe RWB Prizm. Unsure if these are considered second year cards or rookies? Love the cards either way, but appreciate any input. Thanks in advance!


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Both are rookies. The Pulisic is from 2016-17 Revolution (the last year they made it) and the Mbappe is from 2018 Prizm World Cup (also one of his first year cards).

[Akphillips86]

Messi and CR7 are definitely sure bets and currently extremely undervalued with their powder keg potential to increase in price, but I also think there is some room for some youngsters in there as well. Here are a few reasons IMO why I believe so:

1. Premium SP and parallels rookies of young players can be found right now for an absolute steal. No Prizms, Holos, Immaculate or Obsidian SPs existed when Messi or Ronaldo were rookies. Imagine a parallel of Ronaldo’s Megacraques RC.

2. People crossing over into the soccer card market as interest rises will largely all flock to Messi and CR7 and ignore the rest keeping prices low in the short term.

3. The next World Cup will help to catapult some of these youngsters into worldwide stardom beyond the fame they have garnered playing for their clubs.

All this to say I think any of the youngsters surpassing the skill or fame of Messi or Ronaldo is a long shot, but soon their careers will be over and someone will have to pick up the torches they pass on just like in any other sport.


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[Akphillips86]

Originally Posted by jrg1128

Both are rookies. The Pulisic is from 2016-17 Revolution (the last year they made it) and the Mbappe is from 2018 Prizm World Cup (also one of his first year cards).

Thank you for giving a soccer card newbie some perspective unlike other sports, there isn’t a whole lot of good info out there! It’s kinda like the Wild West of collecting, which I think makes it fun


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[fadster]

The Mbappe isn't a rookie, the rookie is the 2016/17 Panini.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2016-Panini...C/352937736401

There is still a lot of interest in his 2018 Prizms though but if you want a rookie the one above is the one to get. There is no real rookie designation on the cards or stickers so it's mostly done through research.

[Ianhatcher]

Originally Posted by Raj3sh

Pele and Maradona are already global superstars from 1950's and 1980's.

Soccer/Football is the most popular sport in the planet.

No, they really weren't because they weren't superstars in the US. Messi and CR7 are much like MJ was to the rest of the world globally, they are to the US.

I never said it wasn't.

[Ianhatcher]

Originally Posted by fadster

The Mbappe isn't a rookie, the rookie is the 2016/17 Panini.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2016-Panini...C/352937736401

There is still a lot of interest in his 2018 Prizms though but if you want a rookie the one above is the one to get. There is no real rookie designation on the cards or stickers so it's mostly done through research.

I'm not entirely sure of that but this is a great example of card(s) to watch if if Mbappe explodes. A lot of collectors consider his 2018 WC and his 2017-18 Topps chrome to be his rookie cards though as well.

The Prizms are king for sports card collecting in recent years whether it is basketball, football or baseball and Mbappe 2018 rookie from WC Prizm is gaining a lot of ground and imo might overtake the 2016-17 card prices especially in silver. PSA 10 base are selling for $200 and the silver is closing on $400. The Topps Chrome 2017/18 cards are also shooting up as well in the base refractor and parallels.

I personally feel the more US collectors the more interest in the Prizm and products/lines that are popular in the other sports.

[Raj3sh]

2018 prizm is not mbappe’s rookie. 2016 foot is his first card, then we have 2017 select and 2017 chrome. Then only the prizm comes.

[GrangerCollectr]

Originally Posted by Raj3sh

2018 prizm is not mbappe’s rookie. 2016 foot is his first card, then we have 2017 select and 2017 chrome. Then only the prizm comes.

Select gets forgotten about a lot and as a matter of fact it was the first to come out before Topps Chrome and Prizm. Mbappe's card is a "Field Level" subset in Select. That's a 100 card set and you only get 2 Field Levels per box so he's a really tough pull. I think some people have started to take notice of this as some of his Select rookies are really starting to take off

[ThoseBackPages]

Originally Posted by Raj3sh

2018 prizm is not mbappe’s rookie. 2016 foot is his first card, then we have 2017 select and 2017 chrome. Then only the prizm comes.

but that is a sticker.

i just dont see stickers 'taking hold" in america. i get it, thats "just an arrogant americans opinion" i get it, i do.

having said that, if the sport *CARD* soccer market *IS* to "break through" in america, it will be cards over stickers for these kids, especially

[ThoseBackPages]

Originally Posted by GrangerCollectr

Select gets forgotten about a lot and as a matter of fact it was the first to come out before Topps Chrome and Prizm. Mbappe's card is a "Field Level" subset in Select. That's a 100 card set and you only get 2 Field Levels per box so he's a really tough pull. I think some people have started to take notice of this as some of his Select rookies are really starting to take off

yea, Select as a Panini Brand really messed up when they went to that format in 2014

[ThoseBackPages]

another thing that the card companies are not doing themselves any favors....

having the card designs look the same, but have them look like different years

the only Revolution set LOOKS like 2017/18 NBA, but is 2016/17 for soccer

Topps Chrome Soccer has the new Champ League Chrome set out in May, looks like 2020 Topps Chrome MLB (good)

Topps Chrome Soccer has the new Bundesliga League Chrome set out in May, looks like 2019 Topps Chrome MLB (not good)

[Ianhatcher]

Originally Posted by Raj3sh

2018 prizm is not mbappe’s rookie. 2016 foot is his first card, then we have 2017 select and 2017 chrome. Then only the prizm comes.

That is your opinion. Maybe in other places in the world that is true but in the US we don't consider the first printing of any card of a particular player the only rookie as there are many different releases of cards and brands.

When people in the many breaks I watch and participate in talk about Mbappe it's the 2018 Prizm and the 2017/18 Topps Chrome rookies.

As an example the Michael Jordan Star rookie came out in 1984-85, the Fleer rookie came out in 1986-7. They are both considered his rookie cards and both worth thousands.

[Raj3sh]

Originally Posted by ThoseBackPages

but that is a sticker.

i just dont see stickers 'taking hold" in america. i get it, thats "just an arrogant americans opinion" i get it, i do.

having said that, if the sport *CARD* soccer market *IS* to "break through" in america, it will be cards over stickers for these kids, especially

This is a tough one, will have to see it out.
I also agree that serial numbered cards are more valuable than the base cards/stickers.. So the select and chrome can be more costlier than the foot. However i dont see that with prizm 2018, its an artificial increase now.

[fadster]

It's obviously not the only way to collect soccer cards but I think if you're going to collect soccer rookies you're going to have to be somewhat flexible about cards, stickers, cigarette cards and even cardboard discs. Especially if you are going to go back and start collecting rookies from the past, in many cases cards are non existent. Note that in the past 'stickers' were simply cards to be stuck into an album, it wasn't until the 80's that autoadhesive peelable stickers took off.

To take the example of the Fleer Jordan, it's preferred as it's an iconic set from a major national distributor. You have to remember that for most of the world that is what the stickers are. I think that American collectors can only push the needle so far, for it to go completely to cards in the future the likes of Panini and Topps would have to ramp up their worldwide distribution of cards and scale back their sticker production. There are more card issues being put out now so less rookies are falling through the gaps. In the past the likes of Haaland and Fati would have gone cardless but been covered by the 500+ long sticker checklists. Now though thanks to Topps NOW / On-demand if someones bursts through surprisingly during the season there is coverage.

Don't get me wrong if there are stickers and cards from the same season the market (and I for that matter) prefer the card (see Messi, Ronaldo, Beckenbauer) but if there is a sticker (or something else funky like a disc) from a major manufacturer at the time that predates the earliest card (see Mbappe, Maradona, Di Stefano, Eusebio, Platini, Zidane, Van Basten, etc) the market prefers the true rookie.

[IndySportsCards]

[Ianhatcher]

Originally Posted by fadster

It's obviously not the only way to collect soccer cards but I think if you're going to collect soccer rookies you're going to have to be somewhat flexible about cards, stickers, cigarette cards and even cardboard discs. Especially if you are going to go back and start collecting rookies from the past, in many cases cards are non existent. Note that in the past 'stickers' were simply cards to be stuck into an album, it wasn't until the 80's that autoadhesive peelable stickers took off.

To take the example of the Fleer Jordan, it's preferred as it's an iconic set from a major national distributor. You have to remember that for most of the world that is what the stickers are. I think that American collectors can only push the needle so far, for it to go completely to cards in the future the likes of Panini and Topps would have to ramp up their worldwide distribution of cards and scale back their sticker production. There are more card issues being put out now so less rookies are falling through the gaps. In the past the likes of Haaland and Fati would have gone cardless but been covered by the 500+ long sticker checklists. Now though thanks to Topps NOW / On-demand if someones bursts through surprisingly during the season there is coverage.

Don't get me wrong if there are stickers and cards from the same season the market (and I for that matter) prefer the card (see Messi, Ronaldo, Beckenbauer) but if there is a sticker (or something else funky like a disc) from a major manufacturer at the time that predates the earliest card (see Mbappe, Maradona, Di Stefano, Eusebio, Platini, Zidane, Van Basten, etc) the market prefers the true rookie.

I get what you are saying as that is maybe the more traditional thought of soccer collecting but that doesn't fly now and especially not in the US. I've been in many soccer breaks for both 2018 Prizm and 2017/18 TC and talked to many different soccer collectors from around the world and not once have I heard someone say that the 2018 Prizm and 2017 Topps Chrome are not considered a true rookie card of Mbappe. Much like the Sancho and Joao 2018/19 TC they are considered by many as rookie cards and are highly collected as such.

As I said the base 2018 Prizm Mbappe is selling for $200 in a PSA 10. People don't pay $200 for a base non-parallel card if they don't think it is a rookie card that I can think of. The market has already spoken on this.

I also disagree with you argument on the MJ card as they are both wildly popular because they are both considered his rookie cards. If the star card was a sticker though nobody would pay thousands for it you can bet on that.

[IndySportsCards]

Originally Posted by Ianhatcher

I get what you are saying as that is maybe the more traditional thought of soccer collecting but that doesn't fly now and especially not in the US. I've been in many soccer breaks for both 2018 Prizm and 2017/18 TC and talked to many different soccer collectors from around the world and not once have I heard someone say that the 2018 Prizm and 2017 Topps Chrome are not considered a true rookie card of Mbappe. Much like the Sancho and Joao 2018/19 TC they are considered rookie cards and are highly collected as such.

As I said the base 2018 Prizm Mbappe is selling for $200 in a PSA 10. People don't pay $200 for a base non-parallel card if they don't think it is a rookie card that I can think of.

I also disagree with you argument on the MJ card as they are both wildly popular because they are both considered his rookie cards. If the star card was a sticker though nobody would pay thousands for it you can bet on that.

I can see Soccer cards in the US being like Comic books which I deal with. Many times the market sets the demand for an iconic card/comic regardless of details. Example, Hulk #181 is often in demand and sells higher than Hulk #180 as "1st Appearance of Wolverine" even though he appears in #180, the market decided that #181 was the go to book and to this day still demands more money. I can see the same thing happening with Soccer cards, and AM seeing it happen with MBappe Prizm rookies. It appears to be the go to card as of now and I doubt anything is going to change that as the market seems to have decided that.

[yiguiri2002]

Originally Posted by Raj3sh

2018 prizm is not mbappe’s rookie. 2016 foot is his first card, then we have 2017 select and 2017 chrome. Then only the prizm comes.

It's all relative. 2017 Select and Chrome were with PSG, WC Prizm is the first set with him in a France jersey. Also, given the that European season is similar to the US fiscal year, it could be argued that WC Prizm fell during his "rookie" year (kinda similar to Panini's Father's Day or The Nationals where they put rookies after the season is over).

[IndySportsCards]

I also think what the 2018 WC Prizm Mbappe has going for it over the Panini Foot is accessibility by more people.

[fadster]

Sancho and Joao TC do well as they the same season as their stickers, i'd rather have them than stickers for sure. Off the top of head there isn't a huge difference in value; the Joao Panini might be a bit more than the base TC, Sancho the other way around.

Mbappe though is a big difference 2016/17 season vs summer 2018 release. In general I think soccer collectors like their history and know who played for whom. When faced with him in a Monaco or PSG or France jersey they would instantly identify the Monaco as his earliest. It would be like claiming Ronaldo's 2003/4 Man Utd UD was a rookie, collectors would instantly know that to be false as he had releases as a Sporting Lisbon player. Likewise see Zlatan 2000 Panini Sweden in a Malmo shirt vs 2002 Panini World Cup in a Sweden shirt.

There are a lot of other early 2nd and 3rd year base issues that do well, but that doesn't make them rookies. It's a fast growing market and a lot of sellers have product to sell, sticking rookie onto the end of everything is an easy way do it. The Prizm Mbappe will always have popularity as it's his first Prizm amongst Prizm collectors, just like Pele and Maradona first European Panini stickers do well with Panini collectors, or the UD 03/04 Ronaldo amongst Man U collectors. At current prices the 2016 Mbappe sticker is still comfortably the markets first choice. As new collectors get more adjusted to soccer collecting and do their research the better I can see the 2016 Panini doing.

[Ianhatcher]

Sellers are not dictating that they are his rookies, collectors are. I understand it doesn't fit into your idea of how the rest of us should collect but market and other collectors have already spoken. The 2018 WC Prizm and the 2017/18 TC are considered Mbappe rookie cards by many collectors and are all hot cards right now. People are busting wax to get them and the increase in sealed product and singles shows that. Long term I feel especially the 2018 Prizm will be THE Mbappe rc to get but time will tell.