Best Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards to Bank On in 2022
Patrick Mahomes has established himself as the transcendent quarterback of his generation.
While non-football enthusiasts may not know the name Justin Herbert or be able to recognize Josh Allen in a crowd, they know and recognize Mahomes.
Mahomes’ marketability, name recognition, and continued excellence on the field mean a high price floor for his rookie cards.
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The ceiling for those cards will likely continue to elevate as the Kansas City Chiefs superstar racks up playoff appearances, MVP awards, and Super Bowl rings.
Rookie Year Stats: 1 Game, 284 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT
Mahomes’ rookie season was spent learning. He played in only one game, making his sophomore year his actual debut campaign.
The Texas Tech alumnus immediately showed glimpses of greatness, compiling 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns in his first proper season as an NFL signal caller—a truly unprecedented feat. Collectors immediately snatched up Mahomes’ rookie cards, and Mahomes Mania has continued since.
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With no signs of the Chiefs quarterback declining, demand for his rookie cards remains strong.
Some of the specific rookie cards that stand out from the rest include:
1. 2017 Patrick Mahomes Panini Prizm RC #269
You cannot tell the story of modern sports card collecting without the name Panini.
Panini produces some of the most coveted, consistent, and price-steady products, and its Prizm football cards are a case in point.
Mahomes’ rookie card is the crown jewel of the 2017 Panini Prizm checklist, just as it is the crown jewel of most NFL trading card sets released in 2017.
Collectors know that the most outstanding value lies in Prizm parallels, with Black Finite (/1), Gold Vinyl (/5), Bronze Stars (/6), and Gold (/10) parallels being especially rare. The parallels add unique colors and designs to the base Mahomes Prizm, which no collector in their right mind would turn down.
The card features the Chiefs quarterback in the team’s matching red uniform and helmet. Football fans will notice that Mahomes, still an unproven rookie, cradles the football with elbows spread, a robotic-looking alternative to the loose style with which he now plays.
The card is pretty spartan, as the Prizm set is not known for breaking the design mold.
A silver reflective border runs vertically along each side, speckled with grey dots and divided by a thin black accent. A Prizm emblem up top balances out Mahomes’ nameplate below.
It’s not incredibly sexy, but it works. Most base versions of Panini Prizm cards are worth owning but will rarely crack the six-figure price threshold.
Mahomes’ base Panini Prizm is the exception, as no other NFL star of the modern trading card era commands more collecting dollars than Mahomes.
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2. 2017 Patrick Mahomes National Treasures RPA /99 RC #161
One of Panini’s premium offerings, the 2017 Patrick Mahomes National Treasures RPA RC #161 has everything collectors desire: an autograph, a patch, an elite superstar in their rookie year, and a limited print run.
Oh yeah, it also has a top-notch design scheme. The card has a horizontal layout, with the patch embedded vertically on the right side of the landscape. A touched-up image of Mahomes about to release a pass occupies the left side of the card, with Mahomes’ signature scrawled beneath in blue Sharpie.
A subtle Mahomes nameplate runs along the lower horizontal edge, while the “National Treasures” banner runs vertically along the right border.
This is one of those cards you could stare at for an hour as each element complements the other.
While the base card is a major draw in its own right, notable parallels include Printing Plates (/1), Platinum NFL Shield (/1), Red (/2), and Black (/5).
3. 2017 Patrick Mahomes II Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket #303 (/212)
Panini’s Contenders Rookie Ticket set is one that collectors keep on their radar yearly. The set blends a unique look with important autographs and limited print runs.
Mahomes’ Rookie Ticket #303 is limited to 212 copies and features an autograph, two characteristics that will keep the card near the top of rookie card rankings. The card shows the rookie field general in his red Chiefs uniforms with white pants, rolling to his right with two hands on the ball. The image contrasts with a mustard yellow backdrop slotted in the card’s righthand corner.
To the left is the “Rookie Ticket” graphic, which in this case, is a ticket to football card collecting’s upper echelon. The card’s bottom border is blank, and Mahomes conveniently scrawled his autograph in black.
While the design is not as clean as you’d find with National Treasures, it is standard fare for the Rookie Ticket set.
4. 2017 Patrick Mahomes II Panini Donruss Optic Rated Rookie RC #177
Donruss Optic Rated Rookie cards will never break a seasoned collector’s bank, even when it features Patrick Mahomes.
However, this card is a straightforward, get-what-you-see card with a throwback feel. Mahomes stands tall with his helmet off, serving as a visual introduction to a young quarterback who would soon become a household face.
Stadium lights and a press tower looming in the background, encompassed by an arched border. A light blue outer border contains silver racing stripe-style accents, and the timeless Rated Rookie emblem sits towards the upper-left corner.
A faint neon outline borders Mahomes’ picture, emphasizing the Optic aspect of this card. Notable parallels include Gold Vinyl (/1), Green (/5), Gold (/10), and Black (/25).
5. 2017 Patrick Mahomes Select Field Level Silver Prizm RC #247
The rarer of the two 2017 Patrick Mahomes Select #247 rookie cards, the Field Level edition features the brother of Jackson Mahomes rolling to his right, exhibiting his trademark fluidity that is noticeably absent in many of his rookie cards. The Silver Prizm is the most common parallel.
With Select, collectors expect a slightly more varied design scheme from Panini’s more mainstream Prizm set. However, the look of this Mahomes rookie card does not stray too far off Panini’s beaten path, sticking with a chrome backdrop similar to what you’d find with a standard Prizm.
This card is hyper-reflective, mirroring a rainbow of colors as you tip it in your hand. The young gunslinger is the centerpiece, left foot on the turf and right foot slightly elevated as if resting on his nameplate.
Semi-circular pearl banners occupy the upper and lower lefthand corners, while the backdrop features the red sidewall and audience of Arrowhead Stadium. Because it is the rarer of the Select Mahomes rookie cards, it carries the Panini brand, and it offers an attractive design, this card has maintained a steady price point.
This might be a Mahomes rookie card worth considering for collectors who do not have the stomach for busts but do not mind missing out on substantial booms.
If you want to seek a leveled-up version of this base card, look for the Black (/1), Pink (/1), Green (/5), Gold (/10), or Tie-Dye (/25) parallels.
6. 2017 Patrick Mahomes Panini Contenders Draft Class RC Auto #298
When you examine a player’s rookie card catalog, you’ll find one or two cards featuring the player in their college uniform.
While these cards are never the most valuable rookie card in that player’s catalog, they offer inherent uniqueness that every collector must consider. The 2017 Patrick Mahomes Panini Contenders Draft Class RC Auto #298 shows a young Mahomes in an all-white Texas Tech uniform, cradling the all-leather portion of the football as he moves to his left.
An autograph written in blue Sharpie sits on the junction between Mahomes’ photograph and the white canvas below. The card adopts Panini’s “Ticket” theme, with the bottom portion emulating a ticket to a Texas Tech football game.
This card segment contains both the “TT” logo and the Panini Contenders emblem. Here’s the point: It’s a Mahomes autograph that qualifies as a rookie card. Whether or not you prefer Patrick Mahomes in a Chiefs uniform, this is a card that every collector should have on their radar.
7. 2017 Patrick Mahomes Immaculate PR-PM #104
You’re onto something when you combine the Panini brand with a patch and an autograph. The 2017 Patrick Mahomes Panini Immaculate #104 proves this winning formula, combining these three essential ingredients to achieve an expensive effect.
The horizontally-oriented card features the rookie in a state of high concentration, eyeing the coverage as he prepares to deliver a dart. The card features Mahomes’ signature in blank ink, located (from the cardholder’s perspective) to the right of Mahomes’ photograph.
A medium-sized player patch sits beneath the signature towards the card’s center point. Panini’s “RC” rookie card emblem, a small Chiefs logo, a nameplate reading “Rookie Patch Autograph” and “Patrick Mahomes,” and an “Immaculate Collection” banner round out the card’s design.
This is a genuinely elite offering from Panini. The fixed 99-card supply means that investors know exactly how many copies are in circulation, adding to the card’s price point.
8. 2017 Patrick Mahomes Panini Contenders Optic Rookie Ticket #103
2017 was the first year that Panini released its Optic version of the Contenders set, making this Mahomes rookie card unusually unique.
The base card has a limited print run, and even rarer parallels such as Printing Plates Yellow (/1), Printing Plates Magenta (/1), Printing Plates Cyan (/1), Printing Plates Black (/1), Gold Vinyl (/1), Gold (/10), Blue (/25), and Red (/75) are even more valuable. The Optic rookie ticket shows Mahomes rolling to his right, wearing a style of facemask that would not last beyond his rookie season. He also does not yet don the long sleeves that have become a staple of his gameday outfit.
The card’s design mirrors the non-Optic rookie ticket. Instead of a mustard yellow backdrop, Optic’s refractive backdrop bears the color of the specific parallel.
The “Rookie” font in the Rookie Ticket portion of the card is black, while Mahomes’ name and specific other fonts on the ticket are in white.
This creates an effect where the white font becomes nearly invisible when the backdrop is a particular shade. The all-important signature shines prominently at the card’s stark, white lower border.
This is a very solid card design-wise, and the autograph and limited print runs make it a treasure in collecting circles.
9. 2017 Patrick Mahomes Panini Prizm Illumination #3
Few stars in the NFL shine brighter than Patty Mahomes, so it is only fitting that the rookie has a spot in Panini’s 2017 Prizm “Illumination” insert checklist.
He is one of only 10 athletes featured in this insert set, alongside Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Dak Prescott. The card adopts a stained-glass effect, with kaleidoscope-like refraction of colors hitting your eye.
A silver banner reads “Illumination” across the card’s top border, with an image of Mahomes in his red Chiefs uniforms superimposed on top. Immediately behind Mahomes’ image is a diamond-like backdrop, and a black nameplate with a silver Prizm emblem occupies the lower portion of the card.
Though it is a unique and eye-catching insert, the design is not the most intricate you will find on this list. The Black Finite (/1) and Gold Mojo (/10) parallels offer significantly more price upside than the base card, but a highly-graded copy of the base has a solid value floor.
10. 2017 Patrick Mahomes Stained Glass Mojo RC #10
A great-looking card with a great-looking price tag. If you see this bad boy up for auction, we suggest making a bid.
Most Valuable Patrick Mahomes Rookie Card
What is the most expensive Patrick Mahomes rookie card, you ask?
Prepared to have your mind blown.
Selling for a mind-numbing 4.3 million dollars, the 2017 National Treasures NFL Shield Mahomes Rookie Auto card is his most expensive card.
Here are the top 5
2017 National Treasures NFL Shield Auto RC
2017 Panini National Treasures RC Auto Patch #161 /99
2017 Panini Impeccable Patrick Mahomes RC Autograph Patch/Helmet #107 /75
2017 Panini Flawless Autograph #132 /20 RC
2017 Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket #303
Related Players
Josh Allen
Tom Brady
Lamar Jackson
Aaron Rodgers
What is the rarest Patrick Mahomes Rookie card?
The rarest Patrick Mahomes RC is the 1 of 1 NFL Shield Panini National Treasures RC. This card also happens to be the most expensive of all his cards.
Long-Term Forecast
Patrick Mahomes Rookie Card Collecting Outlook No single player is more popular today than Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. The very fact that Mahomes has risen to superstardom while playing in Kansas freakin City is a testament to his star power, natural talent, and work ethic.
These undeniable assets are a further reason for NFL trading card collectors to continue buying Mahomes’ stock. Few players’ rookie card collections offer the high floor and upside that Mahomes does.
With Super Bowls already to his name, the Chiefs look like perennial Super Bowl contenders for the foreseeable future. Should Mahomes continue to add Super Bowl victories and MVP awards to his resume, the price of his rookie cards should continue to rise.
As individuals worldwide continue seeking assets that could keep pace with inflation and generally higher living costs, some have turned to trade cards.
However, many have become wary of unreliable assets that sell at a high price point but never appreciate. With Mahomes’ rookie cards—particularly his rarest ones—collectors may find assets with a steady store of value and potentially high upside.
Serving as Aaron Rodgers’s heir apparent to the State Farm empire only enhances Mahomes’ name recognition. As Brady’s chance of more rings fades into the sunset and old heads like Rodgers trend towards irrelevance, Mahomes may prove the safest bet in NFL card collecting.
