The Buffalo Bills drafted O.J. Simpson (7/9/1947) with the 1st overall pick in the 1969 NFL Draft, and boy, did it pay off as OJ was one of the best back the NFL ever saw.
OJ Simpson Rookie Season Stats: 13 games | 697 rushing yards | 343 receiving yards | 5 touchdowns.
His rookie season was decent for a young guy just getting his feet wet. He took off in his fourth year (1972), rushing for 1251 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Must-Have NFL Rookie Cards
Tom Brady Bowman Chrome Rookie Card – The best QB of all-time (no argument)
Jim Brown Topps Rookie Card – Most likely the best running back to ever carry the pigskin (we would accept an argument made for Barry Sanders or Sweetness – Walter Payton Rookie Card)
Jerry Rice Rookie Topps Rookie Card – The best wideout of all-time (again 2nd place is not even close)
The following season (1973), he simply had one of the best seasons a running back has ever had in the National Football League. He rushed for a mind-blowing 2003 yards with 12 touchdowns, and get this, an average of 143.1 yards per game!
For comparison’s sake, in 2012, Adrian Peterson rushed for 2097 yards and averaged 131.1 yards per game. Even the great Eric Dickerson, in 1984, rushed for 2105 yards (averaging 131.6). As far as we can tell, no one ran for more yards per game than OJ did with his 143.1 in 1973.
Best O.J. Simpson RC
Here are the top-rated OJ Simpson RCS from an investment perspective..
1970 OJ Simpson Topps RC #90
Here is the O.J. Simpson rookie card you want in your sportscard investment portfolio. His sound Topps rookie card and a great-looking card at that. We love the up-close photo of the Juice in happier days.
But if you look closely, you can see a trim level of discomfort in those eyes, like he is trying to push something down and out of his mind. This card is his top rookie card by a wide margin.
Read: 2020 Topps Series 2 Variations
Numbered #90, the card is outlined in an orange/yellow color with a flag holding the OJ Simpson name. A small football completes the card with the player’s position, in this case, running back.
1970 OJ Simpson Kellogg’s RC #48
In our opinion, the 1970s Kellogg OJ Simpson rookie card is a pretty sharp-looking card and shows OJ with his game face on… I wouldn’t want to tackle him; his face screamed, “I could run over a mack truck! and will if I have to!”.
Numbered #48, the card is outlined in a white border and has his name printed in cursive (top-left corner) and his name inside a blue football helmet (top-right-hand corner)… wouldn’t it have made more sense to put his position in place of one of the names? But what do we know we don’t design cards 🙂
I was not a big OJ fan, but I might consider buying this card if the price is right.
1969 OJ Simpson Glendale Stamps Football RC
This card isn’t worth owning… it will most likely increase in value over time, but the ROI would be so small it’s not worth the time/money unless you’re a HUGE OJ, aka Juice FANBOY.
I can’t imagine us owning this card in any situation… unless it was given to us for free.
Checklist
- 1969 Glendale Stamps RC
- 1970 Kelloggs RC #48
- 1970 Topps RC #90
- 1977 OJ Simpson Walter Payton Topps Football Card #3 (not a Juice rookie card but included it as a bonus as a better-than-average football card investment)
OJ Simpson Rookie Card Value
The most expensive OJ Simpson RC by far is the 1970 Topps and his cheapest is by far the Glendale Stamps.
If you are thinking about buying a Juice rookie card and would like a second opinion please email us at advice@goldcardauctions.com or DM us on the Gold Card Auctions Facebook page (we will most likely respond fast on FB but email is fine too).
Looking to obtain an estimated value of an OJ Simpson football card? Post in the comments below or email us at value@goldcardauctions.com.
Investment Outlook
The OJ Simpson Topps rookie card should bring in an excellent ROI for the foreseeable future at high grades (i.e. PSA 10, 9, 8, 7 BGS 9.5, 9, 8.5, 8). If you want to buy the Topps Juice RC, we suggest a PSA 7 grade or higher for better ROI.
Investment Rating: Buy (3.6 out of 5)
Ownership Disclosure: None
Best O.J. Simpson Rookie Card: 1970 Topps RC
Given all the drama around OJ Simpson, his Topps rookie card still increases in value year in and year out as people tend to overlook his trouble pass and it seems he has become more of a famous punch line for jokes more than anything.
i have o.j.simpson rookie card # 90 for sale best offer