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Suppose you’re looking to add risk to your sports card investing portfolio with a potential profit landslide. In that case, Trevor Lawrence’s rookie cards should serve you well heading into the 2022 NFL season, as we are predicting a breakout season.
Update Jan 2023: If you followed our advice, you have made a killing on T. Lawrence’s rookie cards. He turned the Jaguars into a playoff team in 2022. Going from one of the worse teams in the league to a playoff spot.
Trevor Lawrence’s rookie cards are some of the hottest cards in the hobby over the last few months, with good reason. He has been compared to John Elway and called the greatest college quarterback prospect.
SHOP THE BEST TREVOR LAWRENCE ROOKIE CARDS ON EBAY
Before this year, the last quarterback prospect considered a “can’t miss” pick was Andrew Luck in 2012. Enter Trevor Lawrence, one of the most mechanically sound, accomplished, and highly-graded NFL quarterbacks-to-be in the past decade.
Best Overall: 2021 Trevor Lawrence Panini Prizm RC #331
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Best Autograph: 2021 Trevor Lawrence Panini Contenders Auto RC #101
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Best Budget: 2021 Trevor Lawrence Panini Donruss Rated Rookie Card #251
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Most NFL-caliber quarterbacks take time to shine. Look no further than veterans like Tom Brady and recent top picks like Joe Burrow as evidence that becoming great sometimes takes time.
On the other hand, Lawrence has been considered a future top NFL draft pick since before graduating high school. Lawrence is the second-highest-rated college football prospect of the past 20 years, trailing only Vince Young in scouting grades. His collegiate performance did nothing to dry pro scouts’ salivary glands.
Anticipating a bright career in the League, the card collecting and trading community is seeing strong demand for Lawrence’s rookie cards. Or, to be more precise, his college cards, also sometimes known to some as early rookie cards.
By the way, he’s also listed as 6’6″ with a pea shooter for an arm and vital metrics in the accuracy department. Though you’ll find the rare mock draft slotting BYU’s Zach Wilson to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the #1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the smart money is very much on Lawrence to first overall.
Here are a few Lawrence early RCs which, should you find yourself possessing one or more, could net you a nice return.
That is if Lawrence turns out to be the Luck-level prospect that the Kippers and McShays of the world expect him to be. Check back often, as this is just the beginning of Trevor Lawrence and NFL rookie cards).
2021 Trevor Lawrence Panini Prizm RC #331
The best card of in terms of pure ROI and should be one of the best investments in the hobby for the next 10 years. BUY!
2021 Trevor Lawrence Panini Flawless RPA RC #RPA-TLA
Panini Flawless RPA has always been a significant investment and will continue to be so. Make sure you have the bankroll to purchase as they are incredibly pricey at high grades.
2021 Trevor Lawrence Panini National Treasure RPA RC /99 #156
This will be the most expensive of all the Trevor Lawrence football rookie cards. Too bad we didn’t buy this card in 2021, as the ROI in the last year is great, but the overall dollar increase is mind-blowing.
2021 Trevor Lawrence Contenders Rookie Ticket RC #101
Currently, here is one of the more expensive Trevor Lawrence rookie cards. The famous Contenders Rookie Ticket brand from Panini appears on our list. By no surprise, it is one of the most valuable 2021 football rookie cards released to date. A great-looking card, and if you can’t wait for the more prominent brands, the 2021 Trevor Lawrence Contenders rookie card is a solid buying option.
2021 Trevor Lawrence Panini Mosaic RC #301
Panini Mosaic is bringing the HEAT with their 2021 Mosaic Football card set. We have been touting how much we love the Mosaic brand, and it looks like we’re not alone as they expand.
2021 Trevor Lawrence Panini Donruss Rated Rookie Card #251
Great for collectors looking to get by on the cheap but still obtain a worthwhile investment.
2021 Pro Set Trevor Lawrence Rookie Card #XRC1
The 2021 Trevor Lawrence Pro Set RC has a release date of March 26, 2021. It showed strong demand during the pre-sale stage, and the reason could have more to do with Lawrence’s appeal as a prospect. The design of the 2021 Pro Set rookie cards, including Lawrence’s, is a nod to the past. If the minimalist orange and white border, emoji-style football helmet in the top left corner, and text font seem retro, it’s because it is retro.
This is the same design aesthetic used in 1989 when images of rookies like Troy Aikman, Deion Sanders, and Barry Sanders graced the Pro Set paperboard.
The image and the overall card aesthetic are decidedly simple. It is also a card that you can secure at an accessible price point. Leave it up to Pro Set, nearly thirty years later, to add a couple of twists for serious collectors. You can hunt two gems: a reverse-image version of the 2021 Pro Set Lawrence RC and an autographed version with a nameplate and blue-ink signature beneath Lawrence’s likeness.
Trending: Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
These are two rarer versions of the base Pro Set RC—there will only be 1,000 reverse-image parallels in circulation—that may provide added value to your collection as Lawrence ascends into NFL prominence.
2021 Topps X Trevor Lawrence Rookie Card
We usually don’t make investments in pre-NFL rookie cards, but we may make an exception in this case. Topps has teamed up with Trevor’s brother and sister-in-law, both artists, to create 20 of the 50 cards in the 2021 Topps X Trevor Lawrence 50 card set, which offers a unique look at Trevor Lawrence.
We will admit they are somewhat artsy, which may turn some traditional collectors off, but we are thinking about investing in a few as they are super unique, and the art is well-done, in our opinion.
Checklist
- 2018 Leaf US Army All American Bowl Patch/Auto #LT1
- 2021 Panini Prizm RC #331
- 2021 Panini Contenders Auto RC #101
- 2021 Panini Donruss Rated Rookie #251
- 2021 National Treasures RPA /99 #156
- 2018 Hot Shot Prospect
- 2021 Topps X
- 2021 Panini Mosaic Scripts #SMTL
- 2020 Contenders DP Auto #101
- 1/16 2018 RC Facsimile Auto Platinum Cuts 1/1
- 2018 Leaf Metal US Army A/A Bowl TOUR Auto /15 #TL1
- 2018 Leaf US Army All-American Bowl Autograph Printing Plate
- 2020 Rookie Gems Gold Cracked Ice #16
- 2018 Platinum Cuts Facsimile Auto Trevor Lawrence And Joe Burrow Trevor Lawrence RC /1000
- 2018 Leaf Metal U.S. Army #BA-TL1
- 2018 Leaf U.S Army All-American #55
- 2018 Leaf U.S. Army All-American Bowl Patch/Auto #PA-TL1
- 2021 Pro Set #XRC1
Lawrence’s image on the Pro Set RC reflects one thing scouts love about him: his ability to stand tall in the pocket, eyes locked downfield. Wearing a white Clemson jersey (though no Clemson logos are visible) with grass stains on his right shoulder, Lawrence’s signature locks dangle out of a logo-less Clemson helmet.
Trevor Lawrence Rookie Card Value
The most valuable Trevor Lawrence rookie card is the 2021 Panini Prizm Draft Picks Black Autograph Trevor Lawrence Rookie Card #DPA-TLW. This bad boy sold for $16,100 in June 2021.
If you want a Trevor Lawrence rookie card but are unsure what to buy, please email us at advice@goldcardauctions.com. Do you have a Trevor Lawrence football card and want an estimated value? Please email us at value@goldcardauctions.com or DM us on the Gold Card Auctions Facebook page.
Buyers Rating and Investment Outlook
We’ve seen the phenomenon unfold with LaMelo Ball in the NBA when top-billed rookies live up to or exceed their professional expectations quickly, the value of their trading cards skyrockets.
Don’t be surprised when the LaMelo effect takes hold with Trevor Lawrence. Even the most sure-fire of prospects (looking at you, Todd Marinovich) can flame out. There is understandable restraint among trading card investors until they see the “can’t-miss” prospect, well, not miss.
If and when Lawrence proves to be the stud that most expect him to be—in Jacksonville or elsewhere—you’re going to wish you had invested in at least one of his rookie cards. As we’ve seen, there is a ripe investment opportunity no matter your budget. Take your pick.
I have a Trevor Lawrence Prestige card #201 black & white jersey numbered 91/199, how much is it worth?