In the glittering aftermath of Super Bowl LIX, while the confetti was still being swept from the field, the sports memorabilia market for one burgeoning NFL star witnessed an electrifying surge. Yes, we’re talking about Jalen Hurts—a name now indelibly etched in Super Bowl history as he catapulted himself not only into NFL folklore but also into the high-stakes, thrilling world of sports card trading.
On a seemingly ordinary evening of January 19, 2023, the whispers of Jalen Hurts’ potential started turning into roars. On that date, an emblematic piece of cardboard bearing his likeness—a 2020 Panini Immaculate Collection 1/1 NFL Shield Auto with a PSA grade of 8 and an Auto grade of 10—caught a modest wind under its price wings at $23,400. Fast forward to the evening of February 9, 2025, where anticipation was already alight as Hurts donned his Super Bowl MVP hat, and the market responded exuberantly, seeing the very same card re-sell for a jaw-dropping $35,000.
This sticker shock leaves us pondering—has Hurts’ card market soared to its zenith, or are we merely at the dawn of an even more spectacular ascent?
There are several driving forces behind the 50% uptick in value that this card experienced:
Firstly, quarterbacks who are victorious in Super Bowl play often find themselves not only clutching rings but also pandering to investors’ long-term affections. As Hurts steps into this elite echelon, investors can almost smell the aroma of future profits wafting their way.
Moreover, carpet the historical allure of being the MVP during such a momentous NFL event, and you’ve got a recipe for heightened demand among collectors thirsty for a slice of history. Hurts is now immortalized in NFL annals, and collectors want a piece of that forever.
Then there’s the broader landscape of sports card investments. Even amid market fluctuations, the allure of young athletes with stellar prospects, like Hurts, keeps the wheels of the sports card market well-oiled and investors strapping themselves in for the long haul.
This brings us squarely to the confounding crossroads: Is this milestone a ceiling or merely a floor, tickling the market’s imagination by the potential scale of Hurts’ storied future in the league?
Comparing the card markets of Hurts with those of his elite contemporaries could opine some sagacious insights:
Patrick Mahomes, no stranger to gridiron grandeur, has seen his top rookie patch autos crest the $100K+ mark, especially post his second Super Bowl bragging rights acquisition. Meanwhile, standing atop the mountain as the undisputed GOAT, Tom Brady’s rookie cards are often nonchalantly exchanged for seven-figure sums, a testament to a legacy sealed with seven championships.
So, for Jalen Hurts to continue this exponential card value propulsion, he will need to craft a storied career full of persistent elite displays, punctuated by playoff grandeur, and perhaps carve his image into canticles of the Hall of Fame.
As the offseason approaches, marking cooler temperatures in both weather and NFL action, sports card values, much like any eager football enthusiast on a lazy Sunday afternoon, typically take a nap. This poses the perennial conundrum for collectors and investors: buy, hold, or sell?
For the astutely bullish, buying now might be akin to catching a comet before it breaches the stratosphere if Hurts is set for a future adorned in multiple championship rings.
Conversely, sellers might be feeling the urge to cash out and skim the cream off the hoopla of Super Bowl valor before the inevitable offseason lull.
For the ones wagering on Hurts’ burgeoning legacy and armoured with black swan patience, holding might just be their chosen gambit, awaiting the inevitable surge upward with future successes.
When we peel back the shiny veneer of glitzy numbers, the investor community faces the rarified reality of 1/1 rookie cards like Hurts’ NFL Shield Auto—an enigma as scarce as they are sought-after. The dynamics of such exclusivity can make long-term market predictions as elusive as a seasoned quarterback’s well-executed play action fake.
With MVP laurels and a Super Bowl victory in his quiver, the allure of Hurts’ market presence has never been stronger. That $35,000 post on the card thermometer is a potent indicator of his rising star, yet whether it represents a historic marker or merely a step to even greater heights is a tantalizing narrative, one whose ending remains unwritten and beckons eager anticipation as the relentless sequel to Jalen Hurts’ gridiron saga continues.
