Jerry Rice’s football cards are some of the best collecting options, among retired football players, in the hobby today.
I would personally say that the best Jerry Rice cards is his 1997 Precious Metal Gems green card, but his most popular among collectors is probably his 1986 Topps rookie card.
With a playing career starting in 1985 and spanning 20 years, Rice has plenty of cards for collectors to consider; I’ve covered the 10 best Jerry Rice cards, below.
Table of Contents
Quick Summary - Top 3 Picks
The Best Jerry Rice Football Cards
1986 Topps Jerry Rice Rookie Card #161
Starting with the Jerry Rice rookie card. The 1986 Topps Jerry Rice card is his oldest, and one of his most valuable cards – It’s his only official rookie card.
This card was the center of a lot of hype when it was released in the 80s, and pretty much set the football card hobby on fire.
Despite the design of the card, by today’s standards, leaving a lot to be desired, it’s a popular card and, Rice’s most valuable base card.
Supply for the card was decent, and it’s not too hard to get hold of today, but centering issues make the highest grades a premium and much more scarce collectible, with extra value.
There have been multiple sales of over $100k for this one, and it sold for as much as $125.7k, in 2021, graded 10 by PSA.
1986 McDonald's SF 49ers Jerry Rice
The McDonald’s SF 49ers Jerry Rice card was released in 1986, the same year as the popular Topps rookie card; Although it doesn’t hold the same level of popularity.
The McDonald’s set, which included 24 cards, gave collectors an opportunity to get their hands on another early Rice card, albeit not necessarily an official card. The cards were released in McDonald’s stores in San Francisco over four weeks.
There’s actually 4 unique versions on the card, with different colored removable tabs at the bottom. The purpose of the tabs was to be scratched to reveal various prizes. The versions include a blue tab, which were distributed first, then black, gold, and lastly, green.
The ‘Blue tab’ version of the card generally holds the most value, because it’s the toughest to find un-ripped and still intact (which adds to the value for all versions) since it was the first version released.
1987 Topps 1000 Yard Club Jerry Rice #2
The 1987 Topps set included this 1000 Yard Club insert, which was issued one per wax pack, at the time.
Every 1000-yard man in the league at the time was issued one, totalling 24 cards, made up of 16 receivers and 8 running backs.
Rice does have a regular Topps card from 1987, but this 1000 Yard Club card holds for value, because it’s harder to come across, particularly in the top grades.
It’s sold for as much as $700 before, graded PSA 10.
1997 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Jerry Rice #84
In my opinion, this is the best Jerry Rice football card ever released.
The football card hobby took to Precious Metal Gems cards in the late-’90s, and they remain very popular today.
There is a low-value Metal Universe base card from the set, but the 1997 PMG parallel cards were the most iconic, and this one is numbered to only 150, with condition-sensitive foil.
The majority of the print run was made up of red foil, with a rare emerald green version, which was limited to just 15 copies; It’s his most valuable card ever released.
The rarity and popularity of the 1997 PMG cards helps give it such a high value; Back in 2022, 1 of the 15 Green copies sold for $150k, graded PSA 6.
1998 Skybox Premium Star Rubies Jerry Rice #125
The 1998 Skybox Premium Star Rubies card is one of the most valuable Jerry Rice football cards ever released.
The set includes a base Jerry Rice card, but this Star Rubies parallel, which is limited to only 50 copies, is where the big value is found.
Rice does have similar parallels from earlier Skybox Premium sets, but this is the pick of them, and in my opinion, one of his best cards ever.
Back in 2022, a BGS 8.5 graded copy of the card sold for $33.6k.
1999 SP Authentic Player's Ink Jerry Rice #JR-A
The 1999 SP Signature Player’s Ink Jerry Rice card has the premium, and sought-after feature of an on-card signature, which we’re used to seeing a lot of in the football card hobby today.
The green base version is the most common and isn’t crazy expensive despite the hard-signed autograph, but it also comes with a more limited Purple parallel version, numbered to 100 copies.
The green version sold for as much as $1.4k before, graded a 10 by PSA.
1999 Topps Stadium Club Co-Signers Randy Moss, Jerry Rice #CS5
As far as wide receiver duos go, it’s safe to say Randy Moss and Jerry Rice are up there with the best.
The two, arguably, greatest wide receivers in the game’s history teamed up for this Co-Signers insert card from the 1999 Topps Stadium Club set.
The two big names, featuring both their on-card signatures, offer collectors a nice, high-value option.
A PSA 10 graded copy of this one sold for $7.8k in 2024.
2002 Topps Ring of Honor Jerry Rice Auto #RH-JR
The 2002 Topps Ring of Honor Jerry Rice card is another option with an appealing hard-signed autograph.
The card was released as a tribute to Rice’s sole Super Bowl MVP Award, which I think gives it a bit of extra appeal.
A non-autographed version of the insert was also released, which presents a cheaper alternative for collectors, but this hard-signed autograph version isn’t expensive, relative to some others on this list, so it’s a good option for most.
2009-10 Upper Deck Exquisite Rookie Patch Autograph Flashback Jerry Rice #78L
Upper Deck released a 2009-10 Basketball Exquisite Collection, which included a Rookie Patch Flashback line that highlighted legends and greats from multiple sports.
Jerry Rice was included in the release, and has this desirable and valuable autograph patch card, which represents his time in college football at Mississippi Valley State.
The flashback card design is a nod to the extremely popular Exquisite Rookie Patch Autograph cards of 2003, and for me, it’s one of Rice’s best football cards.
The card features the hard-signed autograph and relic patch, and is limited to just 25 copies. The scarcity only adds to its value, it’s not an easy one to get hold of.
2011 Upper Deck College Legends Autograph Jerry Rice #21
The 2011 Upper Deck College Legends Jerry Rice card is another autographed collegiate option; It offers an on-card signature at a relatively low price.
The card also features a distinctive Upper Deck Legends design, which is pretty simplistic.
The short print card isn’t easy to come by; Rice was part of the Group A subset, which dropped in 1 of just over 1,000 packs, although it isn’t numbered on the card itself.
When Was Jerry Rice’s Rookie Season?
Jerry Rice’s rookie season was in 1985, after he was selected as the 16th overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1985 NFL Draft.
What Is Jerry Rice's Rookie Card?
Jerry Rice’s only official rookie card was released in the 1986 Topps football set, the #161 card.
What Is The Most Valuable Jerry Rice Card?
The most valuable Jerry Rice football card ever released is his 1998 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green card, which is limited to only 15 copies.
A PSA 6 graded copy has sold for as high as $150k in the past; The rarity, and card design’s popularity, contribute to the high value.
What Are Jerry Rice Cards Worth?
Jerry Rice has many different cards from various manufacturers, released over the years of his NFL career – The price of the cards varies from a few dollars to thousands of dollars depending on which card.
Rice’s official Topps 1986 rookie card generally sells for hundreds of dollars on the secondary market.
His early playing days were during the “Junk Wax Era” of sports cards, so a good deal of the early Jerry Rice cards lose some of their potential value due to the mass-production, but there are valuable options out there, especially in the later stages of his career.
Jerry Rice: A Background
Jerry Rice is one of the greatest players ever seen in the NFL, and arguably the greatest receiver in history.
The Mississippi native wide receiver, who is most associated with the San Francisco 49ers, broke many NFL receiving records during his highly successful football career.
He’s a 3-time Super Bowl champion, a 2-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and the Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XXIII.
