A strong rookie season for the Los Angeles Chargers, which earned him the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, helped fuel a lot of interest and hype around Justin Herbert’s rookie cards in the football card collecting hobby.
His best, and most expensive, rookie card is his 2020 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Autograph; The 1-0f-1 Platinum NFL Shield parallel version sold for $1.8M in 2022, to make it one of the most expensive football cards ever sold.
I’ve covered that card, and the other best and most popular Justin Herbert rookie cards, below.
Table of Contents
Quick Summary - Top Picks
Here’s a quick summary of my top Justin Herbert rookie card picks for different budgets:
For Low Budget
For Mid Budget
- 2020 Panini Absolute Kaboom! #K-JH1 & #K-JH2
For High Budget
The Best Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
With Panini at the helm for official football cards in Justin Herbert’s rookie season, there are plenty of options for collectors, with varying levels of rarity and valuations.
Here’s a deeper look at all the best Herbert rookies:
2020 Panini Prizm Justin Herbert #325
If you’ve been in the football card hobby for a while, then you’ll know that Panini Prizm is always near the top of the list for collectors when it comes to rookie cards.
The popular option offers a nice looking base Justin Herbert rookie card, with the typical Prizm design, at an entry level price range.
I think it’s easily one of the top Justin Herbert rookies.
The Prizm brand has become know for mainstream and low-value base versions, but with a wide array of parallel versions, which add color and rarity; It means there’s something for all different budgets.
Some of the rarest and lowest-numbered parallel versions of this one are among Justin Herbert’s most valuable football cards.
Back in 2022, a PSA 9 graded copy of the Gold Prizm parallel (/10) sold for $78k.
2020 Panini Mosaic Justin Herbert #204
The Panini Mosaic brand debuted in 2020, and Justin Herbert’s rookie card was a part of that set; It’s one of his more popular rookies, which was probably helped by collectors’ hype around the new set.
The Prizm-esque base card, with the glossy finish, is another affordable, entry-level option for collectors.
Like Prizm, it also has numerous parallels, which are rarer and more valuable than the base card.
2020 Panini Donruss Optic Rated Rookie Justin Herbert #153
Another ‘go-to’ set when it comes to rookie cards is the Donruss Optic set.
This popular Justin Herbert rookie card option is easy to get hold of, and offers a nice chromium design. The base version is a good option for entry-level collectors who are after a Herbert rookie card.
There are dozens of parallels, with varying scarcity and values, but you can expect to pay more for these than the base card.
2020 Panini Absolute Justin Herbert #167
The Panini Absolute Justin Herbert rookie card is a nice looking card, and a good option for collectors looking for one of the less-expensive rookie cards.
Panini Absolute has a good reputation as a brand, and it’s a popular option when it comes to rookie cards at more entry-level values.
The design is clean, with the dark theme, and the blue corners.
2020 Panini Select Justin Herbert #44 Concourse, #144 Premier, #244 Club, #344 Field
There’s a lot of variety and option when it comes to the 2020 Panini Select Just Herbert rookie cards.
The Select sets have a tiered system, with multiple different cards for each player, with varying scarcity.
There’s 4 Herbert base cards: The first, and most common, is the Concourse (#44) card, which is pictured above.
Then, in order of scarcity, there’s also the Premier (#144) card, the Club (#244) card and the Field (#344) card, which is the rarest and most valuable of the base cards.
Naturally the Concourse card is the lowest in value, because it’s the easiest one to get hold of; However, all 4 cards are a nice option for a base Justin Herbert rookie card.
The cards come with parallel versions, and the 1-of-1 Black Prizm parallel of the Field Level card sold for $96k back in 2021, which makes it easily one of Herbert’s most expensive unsigned rookies.
2020 Panini Absolute Kaboom! Justin Herbert #K-JH1, #K-JH2
Panini Absolute Kaboom! are inserts that are popular in the sports card hobby, they’re highly sought-after because of their exciting comic style designs.
Justin Herbert has 2 different Kaboom cards in the 2020 Panini Absolute set, with different images.
The short print insert was included in Panini Absolute packs, but they were not easy to pack, which makes them rare now.
They are some of the most valuable Justin Herbert rookie cards, because of their popularity and scarcity.
Both versions has Gold (/10) and Green (1-of-1) parallels; The Green version of the K-JH2 card sold for $79.2k in 2021, so it’s one of the top Herbert football card options.
2020 Panini Donruss Optic Downtown Justin Herbert #D-JH
The Donruss Optic Downtown inserts rarely disappoint, I’m a big fan of the artwork and design Panini uses on them; This is one of the best first-year Justin Herbert cards.
The Downtown cards feature cultural references related to the player featured, so it offers something different in the design to Herbert’s other rookies.
It’s a popular option, and the base version is one of the most valuable Herbert base rookies; There’s also a sole parallel: The 1-of-1 Gold Vinyl version.
The Best Autographed Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
2020 Panini Contenders Autograph Justin Herbert #104
Panini Contenders rookie cards have long been a favorite of collectors, with the shiny ticket style card, which come in more on the premium side in terms of value.
This one isn’t Herbert’s most expensive rookie card, but it’s up there as one of the more valuable.
I think this is Herbert’s best autograph only (no relic) rookie card, and it’s popular among Herbert collectors.
There are a few parallels for this one as well, which add another layer of rarity; A PSA 10 graded copy of the Cracked Ice parallel version (/22) sold for $102k, back in 2022.
2020 Panini Immaculate Collection Rookie Patch Autograph Justin Herbert #103
The Panini Immaculate cards belong in the premium category of football cards, and this Justin Herbert card is one of his best.
Herbert is featured on numerous different cards within the 2020 set, including this Rookie patch auto card, limited and numbered to 99 copies.
There are some more limited parallels, including 1-of-1 NFL Shield and 1-of-1 Platinum parallels, which are both the best and most expensive versions.
2020 Panini Flawless Rookie Dual Patch Autograph Justin Herbert #RDPAJH
Another premium and high-end option for a Justin Herbert rookie card is the 2020 Panini Flawless rookie dual patch auto card; He has multiple options in the high-end release, but I think this one is the best.
The dual relic patch and signature are a big premium appeal for this card, and the classy Panini Flawless design helps make this one a super-premium Herbert rookie.
In my opinion, it offers a good less-expensive alternative to the coveted National Treasures RPA option, although it’s still valuable.
The base version itself is numbered to only 25 copies, and there are numerous numbered parallel versions, including the 1-of-1 Platinum NFL Shield parallel, which sold for $120k back in 2021.
2020 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Autograph Justin Herbert #158
For me, and many other collectors, the 2020 Panini National Treasures RPA is Justin Herbert’s best rookie card.
National Treasures cards are always in and around the most premium and expensive options for rookies.
They have everything you’d want: The signature, jumbo jersey patch, and limited print run (99), mixed with a high-quality finish to the card.
The base version itself has sold for as much as $240k before, but the parallel options add more rarity and value.
The best and most scarce version is the 1-of-1 Platinum NFL Shield parallel, which sold for $1.8 million in 2022, graded BGS 8.5, making it one of the most expensive football cards of all time; I think the buyer overpaid for the card, but it shows the demand for it.
When Was Justin Herbert’s Rookie Season?
Justin Herbert’s rookie season was the 2020 NFL season – He was selected as 6th overall pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2020 NFL Draft.
What Is The Most Valuable Justin Herbert Rookie Card?
The most valuable Justin Herbert rookie card is his 2020 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Autograph card.
The on-card signature, jumbo relic patch, and brand prestige all contribute to the high value.
The base version is limited to only 99 serial-numbered copies, and has sold for as much as $240k before, and there are some parallel versions.
The 1-of-1 NFL Shield parallel sold for $1.8 million in 2022, which makes it his most expensive football card.
How Much Are Justin Herbert Rookie Cards Worth?
There’s a wide range of Justin Herbert rookie cards, with varying values. His entry-level rookie cards are generally worth hundreds of dollars in high grades, and his rarer, more premium cards usually sell for a lot more – The 2020 Panini National Treasures Justin Herbert Auto Patch, for example, will cost somewhere in the 6 figure range.
