As one of the best defensive players that the NFL has ever seen, Lawrence Taylor has some of the most valuable football cards available from his era.
In my opinion, Lawrence Taylor’s best football card is his 1982 Topps rookie card; It’s one of the key cards from the 1980s for collectors.
I’ve covered that card, and Lawrence Taylor’s other best football card picks, below.
Table of Contents
Quick Summary - Top 3 Picks
The Best Lawrence Taylor Cards
1982 Topps All-Pro Lawrence Taylor Rookie Card #434
When collectors talk about a Lawrence Taylor rookie card, they are usually referring to this 1982 Topps card, which is his most popular, and his most valuable card ever released.
He does have other cards from 1982, but this one is considered the rookie.
It was issued in the regular 1982 Topps set, and while Taylor did have other cards released in the 1982 Topps, it is the most valuable because it’s the first individual card of his, and not part of a subset.
It features an image of Taylor looking deep in thought, with his hand on his chin. The design also bears similarities to the 1975 Topps set design, with both a featured team flag and logo at the front base of the card.
Back in 2021, a BGS 10 graded copy of the card sold for $26.2k; It’s one of the most expensive football cards of the 80s.
Average price of a PSA 10 graded copy: $5.5k-6k
1982 Topps In-Action Lawrence Taylor #435
I mentioned just now that Taylor has multiple different Topps 1982 cards, and this In-Action card is another valuable rookie of his.
It’s worth much less than his All-Pro rookie, but it features a similar design, and for me, it offers collectors a good, cheaper alternative.
The image of him on this one, as the name suggests, is of him in action, unlike the All-Pro card.
A PSA 10 graded copy of this one sold for $2.3k, back in 2021, which makes it one of Lawrence’s most expensive football cards ever.
Average price of a PSA 10 graded copy: $500-$600
1982 Topps All-Pro Coming Soon Sticker Lawrence Taylor #144
Released as part of a subset which was printed on gold foil, Topps inserted several stickers into 1982 Topps packs with ‘Coming Soon’ printed on the reverse.
Only players who were featured in the Pro Bowl team of 1981 were included, but the highlights of the insert line were Lawrence Taylor and Joe Montana’s gold-bordered stickers.
This one was part of a 16-sticker preview set, hence the ‘Coming Soon’. There is another version from the normal set, which is identical on the front, but different on the reverse; Neither version carries significantly more value than the other.
It’s not very expensive to buy, but it is relatively scarce in top condition, and it offers a first-year release, with some unique characteristics.
Average price of a PSA 10 graded copy: $200-$250
1982 Topps Sticker Lawrence Taylor #92
Another sticker option from 1982 is this standard Topps Lawrence Taylor sticker, which was sold in packs and intended to be stuck in a Topps sticker album, which was sold separately.
Like the ‘Coming Soon’ sticker I just mentioned, this one is inexpensive, but harder to find in good condition; Stickers generally are, compared to cards.
These were also released to be stuck into an album book; Finding one that isn’t ‘stuck in’ and still in good condition can be challenging.
Average price of a PSA 10 graded copy: $100-$150
1983 Topps Lawrence Taylor #133
By the time the 1983 Topps Lawrence Taylor card was released, he was already a two-time defending Defensive Player of the Year, but similarly to the standard 1982 Topps rookie, the card didn’t feature an image of Taylor in action for the New York Giants.
The card features Taylor on the bench with the Giants’ “Big Blue Wrecking Crew”. It holds decent value, as one of his first standard Topps cards, and is one of the more valuable cards from the 1983 set.
A PSA 10 graded copy of this one sold for as much as $910, in 2021.
Average price of a PSA 10 graded copy: $200-$250
1984 Topps Lawrence Taylor #321
The Topps football card design had quite a substantial change in design in 1984, compared to the previous year, with an off-center diagonal frame and a front of card base similar to the 1982 Topps rookie, featuring the Giants helmet in the bottom-left corner.
This is another one of Lawrence Taylor’s best cards, in my opinion.
Although the set itself is more well-known for featuring the rookie cards of two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, John Elway and Dan Marino, Taylor is another big name on the star-studded set checklist.
A copy sold for $1.23k, graded PSA 10, back in 2023.
Average price of a PSA 10 graded copy: $150-$200
1985 Topps All-Pro Lawrence Taylor #124
Although it didn’t quite have the star-loaded checklist of the year before, the 1985 Topps set came with another big change in design, where they opted to go horizontal.
It offers collectors something a bit different, in terms of design, and it’s quite rare in top grades, so those copies are among Taylor’s most valuable cards.
The dark border it what makes this one hard to find in good condition these days.
Collectors who are after an even tougher chase will also want to track down a red parallel found on the bottom of ’85 Topps wax boxes.
Average price of a PSA 10 graded copy: $400-$500
1986 McDonald's New York Giants Lawrence Taylor #56
This card was released in McDonald’s stores around New York across a four-week period in 1986.
There’s actually 4 unique versions of the card, with different colored removable tabs at the bottom.
At the time, the colored tabs were to be scratched to reveal various prizes. The versions include a blue tab, which were distributed first, then black, gold, and lastly, green, all of which were available for one week.
Due to it being released first, and being tougher to find un-ripped, the ‘Blue tap’ version of the card generally holds the most value.
Intact and un-ripped versions of any one of the four colors adds to the value.
Taylor was actually featured on two different McDonald’s scratch-off cards in 1986, each with the four different color variations. One for the New York Giants team set and the other as part of an All-Star set, for the NFL’s top players. Both cards are very similar, but the Giants team card holds slightly more value with collectors.
Average price of a PSA 10 graded copy: N/A (not enough data)
1999 Topps Hall of Fame Autograph Lawrence Taylor #HOF3
As one of the first autographed Lawrence Taylor cards, the 1999 Topps Hall of Fame card has big appeal.
As the name suggests, the 1999 Topps Hall of Fame honors Taylor’s induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The on-card signature is the premium feature, and gives this one added value and appeal.
Average price of a PSA 10 graded copy: N/A (not enough data)
2017 Panini National Treasures NFL Greatest Signatures Lawrence Taylor #69
The 2017 Panini National Treasures NFL Greatest card is a high-end, and modern, Lawrence Taylor option for collectors.
He joined some other legendary names on the subset of some of the NFL greatest ever.
The National Treasures brand generally features super-premium cards, and it’s no different for this one; This is easily one of my favorite Taylor cards.
The classy design is finished nicely with the blue ink on-card signature.
It’s also limited, and serial-numbered, to only 25 copies, so its rarity contributes to the card’s value.
Average price of a PSA 10 graded copy: $650-$750
When Was Lawrence Taylor’s Rookie Season?
Lawrence Taylor’s rookie season was in 1981, after he was selected as the 2nd overall pick by the New York Giants in the 1981 NFL Draft.
What Is The Most Valuable Lawrence Taylor Card?
The most valuable and expensive Lawrence Taylor football card to buy is his 1982 Topps All-Pro rookie card.
It’s a popular card, and well sought-after among collectors.
PSA 10 graded copies sell for on average $5,500 to $6,000, but a copy (graded BGS 10) has sold for as much as $26.2k in the past.
What Year Were Lawrence Taylor's Rookie Cards Released?
Lawrence Taylor’s rookie football cards were not released until 1982, despite his debut year being 1981.
What Are Lawrence Taylor Cards Worth?
Lawrence Taylor has many different cards from various manufacturers, released over the years of his NFL career, and beyond.
The value is dependent on which card and the condition/grade, the values vary from a few dollars to around a thousand dollars.
His 1982 Topps rookie card generally sells for around a thousand dollars in the highest grade, on the secondary market.
Lawrence Taylor: A Background
Lawrence Taylor is widely considered the best defensive player to have ever played professional football, with some believing he has a case for being the greatest NFL player of all time.
The two-time Super Bowl champion spent his whole career with the New York Giants, and was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1986, becoming only the second defensive player to win the award, and the first to be the unanimous selection.
The first few years of Lawrence Taylor’s NFL career are unparalleled; He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in both his 1981 rookie season and the 1982 season, adding a third in 1986.
Taylor was a player who helped transform the outside linebacker position into a sacking specialist.
Average prices based on PSA’s previous public sales data.
