Football card collectors have many Zach Wilson rookie options, and while he has a long way to go to establish himself as the next Tom Brady, some of them hold some relatively high values, because of his potential.
For me, Zach Wilson’s best rookie card is his 2021 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Autograph card, it’s also his most valuable.
I’ve covered that card, and Wilson’s other top rookies, below.
Table of Contents
Quick Summary - Top Picks
For Low Budget:
– 2021 Panini Prizm #332
For Mid Budget:
– 2021 Panini Contenders Autograph #102
For High Budget:
– 2021 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Autograph #157
The Best Zach Wilson Rookie Cards
2021 Panini Prizm Zach Wilson #332
Part of the flagship football card set, the 2021 Panini Prizm Zach Wilson rookie card is one of his most sought-after; I would say it’s his best unsigned rookie cards.
Demand was high for the set, with a loaded rookie class, and Zach Wilson’s rookie was one of the most desired name among collectors.
It’s one of the few Wilson rookie cards which feature him in the New York Jets uniform, rather than his BYU Cougars college uniform.
As usual with the Prizm brand, the base version is mainstream, and cheap to buy, but comes with a high number of popular parallels.
The rarest and lowest-numbered parallel options are among Zach Wilson’s most valuable football cards; Back in 2022, a copy of the Gold Prizm parallel sold for $16.1k, graded 9 by PSA.
Wilson also had variation and multiple autographed cards within the set.
Prizm Parallels: Black & Red Checker, Black & White Checker, Blue, Disco, Green, Green Ice, Lazer, Light Blue, Neon Green Pulsar, Orange Ice, Pink, Purple Pulsar, Red, Red Ice, Red/White/Blue, Silver, Snakeskin, White Sparkle, Orange /249, Purple Ice /225, Blue Wave /199, Hyper /175, Red Wave /149, Purple /125, Blue Ice /99, Green Scope /75, Orange Wave /60, Purple Power /49, Red Shimmer /35, Blue Shimmer /25, Navy Camo /25, Forest Camo /15, Gold /10, Gold Shimmer /10, Gold Vinyl /5, Green Shimmer /5, Black Finite 1/1.
No Huddle Prizms: Base No Huddle, Blue /79, Red /50, Purple /35, Pink /15, Neon Green /5.
2021 Panini Prizm Draft Picks Zach Wilson #105
Another one of Zach Wilson’s most popular rookie cards is the #105 card from the 2021 Panini Prizm Draft Picks set, which is a collegiate variation of the popular Panini Prizm set.
The set features all rookies in their college team uniforms, so Wilson features in his BYU Cougars uniform.
It follows the same concept as the regular Prizm set, with mainstream and low-value base versions, and a wide array of parallels, which add color, rarity and value.
Wilson also has some autographed cards from the set, and similar to the standard Panini Prizm set, the base cards come with a lot of different parallels.
Parallels: Blue Circles, Blue Pulsar, Gold Ice, Gold Pulsar, Green, Green Wave, Orange Ice, Purple Wave, Red Circles, Red Ice, Red Pulsar, Red/White/Blue, Ruby Wave, Silver, White Sparkle, Red /299, Blue Wave /249, Blue /199, Purple Ice /149, Blue Ice /99, Orange Wave #/75, Purple /75, Purple Circles /50, Orange Pulsar /49, Green Pulsar /25, Mojo /25, Purple Pulsar /25, Pink Circles /20, Blue Shimmer /13, Gold /10, Black Gold /5, Neon Green Circles /5, Black 1/1.
2021 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks Football Zach Wilson #4
The 2021 Panini Chronicles set featured a number of different Zach Wilson cards. This Draft Picks card is one of the more popular low-value Wilson Rookie cards.
It’s another set which features rookies in their college team uniform, so, again, it features Zach Wilson in his YU Cougars uniform, rather than the New York Jets uniform.
The base version is cheap and easy to buy; There are also some more scarce, and valuable parallels versions.
Parallels: Bronze, Green, Orange, Pink, Red /149, Blue /99, Purple /49, Cracked Ice /11, Gold /10, Platinum 1/1.
2021 Donruss Optic Zach Wilson #202
Donruss Rated rookie cards are popular in the football card hobby, and Zach Wilson’s Donruss Optic Rated Rookie card is another one of his most popular, particularly the limited parallels.
The card has some extra appeal, as it’s one of the few Wilson rookies which feature him in the New York Jets uniform.
The chromium base version is easy to get hold of, and very much entry-level, in terms of value; The big value is found in some of the rarer parallels.
Back in 2022, the 1-of-1 Gold Vinyl parallel version sold for $5.16k, graded BGS 9, which makes it one of the most expensive unsigned Zach Wilson rookie cards.
Parallels: Blue Hyper, Blue Scope, Bronze, Fire, Freedom, Green Velocity, Holo, Holo Variation, One Hundred, Pink, Purple Shock, Purple Velocity, Red Hyper, Red Mojo, Red Stars, Rocket, Stars, Teal Velocity, White Sparkle, Aqua /299, Orange /199, Blue /179, Silver Circles /125, Red /99, Orange Scope /79, Pink Velocity /79, Purple /50, Lime Green /35, Black Pandora /25, Ice /15, Purple Stars /15, Gold /10, Green /5, Gold Vinyl 1/1.
Premium Box Set Parallels: Base Wave /299, Black 1/1.
2021 Panini Gold Standard Zach Wilson #102
The high-end 2021 Panini Gold Standard set features another one of the Zach Wilson rookie cards with him in action for the New York Jets.
The shiny gold card offers something different in the design which certainly has its appeal to collectors, with a nice, slick and premium looking card.
This one isn’t easy to find, with the base cards numbered to just 99 copies, and some even more rare parallels.
Wilson also has some autographed cards within the set.
Parallels: Platinum /75, White Gold /49, Rose Gold /25, Emerald /11, Violet /10, Sapphire /5, Black 1/1.
2021 Panini Mosaic Draft Picks Zach Wilson #2
The Panini Mosaic Draft Picks set debuted in 2021, and this Zach Wilson rookie card was released in that set.
The card designs are nice, and were generally well received by collectors, so it’s a popular unsigned Zach Wilson rookie card.
The base version is low-value and easy to find, but the parallels add color, rarity, and value.
It’s another set which features rookies in their college team uniforms, so Zach Wilson features wearing his BYU Cougars uniform.
Wilson does also have a more valuable autographed card from the Mosaic Draft Picks set.
Parallels: Silver, Base Mosaic, Red /99, Blue /75, Purple /49, Pink /25, Gold /10, Black 1/1.
2021 Panini Immaculate Collection Rookie Patch Autograph Zach Wilson #102
While Zach Wilson doesn’t have a base card from the 2021 Panini Immaculate Collection set, he was 1 of 42 rookies to have a Rookie Patch Autograph card in the set.
The premium, hard-signed card with relic patch has big appeal, plus the card is numbered to just 99 copies.
It can be bought at a much lower price than his National Treasures RPA card, so it offers a good alternative for collectors who want a premium Wilson rookie, but with a lower budget.
Parallels: Premium Edition /18, Gold /10, NFL Shield 1/1, Platinum 1/1.
2021 Panini Contenders Autograph Zach Wilson #102
Panini Contenders Rookie Tickets are a long time favorite of collectors for rookie cards, which offer a more premium, glossy ticket style card.
The 2021 Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket Zach Wilson signatures card is a premium option, and I think it’s one of the best Wilson rookies.
The big appeal for this highly limited card is the on-card signature, which significantly adds to its value.
A copy of the Cracked Ice parallel (/21) sold for $5.7k, back in 2022.
Ticket Parallels: Red Zone SSP, Reverse SSP, Wild Card Round SSP, Playoff /99, Stub, Championship /49, Cracked Ice /21, Super Bowl 1/1, Printing Plates 1/1.
Clear Ticket Parallels: Sparkle, Clear /10, Clear Mosaic 1/1.
2021 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Autograph Zach Wilson #157
The 2021 Panini National Treasures Zach Wilson rookie patch autograph card is his most valuable rookie card and, for me, his best.
It’s a super high-end, and expensive card, for collectors with a big budget.
WIlson has multiple RPA cards, from various sets, but this one sits at the top, with a high-quality finish, a large relic patch, and on-card signature contributing to the high value.
The base version, which has only 99 numbered copies, is expensive itself, but the big value is found in the parallel versions.
In 2022, the elusive 1-of-1 Stars & Stripes Platinum NFL Shield parallel version sold for $66k, which made it the most expensive Zach Wilson rookie card ever sold.
Parallels: Green Jersey Number, Purple /49, Holo Silver /25, Midnight /20, Holo Gold /10, Stars & Stripes Blue /10, Black #/5, Red Brand Logo 1/1, Platinum NFL Shield 1/1, Red 1/1, Red Laundry Tag 1/1, Printing Plates 1/1.
When Was Zach Wilson’s Rookie Year?
2021 was Zach Wilson’s rookie season – He was selected as 2nd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
What Is The Most Valuable Zach Wilson Rookie Card?
The most valuable Zach Wilson rookie card option is his 2021 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Autograph card.
National Treasures cards are super-premium, and Wilson’s RPA features an on-card signature, plus a jumbo relic patch, which both contribute to the high value.
The base version is limited to only 99 numbered copies, and sells for thousands of dollars, in the highest grades.
There are also some low-numbered parallel options, like the coveted 1-of-1 Stars & Stripes NFL Shield version, which sold for $66k, back in 2022.
How Much Are Zach Wilson Rookie Cards Worth?
The value depends on which of Zach Wilson’s rookie cards you’re talking about, and what it’s graded.
Some of his more popular and rarer rookie cards sell for hundreds, or even multiple-thousands, of dollars in high grades.
Some of his limited autographed and patch rookie cards have sold in the tens of thousands of dollars range on the secondary market.
