The most iconic and valuable cards you can pull as a Hobby Collector
The Hobby’s most iconic cards are often referred to as ‘the Grail cards’ by collectors. These are the highest value, most sought after, and biggest pulls from top athletes. People around the world are opening packs looking for that once-in-a-lifetime ‘monster hit’ from a hobby box. Here’s a run through of what Grail cards are, what makes them special, and most importantly how you might find one.
Also referred to as a ‘whale’ card or a ‘white whale’ due to the significance in the hobby and rarity, these cards are usually numbered 1 of 1 and are rookie cards (meaning the first season a player received a card). That’s not always the case though, other reasons that cards can be exalted to ‘Grail’ status could be because they feature as a ‘first’ in a debut product, have historical/cultural standing, the age of the card, the significance of the moment/photo featured on the card, the condition of the card and how many cards have been graded.
Historical Grail cards often make the news because they are traded for big money, but it’s important to remember that new Grail cards are still waiting to be pulled in packs. In 2022 a teenager in Canada famously bought one pack of ‘Topps Formula1 Chrome’ and pulled the 1/1 Lewis Hamilton Superfractor which sold for a reported $900,000! This is the magic of the Grail chase!
In the early 2000s, first season Messi and Ronaldo cards were found in normal boxes like any other young player from that time and nobody had any idea how significant they would be. Roll on 20 years and these are some of the most sought-after cards in the history of soccer collectables. This is why it’s important to use your knowledge and do some ‘prospecting’ to search out the next big thing!
Independent grading also plays a big part here, if you think you’ve pulled a grail card from a Topps set, make sure you handle it carefully!
Terms you might hear:
- ‘Grail chase’ – buying a box with the specific intention of looking for a player/specific card.
- ‘Prospecting’ – searching out/trading to get cards of rookies/young players. In case one of them becomes a super-star.
- ‘True Rookie’ – A player can have multiple Rookie cards from their first season, but the true rookie is always the first card a player gets.
- ‘At auction’ – The biggest cards are normally sold by established auction houses. As opposed to an online transaction between collectors.
- ‘Bounty’ – Sometimes a person/business will issue a public bounty for a card. This means if you find it, you will have a pre-existing offer on the table should you want to sell it.
- ‘Pop’ – Abbreviated from ‘Pop-report’ which grading companies publish to show how many cards have been registered and graded with them. The fewer the better for any grail card!
- ‘Oh My God’ – this is what you’ll say if you hit Grail card, accompanied with a some shaking hands!!!
Here are some examples of Grail cards from football and further afield. This is not an exhaustive list, if you are interested in a particular sport/team/player you can ask in groups, or look online to check the biggest hits:
Erling Haaland
Collection: Topps Bundesliga Chrome
Issued: 2019/2020
The ultimate rookie prospect, he was smashing records for fun in his first season in the German Bundesliga.
Pele
Collection: Oliveira & Benassi Balas Equipe
Issued: 1957
Rookie card of one of the soccer greats! The following card currently holds the record for the most expensive ‘soccer’ card, selling for $1.33 million in February 2022.
Honus Wagner
Collection: Topps T206
Issued: 1909-1911
The most expensive card of all time! A snapshot in time in baseball and trading card history.
Lewis Hamilton
Collection: Topps Chrome F1
Issued: 2020
F1 cards have taken the collectables world by storm, with the value outpacing soccer cards released in the same year(s). The 1/1 Lewis Hamilton Superfractor leads the way, selling for $900,000 in May 2022.
Disney Quad Autograph – Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Pluto
Collection: Topps Disney Chrome
Issued: 2023
An inaugural release in 2023, Disney Chrome, with its rich heritage, set the collecting world on fire with first ‘autographs’ from key characters. This is the pick of the bunch with four characters on one card.
The One Ring
Collection: Magic the Gathering – The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth.
Issue: 2023
One ring to rule them all! This unique card was the centre piece of a Tolkein/TCG cross over which had collector’s searching for the ring harder than Sauron in a hurry! Once found, it was sold to music star Post Malone in a high-profile exchange which made mainstream news channels around the world.
Kylian Mbappe
Collection: Topps Chrome PSG
Issued: 2021
The first official on-card autograph of Kylian Mbappe! This stacked set also included on-card autographs of Messi and Neymar. Everything was low-numbered making this one of the most exciting boxes to rip in soccer card history!
Erling Haaland #2
Collection: Topps Now – Wonderkid hits hat-trick
Issued: 2019
There are more expensive Haaland cards in the market, but as Topps Now goes, it doesn’t get better. Haaland was an almost unknown when this card was released, and the Print Run was just 178 cards, making it a card with one of the highest appreciation rates in Topps Now history!
Mickey Mantle
Collection: Topps Baseball
Issued: 1952
A card from trading card folklore, the 1952 Mantle is everything a grail card should – rare, great look, beautiful signature, an iconic player. It is no wonder that this card has been a record breaker when it comes to sale at auction.
Max Verstappen
Collection: Topps Chrome F1
Issued: 2020
Will art imitate life with Max Verstappen eventually overtaking Lewis Hamilton as the king of F1 Cards?
Jude Bellingham
Collection: Topps UEFA Club Collection
Issued: 2023
Still unpacked (as far as we’re aware) the Bellingham ‘Just a boy from Birmingham’ card is the perfect blend between the athletes – who make cards so special – and card collecting. This pull could be a classic in years to come.
