You can not talk about the greatest football player of all time without talking about Partick Mahomes.
Patrick Mahomes has quickly risen to the top of NFL history, and many argue he could be the greatest football player of all time. With an extraordinary combination of arm strength, mobility, and football IQ, Mahomes consistently delivers jaw-dropping performances, making seemingly impossible plays look effortless. His ability to lead his team in clutch moments, as shown by his Super Bowl MVPs and record-breaking performances, has solidified his place among the all-time greats.
In just a few years, he’s already amassed a long list of accolades, including MVPs, multiple Super Bowl titles, and countless memorable moments. Mahomes is not just a player who excels in regular seasons—he thrives in the postseason, demonstrating both resilience and consistency. If he continues on this trajectory, it’s hard to deny that he may very well be the greatest to ever play the game.
The bottom line, he will be remembered for decades, after he is gone. In my opinion, investment grade Patrick Mahomes are a solid, reliable sports card investment.
When I was not active in the sports card game, I was still buying Patrick Mahomes cards as a paasive long-term investment. Every year when the Super Bowl rolled around, I would jump on eBay and buy a few Mahomes cards. You know what, others do this a well.
Patrick Mahomes Rookie Card Overview
Being a top quarterback prospect entering his rookie season, Panini had Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards well covered. He has over 30 RC cards found in mainstream base sets. And that doesn’t include the other inserts, parallels, autographs and memorabilia cards that number in the hundreds.
That means a lot of choice for collectors when it comes to picking out the right cards that fit their budget and collecting tastes. Some are basic and plentiful, others loaded up with autographs, patches and small print runs. Some carry a deep sense of tradition with their design while others are anything but.
At the moment, all Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards continue to show tremendous strength. So whether you’re a Chiefs fan, someone sitting on a stash of Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards or someone looking to add some to your collection, hold on because it looks like we’re in for a wild ride.
Patrick Mahomes Rookie Card Countdown
The following list is a countdown of every Patrick Mahomes Rookie Card marked with the RC tag in the Becektt Football Card Database and Price Guide. Spots are based primarily on book value. Inserts and parallels are not included or taken into consideration.
1. 2017 Panini National Treasures Patrick Mahomes RC Auto Patch #161 /99
The biggest of all the Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards, 2017 National Treasures brings together all the elements of a cornerstone card. Limited to 99 copies, the signature is on-card and the patch is massive. All of the QBs RCs carry significant value now, but this one is the pace setter and record breaker.
Parallels: Holo Silver (/25), Stars and Stripes (/13), Green Jersey Number (/15), Holo Gold (/10), Black (/5), Red Brand Logo (/2), Platinum (1/1), Printing Plates Black (1/1), Printing Plates Cyan (1/1), Printing Plates Magenta (1/1), Printing Plates Yellow (1/1), Red (1/1), Red Laundry Tag (1/1)
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2. 2017 Panini Impeccable Patrick Mahomes RC Autograph Patch/Helmet #107 /75
Mahomes has several RCs that combine autographs and patch swatches. 2017 Panini Impeccable is one of them. However, there’s also the addition of a helmet piece. Numbered to 75, it’s more rare than National Treasures. It still has a hard signature and an elegant design.
Parallels: Rookie Helmet and Nameplate (/25), Rookie Helmet and Glove Autographs (/15), Rookie Dual NFL Logo Autographs (1/1)
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3. 2017 Panini Flawless Patrick Mahomes RC Autograph #132 /20
With just 20 copies, the 2017 Panini Flawless Patrick Mahomes Rookie Card is the rarest of them all. That’s a strong distinction but there’s a gemstone and signature to go along with it.
Parallels: Sapphire (/15), Diamond (/10), Emerald (/5), Chocolate Diamond (/4), Canary Yellow Diamond (/3), Platinum (1/1)
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4. 2017 Panini Contenders Patrick Mahomes RC Autograph #303
2017 Panini Contenders brings with it a lot of tradition. And that’s important as it helps attract a variety of collectors. So even without a serial number, it’s still among the most valuable Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards. It is a short print, though, with less than 250 copies for the base version.
Parallels: Red Zone, Playoff Ticket (/49), Championship Ticket (/25), Cracked Ice (/25), Preview (/23), Printing Plates Black (1/1), Printing Plates Cyan (1/1), Printing Plates Magenta (1/1), Printing Plates Yellow (1/1), Super Bowl Ticket (1/1)
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5. 2017 Panini Contenders Optic Patrick Mahomes RC Autograph #103
2017 Contenders Optic is the debut season for the spinoff. Basically, it takes the Contenders name and design and gives it an opti-chrome makeover. It’s one of the set’s SPs with less than 300 copies.
Parallels: Red (/75), Blue (/25), Gold (/10), Gold Vinyl (1/1), Printing Plates Black (1/1), Printing Plates Cyan (1/1), Printing Plates Magenta (1/1), Printing Plates Yellow (1/1)
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6. 2017 Immaculate Collection Patrick Mahomes RC Auto Patch #104 /99
Immaculate Collection ranks among the highest of high-end brands. It’s no different when it comes to Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards. That said, its combination of patch and autograph is available in more sets than when Immaculate first debuted.
Parallels: Gold (/25), Immaculate Numbers (/25), Immaculate Patches (/15), Logos (/13), Rookie Helmet Team Logos (/7), Immaculate Authentics (/5), Immaculate Insignias (/5), NFL Shield (1/1), Platinum (1/1), Rookie Helmet NFL Shields (1/1)
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7. 2017 Panini Vertex Patrick Mahomes RC Auto Quad Jersey #104 /99
The Capstones concept has bounced around a bit, but the idea is sound and distinct. It boasts four separate swatches, each in a different corner surrounding the image. The on-card autograph is another major plus.
Parallels: Quartz (/49), Granite (/25), Marble (/10), Onyx (1/1)
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8. 2017 Panini XR Patrick Mahomes RC Auto Triple Jersey #164 /25
With just 25 base versions to go around, simply finding one of these from 2017 Panini XR is going to be the biggest challenge.
Parallels: Red (/15), Blue (/10), Orange (5), Gold (/3), Green (/2), Laundry Tag Glove (1/1), Laundry Tag Hat (1/1), Laundry Tag Jacket (1/1), Laundry Tag NFL Shield (1/1), Laundry Tag NFLPA (1/1), Laundry Tag Nike Swoosh (1/1), Prime Football (1/1), Printing Plates Black (1/1), Printing Plates Cyan (1/1), Printing Plates Magenta (1/1), Printing Plates Yellow (1/1), Super Prime (1/1)
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9. 2017 Certified Cuts Patrick Mahomes RC Auto Patch #204 /49
The patch might be small and the signature done with a cut design, but the result is a solid looking card. The small print run of just 49 copies is another major draw for the 2017 Certified Cuts Patrick Mahomes Rookie Card.
Parallels: Red Ink (25 copies), Red (/15), Blue Ink (10 copies), Blue (/5), Green (/2), Green Ink (1 copy)
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10. 2017 Limited Patrick Mahomes RC Auto Patch #136 /149
When it comes to premium Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards, 2017 Limited has one of the larger print runs. But the hard signature and patch piece make for an attractive design.
Parallels: Silver Spotlight (/75), Gold Spotlight (/50), Autograph Variations (/25), Ruby Spotlight (/10), Emerald Spotlight (/5), Sapphire Spotlight (1/1)
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11. 2017 Panini Spectra Patrick Mahomes RC Auto Patch #204 /99
Mahomes’ RC in 217 Panini Spectra Football has a lot of the super premium hallmarks. The relic is an oversized patch. The print run is a small 99 copies. It’s autographed as well, albeit using a sticker.
Parallels: Neon Blue (/75), Neon Green (/50), Neon Pink (/15), Neon Black Light (/10), Neon Orange (/5), Gold (1/1), Gold Laundry Tags NFL Players Logo (1/1), Gold Laundry Tags NFL Shield (1/1), Gold Laundry Tags Nike Swoosh (1/1)
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12. 2017 Panini Gold Standard Patrick Mahomes RC Auto Jersey #207 /49
Another autograph-memorabilia combination, 2017 Panini Gold Standard offers a smaller print run as well. The base version of this Patrick Mahomes has just 49 copies. That said, he also has similar Dual, Triple and Jumbo versions also numbered as part of the base set. The end result is small runs for individual cards but only small differences between them.
Parallels: Prime (/25), Prime Tag (1/1)
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13. 2017 Certified Patrick Mahomes RC Auto Patch #207 /149
Parallels: Mirror Orange (/99), Mirror Red (/75), Mirror Blue (/50), Mirror Gold (/25), Mirror Purple (/10), Mirror Green (/5), Mirror Black (1/1)
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14. 2017 Absolute Patrick Mahomes RC Auto Triple Memorabilia #229 /149
Parallels: Spectrum (/99)
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15. 2017 Panini Prizm Patrick Mahomes Rookie Card #269
Parallels: Prizms Blue, Prizms Bronze Stars, Prizms Disco, Prizms Green, Prizms Pink, Prizms Red, Prizms Red/White/Blue, Prizms White Sparkle, Prizms Orange (/275), Prizms Light Blue (/199), Prizms Blue Wave (/149), Prizms Green Scope (/99), Prizms Purple Scope (/75), Prizms Red Power (/49), Prizms Camo (/25), Prizms Gold (/10), Prizms Gold Vinyl (/5), Prizms Black Finite (1/1)
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16. 2017 Panini Plates & Patches Patrick Mahomes RC Auto Patch #217 /50
Parallels: Blue (/25), Green (/10), Red (/5), Gold (1/1)
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17. 2017 Select Patrick Mahomes Rookie Card #103
Parallels: Prizm Silver, Prizm Tri Color (/199), Prizm Blue (/149), Prizm Maroon (/99), Prizm Orange (/49), Prizm Tie-Dye (/25), Prizm Gold (/10), Prizm Pink (/10), Prizm Green (/5), Prizm Black (1/1)
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18. 2017 Panini Preferred Patrick Mahomes RC Auto Jersey #78 /99
Parallels: Prime (/25), Super Prime (/5), NFL Shield (1/1), Printing Plates Black (1/1), Printing Plates Cyan (1/1), Printing Plates Magenta (1/1), Printing Plates Yellow (1/1)
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19. 2017 Crown Royale Patrick Mahomes Rookie Card #84
Parallels: Bronze (/299), Pink (/249), Gold (/175), Light Blue (/99), Platinum (/49)
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20. 2017 Donruss Patrick Mahomes Rookie Card #327
Honestly, this is my personal favorite Patrick Mahomes rookie card, I just think the iconic Donruss Rated Rookie Logo says it all. There are multiple parallels of this card, but in my opinion, they are ALL great long t
Parallels: Aqueous Test, Press Proofs Blue, Press Proofs Bronze, Press Proofs Green, Press Proofs Red, Press Proofs Silver (/100), Press Proofs Silver Die Cut (/75), Press Proofs Gold (/50), Season Stat Line (/41), Press Proofs Gold Die Cut (/25), Jersey Number (/15), Press Proofs Black (/10), Press Proofs Black Die Cut (1/1)
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That wraps up this article. I all honesty I feel you can buy any of the above cards, but them in saftey deposit box and pull them out five, ten, twenty, years from now and you will have a smile on your face.
I bought my first Patrick Mahomes card above after watching him in his first Super Bowl in 2019, In Mahomes led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years, defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. Mahomes was awarded the Super Bowl MVP for his performance, becoming the youngest quarterback to earn the honor. I knew after watching him in that game, this kid is special, he has what I call the X Factor, and I have been buying his cards ever since.