Randy Moss Rookie Card Market Guide

Widely regarded as one of the NFL's all-time greatest wide receivers, Randy Moss still holds the NFL record for the most single-season touchdown receptions and is a member of the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. However, how does his exceptional career translate to his rookie cards and their values? This guide will take a closer look at the wide receiver’s NFL career, his rookie cards and their current trending market values.

From College to Rookie of the Year

Considered to be one of the greatest college prospects of his generation coming out of Marshall University, Randy Moss was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft. Thanks to his breakout rookie year, the team's offense ranked No. 1, with a single-season scoring record (at the time) of 556 points.

In his debut game, a 31-7 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Moss scored two touchdowns and made four receptions for 95 yards. On Thanksgiving Day against the Dallas Cowboys, Moss recorded 164 yards and three touchdowns in a 46-36 win, becoming the NFL's first rookie to score three touchdowns during a Thanksgiving match. The Vikings finished the season with a 15-1 record, and Moss set a NFL rookie record for the most single-season touchdown receptions (17). He was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and was selected for the first of six Pro Bowls.

In 1999, he helped lead the Vikings to the playoffs and won the Pro Bowl MVP Award, making nine receptions for a record 212 yards. Moss had another breakout season in 2000, culminating in a spectacular touchdown catch during the Thanksgiving Day game against Dallas, when he managed to catch the ball with his entire body out of bounds, except for his toes. That season, Moss recorded a career-high 1,437 yards and led the league with 15 touchdown catches, becoming the youngest player in NFL history to catch more than 3,000 yards and score 43 touchdowns.

Comeback Player of the Year

After joining the New England Patriots in 2007, Moss helped lead the team to a perfect 16-0 regular season, but they lost Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants 17-14. Due to Moss's stellar season performance, he was given the Comeback Player of the Year Award by the Pro Football Writers of America.

Moss played his final season in 2012 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he helped bring the team to the Super Bowl, which they lost to the Baltimore Ravens 34-31. He ended his career with a total of 982 receptions for 15,292 yards and 156 touchdowns. In 2018, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Are Randy Moss Rookie Cards Valuable?

Randy Moss began his career at the end of the "Junk Wax Era," when sports cards were being massively over-produced. Starting around the time of Moss's professional debut, sports card companies began to produce higher-quality cards with limited-edition runs, autographs and rare parallels. Several Moss rookie cards, particularly autographed examples and scarce parallels, can sell for five-figure sums.

Investment Potential for Randy Moss Rookie Cards

As one of the NFL's greatest wide receivers, a Hall of Famer and a star player with several of the league's most popular teams, Randy Moss cards continue to garner keen interest from collectors. Because of his status as an NFL legend (as well as a larger-than-life personality both on and off the field), investment potential for his cards remains strong, especially for rookie cards in top-grade condition.

Top Randy Moss Rookie Cards

These are some of the most popular and valuable Randy Moss rookie cards on the market:

1998 Topps Chrome Refractors #35 Randy Moss ($16,000)

This popular card features an action image of Moss on the field, framed in curving graphics printed in dark gold and brown. While this card had a fairly large print run, the Refractors parallel is much rarer and trends for higher prices.

At PriceGuide.Cards, Ungraded trends at an average price of $33 and a top price of $2,500. Graded trends at an average price of $122 and a top price of $2,080 (grades unspecified).

The Refractors parallel version of the card trends at an average price of $288 and a top price of $12,500 in an Ungraded condition. Graded trends at an average price of $763 and a top price of $16,000 (grades unspecified).

SportsCardsPro shows Ungraded trending at $26, Grade 8 at $32 and Grade 9 at $55. Grade 9.5 trends at $119, and Gem Mint at $177 (grades unspecified).

1998 Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket Autographs #92 Randy Moss ($10,000)

This landmark Playoff Contenders set inaugurated the famous Rookie Ticket series that's so popular with collectors. Limited to just 300 copies, this autograph version features an action image of Moss set against the iconic "Rookie Ticket" graphics, highlighted by a bold on-card signature.

SportsCardsPro shows Ungraded trending at $10,000, and Grade 7 trending at $3,100.

At PriceGuide.Cards, Ungraded trends at an average price of $439 and a top price of $10,000. Graded trends at an average price of $1,400 and a top price of $4,500 (grades unspecified).

1998 Upper Deck SP Authentic Die-Cut #18 Randy Moss ($8,600)

With a print run of 2,000, this gem features an unusual image of Moss smiling and holding the football, set against a green turf background and midnight blue bordered graphics with the "Future Watch" logo in gold. There is also a die-cut version that is limited to 500 copies.

At PriceGuide.Cards, Ungraded trends at an average price of $195 and a top price of $2,750. Graded trends at an average price of $446 and a top price of $7,468 (grades unspecified). The Die-Cut version of this card trends at an average price of $241 and a top price of $3,000 for Ungraded condition. Graded trends at an average price of $716 and a top price of $8,600 (grades unspecified).

SportsCardsPro shows Ungraded trending at $350, Grade 7 at $256, Grade 8 at $320 and Grade 9 at $755. Grade 9.5 trends at $1,470, and Gem Mint at $3,380. The Die-Cut version trends at $262 for an Ungraded card, while Grade 8 trends at $289, Grade 9 trends at $598 and Gem Mint trends at $4,704.

1998 Fleer Flair Showcase Legacy Collection #5 Randy Moss – Row 0 Parallel ($6,995)

In 1998, Fleer Flair Showcase issued a Legacy Collection with four different versions (known as "Rows") of Randy Moss rookie cards; each limited to 100. Every card in the series shows an action shot of Moss, set against multi-colored reflective patterned backgrounds. There are also multiple limited-edition parallels that can trend for high prices.

PriceGuide.Cards: The Row 0 Parallel trends at an average price of $51 and a top price of $90 for Ungraded condition. Graded trends at an average price of $1,620 and a top price of $6,995 (grades unspecified). The Row 1, Grace Showdown Parallel version of the card trends at an average price of $9 and a top price of $495 for Ungraded condition. Graded trends at an average price of $40 and a top price of $750 (grades unspecified).

SportsCardsPro: The Row 1 Parallel trends at $1,232 for Ungraded and $1,460 for Grade 9. The Row 2 Parallel trends at $176 for Ungraded, $270 for Grade 8 and $326 for Grade 9. Grade 9.5 trends at $686, and Gem Mint at $2,383. The Row 3 Parallel trends at $6 for Ungraded, while Grade 9 trends at $2,097 and Grade 9.5 at $3,000.

1998 Skybox E-X2001 Essential Credentials #55 Randy Moss - #’d/55 ($6,500)

This striking card is limited to just 55 copies and shows an action shot of Moss running with the ball during practice or while warming up. There's also a rare Essential Credentials Future parallel that's limited to only six copies.

At PriceGuide.Cards, Ungraded trends at an average price of $1897 and a top price of $6,500. Graded trends at an average price of $1,480 and a top price of $2,583 (grades unspecified).

1998 Upper Deck SP Authentic Player's Ink #RM Randy Moss ($5,148)

Featuring a horizontal format that was unusual for its time, this Upper Deck classic shows a photo on the left of Moss tossing the ball, while the right side, in football field green, is reserved for Moss's bold signature. In addition, there's a hand-numbered silver parallel limited to just 100 copies.

At PriceGuide.Cards, Ungraded trends at an average price of $138 and a top price of $1,050. Graded trends at an average price of $431 and a top price of $5,148 (grades unspecified).

SportsCardsPro shows Ungraded trending at $526, Grade 8 at $325, Grade 9 at $585 and Gem Mint at $2,075. The Silver Parallel version trends at $2,247 for Ungraded condition, while Grade 8 trends at $1,125.

1998 Topps Certified Autographs #A1 Randy Moss ($4,645)

This elegant card shows an in-game, close-up photo of Moss running on the field. It's set against a black border with football graphics and features a bold signature at the bottom.

At PriceGuide.Cards, Ungraded trends at an average price of $137 and a top price of $1,580. Graded trends at an average price of $324 and a top price of $4,645 (grades unspecified).

SportsCardsPro shows Ungraded trending at $380, Grade 8 at $401, Grade 9 at 672 and Gem Mint at $1,224.

1998 SkyBox Premium Autographics #57 Randy Moss ($2,237)

Limited to 50 copies, this hand-numbered card shows Moss receiving a pass while still in his Marshall University uniform. The "Skybox Autographics" logo is splashed across the center, and there's a bold on-card signature at the bottom.

At PriceGuide.Cards, Ungraded trends at an average price of $314 and a top price of $1,374. Graded trends at an average price of $564 and a top price of $2,237 (grades unspecified).

SportsCardsPro shows Ungraded trending at $512, Grade 9 at $624 and Gem Mint at $1,375.

Where Can I Find Randy Moss Rookie Cards?

You can find Randy Moss rookie cards at collectibles retailers, sports card shows and auction houses. Here's a look at some of the most popular auction sites for sports cards:

• Heritage Auctions
• Invaluable
• PWCC
• Memory Lane
• Lelands
• Robert Edwards Auctions
• SCP Auctions
• eBay
• EBTH
• Sotheby's
• Christie's

Sports card and memorabilia shows are another great source for Moss’s rookie cards. To find out when shows are coming to your area, be sure to check newspaper listings, social media sites and online collector forums.

How Are Randy Moss Rookie Cards Graded?

Certified appraisers grade sports cards with a universally recognized numeric system that rates condition from ungraded to Pristine 10. Here's how it works:

Pristine 10: Flawless up to 10x magnification. This is a card with Pristine 10 scores across all four criteria: corners, edges, centers and surfaces.

Gem Mint 10: Gem Mint cards have a Pristine 10 rating in three out of four criteria, with a minuscule issue that keeps them from being flawless.

Grade 9.5: Almost Gem Mint, but with a minor production flaw or condition issue.

Grade 9: Almost Mint, except for very minor flaws or condition issues.

Grades 8 and below: These cards are graded according to the amount and severity of their condition issues.

Raw: Just removed from its original packaging.

Ungraded: Not graded.

The prime factors that impact sports card values are condition, rarity and collector interest. While rarity and condition can be easily assessed, collector interest is an unknown factor that can change at a moment's notice.

Player popularity can rise and fall, and so can their card values. And while cards from some Hall of Fame players may sell for high prices, cards from less popular players, even if the cards are Gem Mint, can stagnate. If you collect for a hobby, it's always a good idea to buy the cards you really want and aim for the best condition you can afford.

For further information on CGC's 10-point Grading Scale and to find out more about our industry-leading services, visit CGCcards.com.