College All-Stars: Panini America Peeks Key Sales of Top NFL Rookies' College Cards

October 18, 2016

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With each passing (and running) week, the NFL’s 2016 rookie class seems to become just a little more spectacular. A group that was initially met with tempered enthusiasm from even the most optimistic fans and collectors has delivered one of the most sensational starts by a collective first-year crop in recent years.
Sure, you know about the headliners: Quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz, and running back Ezekiel Elliott. But there have been promising performances throughout the class. Each week, it seems, a new future star emerges. Will Fuller V. Jordan Howard. Hunter Henry. Sterling Shepard. Michael Thomas. Jacoby Brissett. More are sure to follow.

Such a deep and productive class obviously has worked wonders for the 2016 NFL trading card market so far this season. But it’s also paying dividends throughout Panini America’s roster of collegiate football products, too. That trend is certainly evident in 2016 Black Gold Collegiate Football and 2016 Immaculate Collegiate Football, products featuring wealthy doses of on-card autographs and prime memorabilia from 2016’s most coveted NFL rookies.
A quick scan of completed eBay auctions on several key cards reveal numbers that are every bit as impressive as those being produced on the field. A Wentz autographed-patch card from 2016 Immaculate Collegiate Football sold for $570. One of Prescott’s Sizeable Signatures autographed patch cards from 2016 Black Gold Collegiate Football sold for $300. An Elliott autographed-patch card numbered to 25 from 2016 Immaculate Collegiate Football sold for $250.
But spend a little time perusing eBay auctions for both products and you’ll likely find just as many bargains (relative to the prices being paid for similar cards from recent NFL releases) as you will staggering sales. But if the 2016 NFL rookie class continues producing like it has the last six weeks, all those bargains are sure to disappear sooner rather than later.