1986 Topps Football Jerry Rice ROOKIE #161 SGC 9.5 MINT+

Jerry Rice’s 1986 Topps rookie card is his most desirable RC and one of the most famous football printings of all time. Although he has three rookie cards from ‘86, his Topps issue is his only licensed card. His other rookie cards are McDonald’s cards, which come in various colors. His McDonald’s cards have a perforated scratch-off coupon on them, which is typically scratched or detached. Customers received these cards at participating McDonald’s in San Francisco as part of a 49ers team set. They were not sold in packs. Thus, the ‘86 Topps Rice is the only mainstream non-perforated, pack-sold Rice rookie card. Several factors explain the demand and price for Rice’s ‘86 Topps rookie card, including that he is arguably the best player in the game’s history and this is his only true rookie card. These attributes help to offset the fact that it lacks the flair of modern RPAs. The card features an intense photo of Rice preparing to run a route and leave a defense on its heels. Typically plagued by centering issues and print defects out of its wax and rack packs, it remains extremely hard to find in strong grade. Only one of the 6,481 assessed by SGC has earned a higher grade than this 9.5. The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 11/05/24.