Barry Sanders Rookie Cards: The Ultimate Collector’s Guide
Barry Sanders rookie cards have held up really well in popularity over the years since his retirement after the 1998 season.
Anybody who grew up watching him play knew how special he was…
And that nostalgia has led to steady demand for his three different rookie cards printed by Score, Topps and Pro Set.
All three are instantly recognizable but to be of any value they pretty much have to be professionally graded as being in pristine condition.
And in this guide we’ll cover everything you need to know about them.
Let’s jump right in!
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Ross Uitts - Owner
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1989 Score #257 Barry Sanders Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $200
First up is the most popular Barry Sanders rookie card of the three.
And it's also the most valuable...by a huge margin.
Score (a brand owned by Pinnacle) burst onto the football card market in 1989 with its unique design that featured red, blue or green-bordered cards.
The set was also packed with rookie cards of other star players of the era, like Troy Aikman, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, Rod Woodson, Cris Carter, Thurman Thomas, and Tim Brown but Sanders' rookie is by far the most sought after of the set.
I've always liked the look of this card even though it's a pretty straightforward design.
I think the green borders give it a nice touch but they can also easily show wear and tear, unfortunately.
The design on the back side of the card was also well-done, featuring "1989 Rookie" in big block letters and a nice write-up of his collegiate accomplishments.
Just look at some of those stats...
2,628 yards in a single season. 238.9 rushing yards per game. 39 touchdowns...
Those incredible marks were just a glimpse of the promising future that Sanders would have down the line.
1989 Topps Traded #83T
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $35
Topps didn't get Sanders into their regular 1989 Topps set that year but he was a part of their Traded set later on.
Sanders is shown sitting, hunched over on the bench.
It would have been great to get an action shot of the young rookie tearing up the field but it's still a nice card overall.
The back of the card has a much more plain layout than the Score card with a yellow and black color scheme.
Topps did include a nice write-up of Sanders as well and I especially like the year-by-year breakdown of his college career.
His junior year was one of the most special NCCA football seasons ever produced by any player, regardless of position.
1989 Pro Set #494
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $35
Pro Set was a company out of Dallas that owner Ludwell Denny founded in 1988 once he gained a license from the NFL to be their official producer of football cards.
Hence, the "Official NFL Card" shown at the bottom of this Sanders rookie.
Here we actually get a look at Sanders in his Oklahoma State jersey breaking through the line against Nebraska, a game in which he put up 189 rushing yards and scored 4 touchdowns.
The design is pretty sharp, in my opinion, and I especially like the "Pro Set Prospect" green banner in the bottom right.
The back of the card is my favorite reverse-side design of the his three rookie cards.
We get to see a nice shot of Sanders holding up his new Lions jersey after being the third pick in the 1989 NFL draft.
And Pro Set also gave a very nice breakdown of his magnificent collegiate career as well.
Barry Sanders' Legacy
Would Barry Sanders have ended up as the NFL's all-time leading rusher had he not abruptly ended his career after ten seasons?
It sure looked like he was headed that way at the time.
The guy absolutely destroyed defenses and left would-be tacklers completely puzzled with his sharpness and ability to change direction.
Not to mention his speed.
He finished his career with a per-game rushing average of 99.8 yards per game.
That's not quite as good as Jim Brown's 104.3 per game but it was still incredible.
Along the way, he would record a list of amazing achievements that included but are not limited to:
- NFL MVP (1997)
- 10x Pro Bowler (Every year of his career from 1989 to 1998)
- 6x First Team All-Pro
- Offensive Rookie of the Year (1989)
Again, those are just some of a huge list of accomplishments throughout his storied career.
