There may be no more enigmatic, exciting, and frustrating element of American football than place kicking.
While it seems like such an easy task (just kick the ball through the uprights!) kicking field goals is an event that causes fans and coaches more heartache than seemingly any other part of the game. All of the work and effort it takes to score points in the NFL, all of the sweat and planning it takes to win… every week it could come down to a place kicker performing one motion with his feet to seal the victory.
Incidentally, some of the biggest moments in NFL history have involved kicking field goals. Adam Vinatieri’s 45-yard kick in five inches of snow back in 2002, tying the game for the Patriots in the “tuck rule” game. Scott Norwood’s “wide right” field goal miss in Super Bowl XXV. Tom Dempsey’s record-setting 63 yard field goal for the New Orleans Saints in 1970. Justin Tucker’s record breaking 66-yard field goal for the Baltimore Ravens in 2021.
Despite the legacy of kicking, when it comes to football card collecting, place kickers are often ignored. Even though kickers score more points than any other player every season, kickers just aren’t valued as highly as quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs.
Still, kickers are an interesting corner of the football card collecting market. Not unlike other positions, it seems most collectors value Super Bowl wins, longevity, accuracy, Pro Bowl votes, and, of course, Hall of Fame status, when it comes to kickers.
Here’s a ranking of the 14 highest selling rookie cards for kickers in the hobby. This was compiled based on the average sale of each kicker’s rookie card in a PSA 9 holder over the last 12 months, according to Vintage Card Prices.
Before we break this list down, a quick note on who is not included. George Blanda and Lou Groza are two Hall of Fame players who were also kickers or punters at one point in their career. But given the era they played in, in which the bulk of their Hall of Fame candidacy is built on something other than kicking (Blanda was a quarterback; Groza was an offensive and defensive lineman), they’ve been excluded. This list is really about pure “soccer-style” place-kickers, a position that wasn’t fully developed until the 1960’s.
At the top of the list, we have the only active kicker of the group: Justin Tucker. As mentioned before, Tucker holds the record for longest field made in the NFL at 66 yards. But this is merely one of his many accomplishments. He also holds the record for kicking accuracy (90.9% as of this publication), along with four Pro-Bowls and one Super Bowl win.
His 2012 Contenders Rookie Ticket is also the only card on this list with an autograph on the card. With an average of $725 over the last nine months, Tucker’s rookie card is the most valuable rookie card among kickers.
While Tucker is destined for the Hall of Fame whenever he retires, it’s interesting that his card is so highly valued. Especially considering that he’s only 27th all-time in field goals made (320). He has a long way to go to catch some of the kickers he’s outselling on the list.
Tucker leads the pack, but HOFers follow
Jan Stenerud (373) and Morten Andersen (565) are 16th and 2nd on the list of most field goals made in NFL history, and are also the only current Hall of Fame members on this list.
Stenerud, the most successful Norwegian football player in NFL history, kicked for 19 years for the Chiefs, Packers, and Vikings. His rookie card value is one third that of Tucker’s, coming in at only $226.
Andersen kicked for an astonishing 25 years in the NFL. He made 79.7% of this field goal attempts and his career long was a 60-yard field goal in 1991. His rookie card, from 1986 Topps Stickers, is surprisingly low, with sales only around $15 over the last 12 months.
Vintage rookie cards of veteran kickers
Three kickers with rookie cards in the 1970’s, Mark Moseley, Garo Yepremian, and Toni Fritsch, also make the list. Moseley kicked for 17 years, mostly for the Washington Redskins, and finished 34th all time in made field goals. Yepremian won two Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins and finished with 210 made field goals. Fritsch was an Austrian kicker for the Texans, Cowboys, Saints, and Chargers.
Yepremian and Moseley benefit from their rookie cards being included in the ever popular 1971 Topps Football set. This is likely why their rookie cards sell for between $180-$220.
Similarly, since Don Chandler’s rookie card is from 1957 Topps, he appears 2nd on this list. Though he made only 94 field goals in his career, his card #23 sells for around $377 in a PSA 9, mostly because of the popularity and rarity of 1950’s football cards.
Adam Vinatieri undervalued?
Adam Vinatieri is currently the NFL’s all-time leading scorer with 2,673 points. He has the most field goals made (599), the most postseason field goals made (56), and the most overtime field goals (12). He also has four Super Bowl wins, three with the New England Patriots and one with the Indianapolis Colts.
He will be a first ballot Hall of Famer when finally eligible in 2025, and has to be considered the most successful place-kicker of all time in the NFL.
So why is he only 6th on the list of highest selling kicker rookie cards?
It could be because his only rookie card is from 1997 Pacific Philadelphia, an unpopular set from the 90’s. But regardless, Vinatieri’s rookie card represents one of the greatest players to ever play the game, and the best “big game” kicker in football.
Only $158 for an Adam Vinatieri rookie card seems like a steal.
It’s possible his career is overshadowed by the likes of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, two (soon to be) Hall of Fame quarterbacks that carried their teams for decades. But as of yet, no player in league history has been as successful at kicking field goals than Adam Vinatieri.
Collecting every kicker? Here’s what you’ll pay
If you wanted to put together a collection of the 14 highest selling kickers in NFL history, it won’t be as cheap as you might think. Acquiring every kicker on the list in a PSA 9 holder would cost around $2,000.
But if you wanted to just collect the Hall of Fame kickers (Stenerud, Andersen, Vinatieri in 2025, and probably Tucker at some point) that would only cost around $1,100.
Greg Morris Cards has a few Jan Stenerud rookie cards (for example, this one) for sale in our store, which can get you started on your collection.
— Sources: Vintage Card Prices, Football DB, Pro-Football-Reference, NFL.com —