Few players have seen the highs and lows that Woods has experienced as a professional golfer. The same can be said for the popularity of many key Tiger Woods card and memorabilia options available on the secondary market. At one point, he had one of the most pursued autographs in all of sports, right up there with Michael Jordan. Deals with Nike and Upper Deck have limited the availability of his autographed memorabilia, thereby preserving the value of the items even amidst his slump.
Almost single-handedly, Woods made golf items worth collecting again. He transcended the game of golf and fans bought up anything that had his name or autograph. As Woods tore through tournaments, it was a foregone conclusion that he would go on to break every major PGA record.
But injuries and personal issues derailed his career. Current setbacks have taken him even lower, but once he regains his focus and winning touch, a lot will be forgiven in the public eye and the values of his cards should rebound.
Tiger Woods Rookie Cards
1996 Sport Illustrated For Kids # 536
Sport Illustrated has the distinction of having produced the first Tiger Woods card ever made. While this might seem like a good thing to you or me, SI went as far as to write letters to card grading companies asking that they refrain from grading any of the cards because they hadn't intended for them to be collected as trading cards. A bizarre reaction to be sure, but likely brought about because they didn't want to risk having to pay Wood's now sizable licensing fees. Whatever their reasoning, the collecting community sure appreciates their contribution to the Tiger Woods card collecting scene as it is his most sought after non-autographed golf card.
1997-98 Grand Slam Ventures Master Collection
The ugly duckling of Woods rookie cards, this card was distributed as part of the 63 card 1997-98 Grand Slam Ventures Master Collection box set, which featured a card of every Masters winner between 1934 and 1998. Though without the benefit of a strong brand behind it, it has still amassed quite a following in the collecting community as a viable mid-range Tiger Woods rookie card option.
2001 SP Authentic #45 (/900, autographed)
The 2011 SP Authentic Tiger Woods card is autographed and numbered to 900. The card image evokes the calm and collected player that dominated the sport for so many years. Although he is not wearing the iconic red polo that both intimated other golfers and excited fans and collectors, this rookie card shows Woods in the prime of his career. The simple yet modern design is further enhanced by the on-card autograph.
2001 Upper Deck #1
Even though it is not sought by premium collectors, it does present a reasonably priced option for collectors looking to buy a meaningful Tiger Woods card that won't break the bank. Woods is wearing the aforementioned red shirt typical of "Sunday Tiger" and is in the middle of a celebration after sinking a putt. The card image has a slight haze and a dated look, especially when viewed in comparison to the SP Authentic card.
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Tiger Woods Autographed Memorabilia Buying Guide
Below you will find an example of what Tiger Woods's authentic signature looks like. This can be used as a first point of reference for determining the legitimacy of autograph memorabilia, but is not a substitute for having your items authenticated by a well-respected professional autograph authentication company.
Signed Golf Memorabilia Pricing:
Average eBay Sales Price: $400
Lowest Amazon Price:
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Chris Nyland | Apr 10, 2013 | Reply
Hi Trey,I was wondering have you ever heard of the Rarest Tiger Woods card known as the TJA (Tiger Jam Autograph)?>I recently had the opportunity to see this card made by Upper Deck LLC. at a card show on the Phila.area and the story behind it is facinating.It was made by Upper Deck for the Tiger Jam 2 charity event as a special card to be autographed at the event by Tiger himself and handed out to only VIPs at the event.Not to be confused with Upper Deck Tiger Jam 1 and Tiger Jam 2 cards that were given out to patrons of the event and are rare in themselves.The dealer who showed me the card said that only 50 of the TJA cards were made and when in the possesion of the President of the Tiger Woods Charity Foundation they got misplaced and when the UD Reps found them 22 of them 50 were missing.They collected 18 of the 22 but 4 were still missing.UD was in a prediciment and cancelled all plans to have this card autographed by Tiger as the missing cards had UD’s Certification of authenticity on them and it would be tough to tell if the autographs were ligit or not on the missing 4 so the whole idea was canned.However there are at least 4 of these TJA cards out in the public.Beckett has it even listed on theie list of cards but TRTP (too rare to price) as the current estimated price.I can send you the photos of it that I have in my cell phone if you want Please call email me at cmnyland@gmail.com or call @484-885-7852 Please if you get a chance write a column on this the rarest of Tiger woods Cards!