Ultimate Brett Favre Rookie Cards Checklist and Key Early Cards
Although his career did not end on the best of terms, Brett Favre remains one of the most intriguing and popular football players ever. His gunslinging mindset, laid-back personality and many NFL accolades combine to make him a collecting favorite. Because of this, Brett Favre rookie cards continue to see strong interest within the hobby.
After a short start with the Atlanta Falcons, it was in Green Bay that Brett Favre emerged as an elite quarterback. He helped lead the Packers back to regular playoff contention and took them to two Super Bowl appearances, including a win in Super Bowl XXXI to end the 1996 season. Later in his career, retirement speculation became a yearly tradition and Brett Favre retired in 2008. This would be the first of several retirements and resulted in additional stints with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings. His final retirement took place after the 2010 season.
While they came during the overproduced era of 1990s football cards, Brett Favre rookie cards remain a top option for collectors. There are eight official rookies from 1991 and all are fairly easy to find. Prices are kept in check by the high print runs, but Gem Mint copies still command a considerable premium. In addition, several other options from 1991 and 1992 have caught the attention of collectors.
Obviously, there are tons of other football cards for Brett Favre over the years, and some of his best are covered in our list of the top Brett Favre cards.
For an idea of the most popular Brett Favre cards right now, view his current eBay card auctions with the most bids.
Brett Favre Rookie Cards Checklist and Gallery
The following guide features all the Brett Favre rookie cards from 1991. Other key first and second-year cards are showcased below that.
1991 Action Packed Rookie Update Brett Favre RC #21
1991 Action Packed may not wow anyone these days, but the gold foil and rounded edges helped set it apart in 1991. Even now, it is still weird seeing Favre in a Falcons jersey. His earliest Action Packed card is part of the Rookie Update set.
1991 Pacific Brett Favre RC #551
1991 Pacific is a good reminder of how bad cards could be during this time. The dated design, including pink shading and unfortunate text choice for the name, is still overshadowed by the bizarre facial expression captured in the youthful image of Favre.
1991 Pro Set Brett Favre RC #762
Pro Set is "THE OFFICIAL NFL CARD." In case you ever forget this, they have conveniently placed that information on the front of the card. Outside of that and the text box at the bottom, this is a very plain card. There is also a Spanish version, which looks virtually the same as the regular card except it is written in Spanish and features a different number (#262).
1991 Pro Set Platinum Brett Favre RC #290
As simple as the Pro Set card looks, the Pro Set Platinum cards take that even further. Without a text box, these Brett Favre rookie cards are one silver circle logo away from being just a photo. If it were not for the "4" jersey and familiar stance, you might not even know it was Brett Favre's rookie card.
1991 Score Brett Favre RC #611
Giving the Pacific card a run for worst design, 1991 Score showcases a college image of Brett Favre with a faded purple border and yellow/gold and black text box.
1991 Topps Stadium Club Brett Favre RC #94 (Error)
It is easy to forget that Brett Favre was relatively unknown outside of the Gulf Coast region in 1991. While his name is pronounced Farve, it is actually spelled Favre. 1991 Stadium Club Football never got that memo and this error card still carries the misspelled name.
The base card does maintain solid value, but the Super Bowl XXVI parallel represents a premium collectible. The partial parallel cards were distributed at the 1992 NFL Experience in Minneapolis. The card is identical to the regular card except for an embossed Super Bowl XXVI logo in the top corner.
1991 Fleer Ultra Brett Favre RC #283
1991 Ultra is perhaps the most basic Brett Favre rookie card available. The blurred background, Photoshopped college image, and light gray border make for a very generic card. He was also included as the first card (#U1) in the 1991 Ultra Update set with a Falcons image.
1991 Upper Deck Brett Favre RC #13
While the image may not be a fan-favorite, 1991 Upper Deck Football provides the most accurate picture of Brett Favre's rookie season. Of course, he would go on to do great things when he finally got off the bench. Along with the Stadium Club card, this Upper Deck release is among the top Brett Favre rookie cards. Favre has another card in the Upper Deck set (#647) as part of the Rookie Force subset and it is also a non-action shot.
Other Notable Early Brett Favre Cards
Collectors are not just limited to the eight official Brett Favre rookie cards that are covered above. While they are not all NFL licensed, several additional first-year cards are available and have proven to be popular with collectors. Two of the top options are noted below as well as an NFL-licensed, second-year card.
1991 Classic Brett Favre #30
Issued in a factory set, Favre was part of the 50-card football release from Classic. A very cheap option for collectors, the large marble-like frame design screams early-'90s. There is also a standard multi-sport release from Classic (Four Sport) that includes Favre (#129).
1991 Star Pics Brett Favre #65 Autograph
Although it was not an NFL licensed card, 1991 Star Pics has the distinction of being the very first Brett Favre autograph card. Favre elected to sign many cards on the back, possibly to make sure collectors noticed his awesome headshot.
It is important to note that the only thing that distinguished autographed cards from the base versions is the signature and the sticker. Because of this, it is not uncommon for stickers to be removed from other cards and added to a forged Brett Favre card. As a result, collectors should be extra careful with these cards if they aren't authenticated.
1991 Wild Card Draft Stripes Brett Favre #119
1991 Wild Card Stripes brought collectors one of the most captivating early card concepts. While the base card had an icon that was titled "1st Edition," Stripe parallel cards included a literal stripe with a specific number, including 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 1,000 stripe versions. Collectors could redeem the Stripe cards for base versions of the player, totaling the amount listed on the card. While the redemption aspect has long expired, the cards still hold value, and the rare 1000-stripe cards sell for insane amounts whenever they surface.
1992 Stadium Club Brett Favre #683
Second-year cards do not normally hold much value in modern collecting, but when talking about Brett Favre cards, 1992 Stadium Club is the exception. Split into three series, the first two releases each included 300 cards and a normal print run. However, the final release came as a 100-card High Number series. Brett Favre was included in this final group, which featured a much lower print run.
As an added bonus for collectors, the card shows Brett Favre in the familiar green of the Packers color scheme, and this time, Stadium Club even got his name right. Because of this, the 1992 Stadium Club card can have more collecting appeal than the official Brett Favre rookie cards.
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