The sports card industry continues to explode in 2022. With more and more people seeking the very best cards to add to their collection or simply make a quick buck.
The sports card boom started a few years back when people started to realize just how much their cards were worth.
Since then, millions of sports fans and card collectors around the world have tried their best to find the very best cards.
With over 300 different sports card releases taking place in 2021 alone. Just keeping up with the hottest cards is a task in itself.
However, if you’re a card collector wanting to find the hottest cards right now, we’re here to help. In this post, you will find a list of the sports cards that are hot right now.
We’ll show you not only the valuable cards but the ones that got people talking too.
Let’s dive straight in shall we!
1. 2020 Topps Now USA Election Bernie Sanders
There really is only one place we can start. Despite not having anything to do with the playing of sport. In 2020 the famous Bernie Sanders meme showed that not all sports cards have to feature a sports star.
On this infamous Topps card, Bernie Sanders can be seen sitting in his mittens during the presidential inauguration.
A whopping 91,000 copies of this card were sold. To put that into perspective, that is the most copies of a Topps card ever sold. It is likely this memorable card was also purchased by a lot of non-collectors.
2. 2020 Topps Dynasty F1 Autographed Max Verstappen/10
While his cards may not be as valuable as his fiercest rival Lewis Hamilton’s cards, after winning the 2021 F1 World Championship. Max Verstappen’s three autographed patches from the Topps Dynasty series quickly became very popular, too hot to handle cards.
Topps produced a standard patch, dual-patch, and triple-patch, all of which were signed by the sports star.
As Max’s popularity continues to grow, so will the value of these three cards. Which all already fetch thousands when sold.
3. 2021 Panini’s Autographed David Beckham Card #1/99
Part of the Panini Chronicles soccer set, it isn’t a surprise to see soccer icon David Beckham feature on this list.
Adored by millions around the world, David Beckham is featured in several Panini cards in 2021. All of which are now highly sought after.
The hottest of these autographed cards has to be his Contenders Optic Rookie Ticket card.
Featuring him from his early days playing for Manchester United. This card is not only a true collector’s item but also worth at least $1,000.
There are only 99 copies of this card available.
4. 2021 Panini Prizm UFC Color Blast Conor McGregor #15
Panini has now taken over the UFC license when it comes to sports cards. Since the takeover, Panini has produced a number of excellent UFC cards that look great.
All featuring the best fighters, it is actually a Prizm Color Blast card that has emerged as the hottest card right now.
Amongst the cards from the very first batch of Panini UFC cards is the popular Conor McGregor UFC Color Blast.
Aside from being massively popular because of McGregor’s fame, the card is easily one of the set’s most attractive cards.
5. Panini National Treasures – LaMelo Ball RC Auto Patch #130/99
Many people felt that the NBA rookie crop wasn’t as strong as in recent years, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some excellent cards that collectors desperately seek.
Making the Charlotte Hornets popular again, LaMelo Ball’s RC Auto Patch card is one of the most significant sports cards this year.
Capable of doing something special on the court, LaMelo’s panini patch is definitely a collectible to keep your eyes on.
6. 2021 Hoops SLAM Kobe Bryant #19
While it may not be the most valuable collection of inserts on the card market, this retail-only SLAM collection of inserts is certainly one that gave us something nostalgic to collect.
With cards that recreate some of the magazine’s most famous covers, it’s not hard to see why so many of these inserts are so popular right now.
Of all the inserts out there, Kobe Bryant’s is the hottest you’ll find right now. This was the card that created those desperate retail chases.
7. Topps Ultra Rare Fernando Tatis Jr Variation
The Variations set has been a big hit with Topps Baseball card fans for many years now.
Each year, new cards are released, with each set somehow getting better than the last. The Ultra Rare card from the Update Series was quickly dubbed “the Big Head Variations”.
Although all the cards were pretty great, Fernando Tatis Jr’s variation was by far the best. So much so, it is still one of the hottest sports cards right now.
8. 2000 Bowman Chrome Tom Brady
Tom Brady’s 2000 Bowman Chrome card is the oldest on our list. This card goes to show that the oldest cards out there are still highly sought after by collectors who want the very best cards.
Many consider this card to be one of the most legendary sports cards ever made, mainly because it features the 14-time Pro Bowler and of course the winner of six Super Bowls.
While this card is easily the hottest Bowman Chrome card out there right now, there are plenty of other cards from the same rookie set that a lot of collectors are keeping a close eye on.
9. Upper Deck The Cup Cale Makar Auto Patch
This set of cards always seems to release late, but that doesn’t stop eager fans from hunting down the cards as soon as they come out.
Of all the Cup cards released in the last year, Cale Makar’s Auto Patch card is by far the hottest right now.
Continuing to grow in popularity, this card comes signed by Makar and features a photo of him playing for the Avalanche.
10. Trinity Rodman’s Parkside NWSL Signature Series Vol.2 Card
The final card on our list is Trinity Rodman’s Parkside NWSL Signature Series card. At only 19 years of age, Rodman has a promising soccer career ahead of her both nationally and internationally.
Her Volume series one card was a big hit when it hit the market, but it’s her autographed series two card that has really stolen the show.
If she is fortunate enough to feature in the Olympics or World Cup, which she probably will be, this card will only grow in value and popularity.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, 10 of the hottest sports cards on the market right now. In this post, we have shown you the cards that most collectors are looking for at the moment.
There may be other cards out there. But if you want the ones that are hot right now, these are the ones to look out for first.
If you’re lucky enough to have some of these cards already, you might be sitting on a small fortune, so why not take a look at how much your cards are worth.
When I was just starting out with my card collection, I had lots of questions about authenticity, trading, and card conditions. But with not that much information available online, I felt quite alone in my queries. Some questions still haven’t been answered to this day.
This site aims to rectify this, and now, I am passing on my knowledge!
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