Hobby Musings: Mahomes continuing interest in 2017 football products – The latest athlete to ride the highest high of the trading card roller coaster appears to be Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II. Taken with the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, fans and collectors had to wait for a good look at Mahomes as he spent his rookie season mostly on the bench behind Alex Smith. As such, while there was a strong market for his cards, his unknowns as a pro kept him from going too high or too low in the card market.
Given the chance to start this year, Mahomes has responded above all expectations. Throwing 13 touchdown passes in his first three games to set a new NFL mark, the youngster has led Kansas City to a 3-0 start. The hobby community has responded enthusiastically as Mahomes’ strong season has kept interest in 2017 football products going strong.
Summing up the trading card interest for Mahomes and 2017 football releases, Dave and Adam’s Card World CEO Adam Martin said, “2017 Football is on fire, high-end especially. Our breakers have been asking us for it, we don’t have it to spare. Even low-end things like blasters for ‘17 football have been popular. Mahomes has definitely caught on with collectors and it’s really incredible.”
Blowout Cards’ Matt Thomas used a former rookie phenom when thinking about the impact Mahomes has made on the card market. Answering my query, the Blowout breaker said, “The hype surrounding Pat Mahomes is the highest I’ve seen for a first year starting quarterback since 2012 (Robert Griffin III). Out of this world stats, coupled with an undefeated start, have helped create the perfect storm when it comes to the rise of individual card prices and wax prices from 2017.”
Collectors looking for 2017 football products featuring Mahomes have plenty of options to choose from. Asked about the boxes people have been buying with his rookie cards, Steel City Collectibles’ Sean Bennett said, “Our top sellers have been 2017 Contenders, 2017 Contenders Optic and 2017 Playoff due to the SSP Contenders and Optic Preview cards found in that product.”
The range of price points on sealed 2017 offerings has been an advantage for collectors trying to chase Mahomes cards. There are higher-priced releases that may not be available to most collectors. However, there are also a variety of options for those on a smaller budget.
Asked about the products he has noticed to be popular with buyers, Thomas replied, “The most popular 2017 products during “Mahomes Mania” are typically the cheaper ones from last year’s releases. 2017 Contenders Optic, Limited and Unparalleled have a plethora of Pat Mahomes autos and can all be purchased for reasonable amounts online. These products give collectors a chance to pull autograph/memorabilia cards and do not “break the bank” at the end of the day.”
Mahomes isn’t the only sophomore NFL player who is still keeping consumers interested in 2017 football boxes. Many of the talented newcomers from last season have started strong this year, and that has resonated in their hobby markets. Asked which NFL sophomores besides Mahomes are driving interest, Bennett said, “Kareem Hunt for sure and Alvin Kamara RC’s I think are a strong bargain buy right now as well. Don’t overlook Tyler Boyd either.”
Thomas also weighed in on the impressive sophomore class, saying, “I think there are a couple of skill position players in the 2017 draft class who have become fixtures of their offenses early in 2018. Christian McCaffrey, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Alvin Kamara are a few names that come to mind, and are making huge impacts with their respective teams.”
The big question is how long Mahomes can continue to keep up these impressive performances. On the collecting side of things, it will bear watching to see how much he can continue to affect the demand and pricing for 2017 football boxes. Offering his take on the matter, Thomas said, “As long as Mahomes continues to play well and the Chiefs are having success, I think there is a realistic possibility that 2017 products could continue to rise to unprecedented levels. What’s important to remember though is that the NFL is a very fickle league. Last year all the hype surrounding the 2017 draft class was centered on Deshaun Watson. Now that he’s coming back from knee surgery and has gotten off to a slow start, it seems as if collectors have jumped off the Watson bandwagon and moved on to the next big thing.”
Bennett also had a positive view on Mahomes’ card market based on continued success for the Chiefs quarterback. When asked, he explained, “The game against the Steelers brought him new national attention. All eyes were on Mahomes and the Chiefs this past week and he did not disappoint. I think he will easily handle the Broncos next week. Should he then beat the Jags and Patriots after that, I think his secondary market values will hit even higher levels.”
For now, Mahomes is a hobby darling and his singles and sealed boxes featuring his cards remain a hot commodity. Whether he can keep this pace remains to be seen, but it will be interesting to keep track of where his market goes as the season unfolds. Whether you want to search for singles and/or sealed boxes at your local shop or chase Mahomes’ cards online, the great thing is there are a nice variety of options in both categories to help add to your collection.
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