Some of the most iconic trading cards in sports collectibles feature interesting player photos with unique backstories.

There are likely none more unique than the 1965 Topps Joe Namath rookie card.

Namath, the No. 1 pick by the New York Jets in the 1965 AFL Draft, suffered a brutal knee injury during his senior season at Alabama that required surgery in January of 1965. While recovering at Lennox Hill Hospital in New York, Namath lost 27 pounds while confined to his bed for eight full days.

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During his recovery, the Jets media relations director showed up at Namath’s hospital room carrying shoulder pads, a jersey and a football.

“He told Namath that the show must go on, so they took the future Hall of Famer out of his bed,” SCD contributor Tony Reid recounts in a story that will appear in the Dec. 1 issue of SCD. “Standing only with the help of crutches, he went into the hallway, leaned against the wall, and posed for the picture you see on his iconic rookie card.”

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Featured in Topps’ first iconic “Tall Boy” set, Namath’s rookie card is one of the most coveted and valuable cards among football card collectors.

PWCC Marketplace has a 1965 Topps Namath rookie card, graded SGC 7.5, in its November Premier Auction. With only five PSA 9 versions of the card in existence — and no PSA 10s — a SGC 7.5 is considered one of the best-preserved copies of the iconic card.

The auction, which features cards and memorabilia across all sports, opened Nov. 2 and runs through Nov. 16.

Other elite assets in the auction include:

• 1998 Skybox Premium Star Rubies Michael Jordan /50 #23 (PSA 7 NRMT). The Skybox Star Rubies set was one of the first to feature serial-numbered parallels, and it’s 1998 Jordan card was one of the last of his career. Only 50 copies exist, with only five graded higher. It has a current bid of $70,000. 

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• 1952 Berk Ross Willie Mays (PSA 9 MINT). One of only two cards from Mays’ rookie season (along with his 1951 Bowman), only six copies exist in a PSA 9, with none graded higher.

• 1996 Sports Illustrated For Kids Tiger Woods Rookie #536 (PSA 10 GEM MINT). Included in the magazine’s popular trading card insert series, the Tiger Woods rookie card appeared in the 1996 Series 3 December issue. Of nearly 2,000 copies graded by PSA, this is one of only 23 to earn a PSA 10 grade.

• 2020 Topps Dynasty Formula 1 Nameplate Sebastian Vettel PATCH AUTO 1/1 (MBA AUTH). The 1/1 card, which features an on-card autograph and a relic from the nameplate of his red Ferrari racing suit, is one of the most coveted cards of the 2020 Topps set.