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Bills’ Josh Allen sparking visions of Jim Kelly as his trading cards soar
Quarterback Josh Allen, in leading Buffalo back to playoff contention, has been sparking visions of Jim Kelly’s heyday, when the Bills’ vaunted “K-Gun” offense piled up points on pretty much every NFL opponent.
Collectors are sold on today’s resurgent Bills, as reflected during the past month by the sale of multiple Allen cards drawing prices upward of $15,000. Take a look:
● A 2018 Panini National Treasures “White Box” Allen card sold for $23,413 on 47 bids in November. The autographed patch card, a 1-of-1 issue, was ungraded.
● An autographed 2018 Panini National Treasures patch card graded BGS 9 fetched $21,950 on 50 bids. Another National Treasures auto patch card — this one graded BGS 8 — brought $17,311 on 64 bids.
● A signed 2018 Panini Donruss Optic gold card, one of only 10 made, reeled in $20,000 on 59 bids.
● An autographed 2018 Panini Contenders Championship Rookie Ticket sold for $16,211 on 39 bids. It was marked #9 of 49 and graded BGS 10.
And don’t forget that our Top 10 Online Auctions chart from last month included a 2018 Panini National Treasures Allen card that sold for $45,655 on 55 bids. Marked #42 of 99, that autographed patch card had been graded BGS 9.5.
Compared to Allen, Hall of Fame QB Kelly is relatively (and remarkably) undervalued. Consider that in recent weeks, we’ve seen a PSA 9 example of his Topps rookie, a 1984 USFL card, sell for just $341 on 51 bids. We also saw a Gem-Mint PSA 10 example of his first NFL card, a 1987 Topps, sell for a friendly $480 on eight bids.
Perhaps the most enticing Kelly bargain in recent auctions was a 2021 Panini Origins of Greatness card. It pays tribute to both Kelly and Allen in a booklet-style dual-card issue featuring autographs of both QBs. Only five were made, and one of them recently sold on eBay for $798 on 18 bids.
