The 10 Most Memorable Football Cards of the 1980s

Although not his first professional football card, this 1987 Topps Jim Kelly Rookie card is the first NFL card of the great quarterback's career. The multi-time Pro Bowler led the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances and is a legend in the city. Kelly is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This 1989 Score Troy Aikman is the rookie card of the great Dallas Cowboys Quarterback. Featuring the former 1st overall draft pick in an early picture with his Cowboys uniform, this card is very expensive for a late 1980s card. Aikman went to six Pro Bowls and was a part of three Super Bowl winning teams. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

This 1986 Topps Steve Young is the first NFL card of the great quarterback. Although this card pictures Young in a Tampa Bay Bucs uniform, he is mostly remembered as the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers after Joe Montana.Young was a seven time Pro Bowler and two time league MVP. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

This is the Lawrence Taylor rookie card from the 1982 Topps Football Set. Oddly looking like an All Pro subset card, it is still one of the most popular of its time. Taylor would go on to become a ten time Pro Bowler and NFL MVP. He won two Super Bowls as a member of the New York Giants. LT was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

The most sought after early card of one of the most elusive runners of all time, this 1989 Score Barry Sanders Rookie is truly a mark for collectors. Barry Sanders is a multiple time NFL Offensive Player of the Year and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The former Detroit Lions running back is known as one of the greatest of all time.

Although the 1988 Topps football set was not the the nicest set, in comparison to the baseball set of the same year, this set was not bad at all. The main reason for this is the inclusion of this Bo Jackson (Football) Rookie Card. Until his injury, this was one of the hottest cards on the market. Many a collector remembers a day when this card was out of their budget.

This 1984 Topps Dan Marino rookie card features the great quarterback in his Miami Dolphins uniform. Part of the famous quarterback class of 1983, Marino was a nine time Pro Bowler and a former NFL MVP. Marino was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame despite never winning a Super Bowl.

This 1981 Topps Joe Montana Rookie is a bright spot for early 1980s football cards. Featuring an iconic picture of a young Montana in his San Francisco 49ers number 16 uniform and a classic Topps border, this one is arguably the best football card from the 1980s as well as one of the most expensive cards from that decade. One of the most popular players of all time and one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, Montana led the 49ers to four Super Bowls in the 1980s and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This 1984 Topps John Elway card is the rookie card of the former Denver Broncos quarterback. Coming out of the great quarterback class of the 1983 NFL Draft, Elway was perhaps the best of them all and his rookie card can certainly be called the most popular. Elway was a nine time Pro Bowler, former league MVP, and two time Super Bowl Champion. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

This 1986 Topps Football Jerry Rice Rookie card is quite possibly the most sought after card of a wide receiver of all time. Rice was a three time Super Bowl Champ, a twelve time Pro Bowler, and holds numerous NFL records. Most remembered as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, Rice is a surefire Hall of Famer.

This 1988 Topps Vinny Testaverde is the rookie card of the cult favorite. After winning the Heisman Trophy in college as a member of the Miami Hurricanes, Testaverde would go on to play in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, and the New England Patriots. He was a two time Pro Bowler.