Yes, he is now best known for being the significant other of some singer. But Travis Kelce is one of the best players of his generation. Travis is also, without a doubt, the best tight end in the NFL today. He is an eight-time pro-bowler, including four all-pro selections. And, of course, he played a massive part in two Super Bowl wins with Kansas City (in 2019 and 2022). There is no doubt he is going to the Hall of Fame. The only question is where he will rate in the “who is the best tight end of all time” debate. Pretty darn high if you ask me. If he is the consensus best when he retires, that will add a good deal of value to these cards.
The secret to his success is a deep understanding of the game, which comes with an uncanny ability to predict what defenses will do next. Travis Kelce was a star quarterback in high school and has that kind of ability to read defenses that we associate with players in that position. That means Kelce will often change his route mid-play.
Luckily, with a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes, that is fine. Patrick said, “I don’t know why. I just kind of understand when he’s going to do something he’s not really supposed to do.” Therefore, as of this writing, the two have combined for 53 touchdowns and 586 catches for 7,287 yards.
Collecting Travis Kelce Rookie Cards
The best measure of the value of rookie cards is usually the greatness of the relevant player. In this case, he is incredible. But for a select few, their sporting excellence combines with high celebrity and media visibility. For example, they are often featured in gossip columns, advertisements, massive sponsorships, etc.
Travis Kelce recently jumped from an on-field superstar to a general celebrity. A big part of that is his highly publicized relationship with Taylor Swift. But he has handled it with aplomb. There is no doubt that Kelce has great media instincts and the charisma to carry off advertising campaigns. If you ask me, he is here to stay as a mega-celebrity. That kind of attention has only helped the value of Shaquille O’Neal’s cards and should have a similar effect on Travis Kelce’s cards.
The era Travis came up in is a good one as well. 2013, we already had a substantial selection of football card products, including some great RPAs. But this was before the era of massive overprinting. Therefore, even some of the less exclusive and expensive Travis Kelce rookie cards have good value.
For all of these reasons, Travis Kelce cards are a good investment. That is, despite the high prices some of his cards are currently going for. It is hard to believe they will be going anywhere but up.
We will focus on auto rookie cards and low-numbered parallels. There isn’t all that much money in Travis Kelce’s base rookie cards. 2013 is already the era when these have little value.
2013 Panini Prestige Travis Kelce #293 (AUTOGRAPH-EXTRA POINTS PURPLE)
A PSA 10 sold for $198.50
If you are looking for a low-cost Travis Kelce auto rookie card, look no further. The 2013 Panini Prestige Travis Kelce #293 (AUTOGRAPH-EXTRA POINTS PURPLE) is selling for incredibly low prices. There is nothing wrong with it. Yeah, it has a sticker auto, but so do (unfortunately) the vast majority of his auto cards. There are only 10 of the purple cards. If you want something even more scarce, try the Autograph-Extra Points Gold, of which there is only one graded copy.
2013 Panini Black Travis Kelce #186 Rookie Card
A PSA 10 sold for $270
Either you love Panini Black, or you hate it. Personally, I am not sure there is a reason for that product to exist. What is the theme exactly, the color black? But the cards tend to look great anyway. The picture on this Travis Kelce rookie is excellent, and it really complements the sleek look that Panini Black specializes in. This card's value is low because it is numbered relatively high, and people don’t love this brand. But I am a fan of it. If you also like the 2013 Panini Black Travis Kelce #186 Rookie Card, there are many parallels to pursue. So, be on the look out for lower-numbered ones.
2013 Panini Momentum Travis Kelce /449 #192 RC
A PSA 10 sold for $390
This is easily the most attractive of the inexpensive Travis Kelce rookie auto cards. It looks like a National Treasures card without a hefty price tag. Of course, it is numbered far higher than any of those, hence the significantly lower price tag. But the 2013 Panini Momentum Travis Kelce /449 #192 has a great action photo showing off his ridiculously overdeveloped brachialis. Yes, that is what the forearm muscle is called. You are welcome.
2013 Topps Travis Kelce #31 (CAMO) Rookie Card
A PSA 10 sold for $480
It is a well-known fact that Travis Kelce hates his Topps Chrome rookie card. And it's easy to see why. He looks like an idiot in it. However, it is not devoid of charm. We chose the 2013 Topps Chrome Travis Kelce #31 (CAMO) as the card to get in this release. One reason is that if you are already going with this tack card, you could go all the way and put it in the most offensive form of camo. Another excellent option for this is the pink rookie card, which is garish in a completely different way. These Kelce cards are also printed in lower numbers to retain more value than the base. However, you will notice that even these lower pop cards do not have high numbers because this card just isn’t great-looking.
2013 Panini Totally Certified Travis Kelce Rookie Auto #206
A PSA 10 sold for $500
The brand is not a particularly beloved one. That keeps the price of the 2013 Panini Totally Certified Travis Kelce Rookie Auto #206 down somewhat. However, that latest sale was in 2021, so it should be worth a good deal more now. This is another auto sticker, and the design could be better. But this is a signed rookie of a future inner-circle Hall of Famer. Furthermore, there are only 26 of these cards in the PSA books. So, if you can get a PSA 10 for anything under $1,000, it is a steal.
2013 Panini Rookies and Stars Travis Kelce #192 (AUTOGRAPH-LONGEVITY HOLOFOIL)
A PSA 10 sold for $635
Rookie and Stars isn’t known for its great designs. The 2013 Panini Rookies and Stars #192 (AUTOGRAPH-LONGEVITY HOLOFOIL) is no exception to that rule. The card looks very old school for a 2013 card, and not in a good way. Furthermore, Kelce is usually very photogenic. After all, you don’t get Taylor Swift by being ugly. But this card makes him look notably awkward. But it is a numbered rookie auto of the player. That is why the value recently jumped from around $200 to $600.
2013 Panini Score Travis Kelce #431 (AUTOGRAPH) RC
A PSA 10 sold for $1,200
The Travis Kelce Score rookie cards do surprisingly well. Even the base card 2013 Score #431 Travis Kelce can be worth $60 as a PSA 10. A fortune for a Score base. Meanwhile, the auto sells for a higher price than many of the higher-end products. Although this is a sticker auto, that is less obvious than many of the other equivalents.
Meanwhile, the picture is particularly good and captures our hero looking like a viking on a raid. I also like the Rookie logo at the top. This is just an excellent-looking classic-style Travis Kelce rookie card. The population count for the 2013 Panini Score Travis Kelce #431 (AUTOGRAPH) is also relatively low. So it is a good investment.
2013 Panini Spectra #194 Travis Kelce Rookie AU/99
A PSA 10 sold for $1,200
The Spectra industrial chic design doesn’t always work. However, it goes better with the energy of football than other sports. Furthermore, Travis has the kind of action-hero body to pull it off. Therefore, the 2013 Panini Spectra #194 Travis Kelce AU/99 is a wonderfully compelling Travis Kelce rookie card, regardless of the sticker auto issue.
Unlike most of these cards, we do have a recent sale of a PSA 10. It went for $415 in 2021. That means it is undervalued right now. Indeed, the card will be three times as much in 2024. With a population count of only 14 (8 of which are gem mint), this one seems like a good buy right now.
2013 Panini Prizm Travis Kelce Rookie Autograph Prizm #292
A PSA 10 sold for $1,275
The metallic look of the 2013 Panini Prizm Travis Kelce Autograph Prizm #292, matched with the sticker auto, does not make for the most appealing card ever seen. Nonetheless, we are talking about a Travis Kelce rookie auto card, Prizm. The current prices for the card are very fair and certainly worth considering as an investment.
That is doubly true when we consider the population count. There are only 22 of these babies, 7 of which are PSA 10s. The Light Blue Die-Cut Prizm and Gold Prizm are other cards worth considering. But they aren’t signed.
2013 National Treasures Travis Kelce #334 (AUTOGRAPH GOLD) RC
A PSA 10 sold for $3,500
What an absolutely stunning card. Beware that there are National Treasures cards featuring Travis with on-sticker autos. That is an insult to the National Treasures brand, folks! This one is easily the nicest. And as you can see, the latest sales price for the 2013 National Treasures Travis Kelce #334 (AUTOGRAPH GOLD) is remarkably low. That is because, like many of the prices quoted here, it is from those dark and forlorn pre-Taylor Swift days. There will be a tremendous amount of money in this and other top-of-the-line Kelce RPAs.
2013 Panini Select Travis Kelce Rookie Card #242 (Gold Prizm)
A PSA 10 sold for $4,800
There is an excellent selection of Travis Kelce rookies in Select. They are all pretty great because of that badass shot of Travis looking utterly dominant. But the 2013 Panini Select Travis Kelce #242 (Gold Prizm) sticks out for a couple of reasons. The gold is particularly beautiful and striking with that beautiful red velvety background. Then you also have the matter of population count. They are very rare. There are 8 on the books, and only 1 is a PSA 10. So, if you find any of these, get them graded ASAP. The last sale, for under $5,000, was back in 2021. Since the Kelce's stock has gone up significantly, it should be worth a good deal more.
2013 Panini Contenders Travis Kelce #187 (LEFT HAND OUT-AUTOGRAPH-CRACKED ICE) RC
A PSA 10 sold for $4,999
The 2013 Panini Contenders is not the best rookie ticket design I have ever seen. Nonetheless, the beautiful action photo and the excellent colors of the Chiefs (look, I am not a KC fan; they just have great colors. Sue me) make this a marvel. The last sale of a PSA 10 was back in early 2022, so you can expect the market for it to be far better today. An excellent argument must be made that this is the best investment among Travis Kelce rookie cards. The National Treasures is another strong contender. No pun intended.
Final Word On Travis Kelce Rookie Cards
As we all know, this is the era of Travis Kelce. He is in the public eye now to a degree that would have seemed impossible a couple of years ago. Too many of his autos are sticker ones. But that doesn’t bother everyone, and some are raving beauties nonetheless.
The value of Travis Kelce rookie cards has gone up correspondingly. However, the market is uneven, and prices are all over the place. Therefore, there are great opportunities for profit by buying the right cards. He has more accomplishments and a great future in media, too. Current prices are probably on the low side. He should be able to rival star quarterbacks in the future.
