Tom Brady or Joe Namath rookie cards what is the better bet longrun?

[Anish]

Brady, easily. Specifically his Contenders. Contenders is as important to the 2000’s as Topps was to the 50’s-80’s and the Brady is the definitive card of the GOAT.

[Bored5000]

I agree with the last several posts. Namath is not comparable to Brady. Wilt and Russell are in the conversation with Jordan and Lebron for the best of all time. Namath is not in that discussion with Brady, and Brady's cards will reflect that long term.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Namath barely makes some top 100 lists. That said, he's the perfect storm -- New York, Broadway Joe (is there a more perfect nickname except perhaps the Galloping Ghost?), the swagger, the Super Bowl which was a defining moment in football history, the famous and unforgettable prediction, and the rookie card being from a very cool and relatively tough set. Plus there are two zillion Brady rookies.

[Anish]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Namath barely makes some top 100 lists. That said, he's the perfect storm -- New York, Broadway Joe (is there a more perfect nickname except perhaps the Galloping Ghost?), the swagger, the Super Bowl which was a defining moment in football history, the famous and unforgettable prediction, and the rookie card being from a very cool and relatively tough set. Plus there are two zillion Brady rookies.

He has like 40 rc’s but only one that’s signed. And that one card has already sold for more than any Namath.

Yeah, that one Super Bowl win is memorable but more memorable than Brady’s close to double digit appearances? A whole generation has seen Brady in the Super Bowl every other year of his career.

[pgconboy]

Originally Posted by Anish

He has like 40 rc’s but only one that’s signed. And that one card has already sold for more than any Namath.

What makes you consider Brady only having 1 rookie thats autographed? Assuming you are counting his Contenders card as the 1...

2000 Fleer Tradition Autographics
2000 Press Pass Autograph
2000 SCORE ROOKIE PREVIEW
2000 Pacific Crown Royale Autograph
Probably others.

Edit - To answer the question at hand I would say Brady. I think Namath is in a down trend. With the popular emphasis on analytics (that don't do him justice) and stats, Namath comes off looking fairly pedestrian. Plus his famous drunken sideline footage doesn't help.

[Anish]

Originally Posted by pgconboy

What makes you consider Brady only having 1 rookie thats autographed? Assuming you are counting his Contenders card as the 1...

2000 Fleer Tradition Autographics
2000 Press Pass Autograph
2000 SCORE ROOKIE PREVIEW
2000 Pacific Crown Royale Autograph
Probably others.

Edit - To answer the question at hand I would say Brady. I think Namath is in a down trend. With the popular emphasis on analytics (that don't do him justice) and stats, Namath comes off looking fairly pedestrian. Plus his famous drunken sideline footage doesn't help.

Those are inserts, though, not rookie cards.

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by MRSPORTSCARDCOLLECTOR

I also think the baby boomer New York is in play here with Namath like it is with Mickey Mantle. Should be interesting to see how it is in 10 more years when those baby boomer New York fans are very old or unfortunately have passed on.

Originally Posted by TanksAndSpartans

I can definitely see the Namath/Mantle comparison.

Originally Posted by MRSPORTSCARDCOLLECTOR

It`s just shows the power of those baby boomers from New York. The same boomers that put Mantle over Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente.
Their power is waning though. We will see in 10 years.
tick tock tick tock . lol.

To even bring up Mantle's name when discussing Namath shows me that you know nothing about professional sports. There is a reason why boomers worship him and that's because they watched him go to the World Series twelve times (and win seven of them). He also set many World Series records which still have not been broken today, won the Triple Crown, got over 500 HRs, I could go on and on. Mantle dominated his era, period.

Willie Mays was the better player, yes, but having only one ring will always hurt him. The same goes for Hank Aaron - only one ring. Jackie Robinson doesn't even belong in this debate. He is popular for different reasons.

I think if you wanted to do a comparison, putting Mantle's name next to Tom Brady would make a lot more sense. Brady wasn't the most talented QB of his era, but he knew how to win, and he did it again and again.

And the last thing I want to say is that I've been shopping around for a decent-looking Mantle rookie for months now and I've spoken to so many owners, and guess what? Majority of them are under the age of forty-five. It looks like the boomers have already passed on their 'Mantle love' to the next generation!

[pgconboy]

Originally Posted by Anish

Those are inserts, though, not rookie cards.

Oh, that's a distinction that the vast majority of collectors don't follow.

[MRSPORTSCARDCOLLECTOR]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Namath barely makes some top 100 lists. That said, he's the perfect storm -- New York, Broadway Joe (is there a more perfect nickname except perhaps the Galloping Ghost?), the swagger, the Super Bowl which was a defining moment in football history, the famous and unforgettable prediction, and the rookie card being from a very cool and relatively tough set. Plus there are two zillion Brady rookies.

Good points, but I might argue Tom Brady might have more swagger than Broadway Joe because right now Brady is better looking and married to a top hot model that makes more than him in Gisele.
Although I admire Namath I think the Brady rookies got this.
lol. That I am using outside sources like looks and a model wife for future popularity when 6 Super Bowls to 1 should be enough.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by MRSPORTSCARDCOLLECTOR

Good points, but I might argue Tom Brady might have more swagger than Broadway Joe because right now Brady is better looking and married to a top hot model that makes more than him in Gisele.
Although I admire Namath I think the Brady rookies got this.
lol. That I am using outside sources like looks and a model wife for future popularity when 6 Super Bowls to 1 should be enough.

I love Brady but let's face it, he is boring, probably a victim of the system forced on him but nonetheless, he is boring. Namath was anything but.

[mr2686]

Joe did not marry a super model...he just dated them two at a time.

[Exhibitman]

Apples and oranges. Namath is the legendary player; the guarantee, the women, the celebrity. Namath's card is the 'best' AFL card ever made. It is of an era. Brady is probably the GOAT and his top card may be the best modern FB card. Different collector base, different point in life when each card has appeal to a collector. When you get into history you understand the appeal of Namath's card.

But the question was future prospects. In absolute cash terms, I think the Brady probably has more upside because it sells for so much more than the Namath. Each 1% increase on a $400K card (the Beckett 10 last February) is the equivalent of a 1.75% increase on a $228K card (the PSA 9 in 2018 Heritage).

As for personal desires, I'd skip 'em both for a Jim Brown RC...But I'm a Brown collector.