From hero to malcontent and back again, Randy Moss has had the NFL equivalent of a wild day on the stock market. Collectors who held onto his cards through the turbulent times have to be happy though, as Moss is a no-brainer future Hall of Famer and once again among the hobby elite.
No stranger to controversy in his younger days, Moss seemed to have left it behind him when he finished his college ball at Marshall and immediately began tearing up the NFL as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Blessed with an uncanny combination of speed, size and leaping ability, the wide receiver averaged over 1300 yards and 12 touchdowns a season during his seven years in the north.
In March of 2005, Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders, which made the team's fans happy but sent the receiver's play and his reputation into a downward spiral. After watching their acquisition sulk through two injury-plagued losing seasons, the Raiders decided to cut their losses and sent Moss to the New England Patriots for a fourth-round pick.
The 2007 Patriots proceeded to become the highest-scoring team in NFL history, breaking the record once held by the 1998 Vikings. The common thread between those two teams was having Moss in prime form, as he was instantly re-energized playing with Tom Brady and New England's deep receiving corps. A perfect regular season also resulted in some personal glory for Moss, who set a new NFL record with 23 receiving touchdowns.
Assuming continued health, Moss will approach or break all kinds of records over the next few years. Not surprisingly, Moss' 1998 rookie cards are hot again after they cooled considerably during his stint in Oakland. His list of rookie cards is headlined by his SP Authentic # 18, but is missing one of his rarest and most valuable cards. Moss' Playoff Contenders Ticket # 92 is autographed and numbered to 300, but is not considered a true rookie card by a large portion of the hobby because of the set's unusual method of distribution.
Randy Moss 1998 Rookie Cards
- Absolute Hobby # 40
- Aurora # 94
- Black Diamond Rookies # 97
- Bowman # 182
- Bowman Chrome # 182
- Bowman's Best # 109
- Collector's Edge Advantage # 196
- Collector's Edge First Place # 157
- Collector's Edge Masters # 95
- Collector's Edge Odyssey # 80
- CE Supreme Season Review # 101A
- Crown Royale # 75
- E-X2001 # 55
- Finest # 135
- Flair Showcase Row 3 # 5
- Fleer Brilliants # 140
- Fleer Tradition # 237
- Leaf Rookies and Stars # 199
- Metal Universe # 190
- Pacific # 244
- Playoff Momentum Hobby # 131
- Playoff Prestige Hobby # 173
- Score # 235
- SkyBox Premium # 240
- SkyBox Thunder # 242
- SP Authentic # 18
- SPx Finite # 239 - #'d to 1998
- Stadium Club # 189
- Topps # 352
- Topps Chrome # 35
- Topps Stars # 66
- UD3 # 197
- UD Choice # 200
- Ultra # 207
- Upper Deck # 17
- Upper Deck Encore # 12