1981 Topps Joe Montana PSA 10 Rookie Sells for $62K

1981 Topps #216 Joe Montana Rookie Card – PSA 10 Sells for $62,220 at Goldin

For many football collectors, the 1981 Topps Joe Montana rookie is one of the true cornerstones of the modern vintage era. On January 4, 2026 (UTC), Goldin recorded another major result for the card when a copy of 1981 Topps #216 Joe Montana, graded PSA GEM MT 10, sold for $62,220.

In this breakdown, we’ll look at what exactly this card is, how this sale lines up with recent market data, and why the 1981 Topps Montana rookie remains so important to football collectors.

The card at a glance

Player: Joe Montana (Quarterback)
Team: San Francisco 49ers
Year / Set: 1981 Topps Football
Card number: #216
Rookie status: Recognized flagship rookie card
Grading company: PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator)
Grade: GEM MT 10 (Gem Mint)
Special attributes: Standard base card – no autograph, patch, or serial numbering

This is the classic green-bordered 1981 Topps design, featuring Montana in his red 49ers jersey with a simple, straightforward layout. There’s no parallel or short-print version here; the significance comes from the player, the era, and the condition.

Why the 1981 Topps Montana matters

Flagship rookie of a foundational quarterback

Joe Montana is widely regarded as one of the defining quarterbacks of the 1980s and early 1990s:

Four-time Super Bowl champion
Three-time Super Bowl MVP
Two-time NFL MVP
Hall of Famer and central figure in the 49ers dynasty

The 1981 Topps #216 is his flagship rookie card—that is, the main, widely recognized rookie issued during his debut era. For many collectors, especially those focusing on quarterbacks, this is a “must-have” hobby staple alongside other iconic football rookies.

Era and set context

The 1981 Topps football set sits in the space many collectors call “modern vintage” or late-vintage—older than the junk wax boom of the late 1980s and early 1990s, but printed in substantially larger quantities than true 1960s and early 1970s sets.

Key points for 1981 Topps Football:

Widely available in raw (ungraded) form, with many copies surviving.
Centering, print quality, and edge chipping make high-grade examples tough.
Montana’s rookie is the clear headliner of the set, with strong long-term hobby recognition.

Because the set was produced in comparatively large numbers, the card itself is not rare. The scarcity is almost entirely in top-end condition.

PSA 10 population and condition scarcity

When collectors talk about the "pop report" (population report), they’re referring to how many copies of a card a grading company has assigned to each grade.

For the 1981 Topps Joe Montana rookie:

PSA has graded a large number of copies across all grades.
The PSA 10 (GEM MT) population is very small compared to the total.

While exact population figures change as new cards are submitted and graded, PSA 10s have consistently represented a very small fraction of all graded Montana rookies. Centering issues, print defects, and edge wear make gem-mint examples significantly harder to find than PSA 8s and 9s.

That combination—iconic player, flagship rookie, and very low gem-mint population—helps explain why PSA 10s trade in a completely different price tier from lower grades.

Market context: how does $62,220 fit in?

The Goldin sale closed at $62,220 on January 4, 2026 (UTC).

To understand that number, it helps to look at comps—short for comparable sales or recent transaction data for the same card or very similar graded copies.

Historical range for PSA 10 sales

Over the last several years, auction results for this specific card in PSA 10 have shown a wide range:

Earlier in the 2020–2021 boom period, some PSA 10 copies reached well into six-figure territory at peak enthusiasm.
As the market cooled, realized prices for PSA 10s retraced, with later sales landing closer to the mid–five-figure range rather than the high end seen at the peak.

Recent public auction data (from major houses and marketplaces) generally place PSA 10 Montana rookies in a band that has, in more normalized conditions, often floated in the mid-to-upper five figures, with outlier results above that during more speculative periods.

Within that context, $62,220 sits toward the upper portion of the more recent post-boom range, but below the frothiest prices seen during the height of the pandemic-era surge. It reflects ongoing strong demand for gem-mint copies without approaching the extreme highs of the hobby’s most speculative phase.

How it compares to lower grades

Looking at nearby grades helps underline the condition premium:

PSA 9 (Mint) copies typically trade for a fraction of PSA 10 prices, with recent comps generally in the low-to-mid four-figure range, depending on centering and eye appeal.
PSA 8 (Near Mint-Mint) copies often sit significantly lower again, reflecting the card’s overall supply.

The gap between PSA 9 and PSA 10 is one of the key dynamics of this card. While both are visually strong, the PSA 10 designation commands a substantial premium because of the extremely tight supply at the top.

Collector significance beyond the price

A benchmark card for football collectors

For football-focused collectors, the 1981 Topps Montana rookie functions as a kind of benchmark:

A “resume piece” for serious 49ers or quarterback collectors.
A common entry point for collectors transitioning from modern ultra-modern products back into vintage and early 1980s issues.
A card that often anchors discussions about long-term, historically significant football rookies.

Even in lower grades, it’s a highly recognized card. In PSA 10, it becomes less about basic access and more about representation at the very top of what grading standards allow.

Relation to the modern QB market

In the last several years, there’s been heightened attention on quarterback cards—especially for both all-time greats and emerging stars. As newer QBs gain hobby attention, interest often circles back to the historical greats for comparison.

In that environment, the Montana rookie has served as a reference point when collectors look at how modern QBs are priced relative to Hall of Fame benchmarks.

What this Goldin sale tells us

The Goldin auction result from January 4, 2026 gives us a few concrete takeaways:

PSA 10 Montana rookies remain firmly in the premium tier. A realized price of $62,220 confirms that collectors are still willing to pay a clear multiple over PSA 9s for top-population examples.
The market appears more data-driven than in 2020–2021. Compared with earlier peak-era record prices, this sale sits at a more measured level, more in line with recent comps, rather than pushing a new record at any cost.
High-grade vintage and early 1980s football still attracts strong auction-house attention. The fact that this card continues to run through major venues like Goldin underscores its place as a recognizable blue-chip piece in the football segment of the hobby.

Notes for different types of collectors

Whether you’re a newcomer, a returning collector, or already active in the market, the 1981 Topps Montana rookie offers a clear case study in how condition, era, and player legacy work together.

Newer collectors: This card is a useful example of how a non-rare base card can still be expensive in gem-mint condition because of grading scarcity.
Returning collectors: If you remember pulling 1981 Topps packs, it’s helpful to see how grading and population data have reshaped the value landscape for cards you might have once treated as everyday commons.
Active hobbyists and small sellers: Watching PSA 10 sales like this helps anchor expectations for the rest of the grade ladder and provides a reference when evaluating raw copies or mid-grade slabs.

As always, realized prices are snapshots of a specific moment in time: a particular copy, in front of a particular set of bidders, under particular market conditions. They’re helpful data points, not guarantees. The $62,220 result at Goldin on January 4, 2026 is one more important data marker in the ongoing story of one of football’s most recognizable rookie cards.

Key details of the sale

Card: 1981 Topps #216 Joe Montana Rookie Card
Grade: PSA GEM MT 10
Auction house: Goldin
Sale date (UTC): January 4, 2026
Realized price: $62,220

For more data-backed trading card analysis, figoca tracks notable auction results across eras and grading tiers to help collectors understand the hobby’s evolving price landscape.