By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

Sports card collectors are always hunting for that next top star, or snatching up cards of sentimental favorites. Here’s a look at the cards of a few wrestlers (and one UFC fighter) who have captured collectors’s attention over the last couple weeks.

Verne Gagne

Whether they were released in the 1950s or the 1980s, most of Gagne’s trading cards picture him as the champion fans most remember: an earnest smile on his face, hands on his hips, and the AWA title belt around his waist. Demand will undoubtedly pick up for Gagne’s trading cards following his death, but there is still a very limited supply.

Gagne’s earliest documented trading card can be found in the 1953 Al Haft’s Stars of the Mat set. According to WrestlingTradingCards.com, these cards were originally available in Al Haft calendars. The cards feature black and white shots on the front and blank cardboard backs. They are very tough to find and, for that recent, difficult to price.




Gagne can also be found in the 1954 and 1955 Parkhurst Wrestling sets. The 1954 card (#17) features a colorized photo of Gagne against a plain background. The 1995 card (#43) features a similar photo of Gagne against with white background with a starburst-type design. Sales of these cards are few and far between; a 1954 Gagne graded a PSA 5 by Professional Sports Authenticators, indicating a grade of “excellent,” recently sold for $78.76. An ungraded 1955 Parkhurst card of Gagne recently sold for $23.51.

Gagne was also featured in trading cards from the 1973 Wrestling Annual and 1982 Wrestling All-Stars Series B. He last appeared in the Japanese 1996 BBM Pro Wrestling set. He is featured in the “Retrospective” subset with other legends, on card #345.

Neville

“The Man Whose First Name WWE Forgot” is quickly taking off with collectors - pun intended. He has appeared in only two WWE sets to date: 2014 Topps WWE and 2014 Topps Chrome WWE. In both sets Neville is pictured on card #1 in the 20-card NXT Prospects subset. The Chrome version of the card usually sells in the $2-$3 range, while the basic Topps card sells for around $1.




Neville’s most valuable card so far is found in the 2010 BBM Wrestling Dragon Gate set from Japan. As PAC, he appears on card #6 in the set. Sales of single cards are scarce, but the entire set usually sells for about $25, plus shipping. A PAC BBM Dragon Gate card graded BGS 9.5 from Beckett Grading Services (indicating “gem mint” condition) is listed on eBay for $295 or best offer.

Seth Rollins

“The Architect” of the Shield is clearly WWE’s top young star, and his cards have held steady since his WWE World Heavyweight Title win at WrestleMania.

Rollins’s two most popular cards are from non-mainstream products. Brian Kelley, designer of the Missouri Wrestling Revival (MWR) trading cards since 2010, featured Rollins (as Tyler Black) on card #10 in that set. Each MWR card has been sold online for $1 plus shipping at www.missouriwrestlingrevival.com. The Tyler Black card now sells for about $30 on average. A BGS 9.5 gem mint copy sold for $139.50 in February.

“We were thrilled when Black (Rollins) agreed to be a part of the set and through his support, the MWR site has had a boost,” Kelley said in a 2013 interview with PWTorch.com. “Though we know that Rollins at the time was a star destined to make it big enough that he didn’t need a MWR card, I hope that he would agree that the card with his name on it has given a positive rub back to the independent wrestling community.”




Rollins’s next cardboard appearance was in the 2011 FCW Summer Slamarama set, which were distributed at live events that summer. Raw, ungraded copies have consistently been selling for about $45. The only BGS 9.5 gem mint copy in existence to date is currently listed on eBay for $295 or best offer.

Rollins has been a regular in Topps’s WWE sets since the 2013 Topps WWE Triple Threat set. Later that year, Topps produced Rollins’s first certified autographs and memorabilia cards and included them in the 2013 Topps Best of WWE set.

Rollins’s easiest autograph to find right now is from the recent 2015 Topps WWE product. Basic autographs regularly sell in the $30-40 range, with low-numbered colored parallels fetching more.

Paige VanZant

There are few attractions in professional sports in 2015 bigger than Ronda Rousey. Her trading cards are coveted by sports card and non-sports card collectors of all types, many of whom wouldn’t otherwise be interested in a UFC card.

The UFC’s newest breakout star is 21-year-old “12 Gauge” Paige VanZant, who has two convincing wins over tough opponents under her belt. Her first trading card was just released earlier this month as a part of the 2015 Topps UFC Knockout set. Her basic Rookie Card #150 is regularly fetching $15-20, which is astounding for a base UFC or pro wrestling trading card.

The silver version, serial numbered to 199, regularly sells for $25-30. The gold version, serial numbered to just 99 copies, sells in the $40-$50 range. The Diamond Mat 1/1 parallel is currently listed on eBay for $2,500 or best offer.

Graded copies of VanZant’s first card haven’t surfaced yet, but cards with a grade of BGS 9.5 or better or PSA 10 will likely command huge premiums. When Topps includes her first certified autograph in a future trading card set, it will likely rival many of Rousey’s cards in popularity.




Rousey is in elite company; the only pro athletes who command similar or greater values are mega stars like Lebron James and Mike Trout. Her basic 2012 Topps UFC Bloodlines Rookie Card #150 usually sells in the higher end of the $30-$60 range.

Rousey’s first certified autograph, card #ARR in the 2012 Topps Finest UFC set, is one of the hottest sports cards of the last several years. A raw, ungraded copy of this card usually sells in the $300-$400 range. In March, this card made national headlines when the 1/1 Red Diamond parallel version - a one-of-a-kind card - sold for more than $10,000.

PWTorch Collectibles specialist Michael Moore can be reached at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MMooreWriter.

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