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Hello! If you’re looking for a list of the best Calvin Johnson rookie football cards, then you’ve come to the right place.
Calvin Johnson was one of the most talented and productive wide receivers in NFL history, and his rookie cards are highly sought-after by collectors and investors.
Johnson was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2007, and he immediately made an impact on the team. In his rookie season, he caught 48 passes for 756 yards and four touchdowns.
His best season came in 2012, when he caught 122 passes for 1,964 yards and five touchdowns.
Johnson's career accomplishments include six Pro Bowl selections, three First-Team All-Pro selections, and the single-season record for receiving yards (which has since been broken by Cooper Kupp).
While Johnson's career numbers are impressive, it is his rare combination of size, speed, and athleticism that adds so much additional value to his rookie cards.
The experts here at Sports Card Sharks have spent countless hours sifting through each and every Calvin Johnson rookie card on the market and have compiled a list of the ones we feel are the best of the best.
We hope you're able to find the perfect card for your collection!
FAQs
The rookie cards we select for our lists are judged based on 3 criteria:
- Design / Aesthetics
- Price
- Rarity
At Sports Card Sharks, we tend to go against the grain. We typically aren’t buying what everyone else is buying when everyone else is buying it, so if you’re moving with the masses this may not be the right list for you. Adios!
Our Founder is an 80's baby that grew up in the 90's collecting sports cards during the junk wax era.
While card collecting when on hiatus for a couple of decades, that passion was re-sparked in 2020 and we haven't looked back since.
We spend countless hours researching each player and constructing these posts to help you save time and energy so that you can focus on the fun part which is collecting!
Calvin Johnson Player Profile
NFL Draft: 2007 (Round: 1 / Pick: 2)
College: Georgia Tech
Team: Detroit Lions
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6′ 5″
Weight: 236 lbs
Date of Birth: September 29, 1985
Pro Bowl Appearances: 6x
Championships: 0x
Career Statistics: View Here
Why We Love Calvin Johnson
- He had the great receiving season of all time (until Cooper Kupp broke it)
- Incredible nickname - MEGATRON
- Hall of Famer
Our List of the Top Calvin Johnson Rookie Cards
1. 2007 Calvin Johnson Upper Deck Rookie Exclusives Rookie Card
We love the photography used on this Calvin Johnson rookie card with him making a smooth over-the-shoulder catch. The card is crisp and clean and hard not to love.
Also Check Out: Larry Fitzgerald
2. 2007 Calvin Johnson Score Hot Rookie Artist Proof Rookie Card
There are a few different variations of this Calvin Johnson rookie card floating around out there but we're fans of the "Artist Proof" given its super short print run of only /32.
Also Check Out: Justin Jefferson
3. 2007 Calvin Johnson eTopps Refractor Auto Rookie Card
The autographed version of this rookie card can be hard to come by and you know how much we love rarity here at Sports Card Sharks.
Also Check Out: Cooper Kupp
4. 2007 Calvin Johnson Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Rookie Card
It's probably a good thing that Upper Deck only made /99 of these rookie cards because they had to be incredibly difficult for Calvin to squeeze his signature into 😉
Also Check Out: Ja'Marr Chase
5. 2007 Calvin Johnson Bowman Chrome Blue Refractor Rookie Card
We're obsessed with color-match rookie cards where the card accents match the color of the player's uniform and that's precisely why we've selected this Calvin Johnson rookie card for our list.
Also Check Out: Top Jerry Rick Rookie Cards (coming soon)
6. 2007 Calvin Johnson Donruss Playoff National Treasures RPA Rookie Card
Sports card collectors are obsessed with multi-color patches and this Calvin Johnson rookie card brings an extremely rare quad-color (4) relic.
Also Check Out: Randy Moss
7. 2007 Calvin Johnson Topps Triple Threads RPA Rookie Card
These rookie card designs were probably ahead of their time. We love how Topps integrated the city abbreviation into the card and then accentuated it with the patch. Such a cool and unique concept.
Also Check Out: De'Andre Hopkins
8. 2007 Calvin Johnson Topps Finest Blue Xfractors Auto Rookie Card
Another color-match makes our list. The Topps Finest set never disappointed with its designs.
Also Check Out: Julio Jones
9. 2007 Calvin Johnson Playoff Contenders Auto Rookie Card
Another thing we tend to like here at Sports Card Sharks is when the cards utilize dual imagery of the player in the card design. Rookie Ticket cards have since gone on to be some of the most sought-after rookie cards in the industry.
Also Check Out: Michael Irvin
10. 2007 Calvin Johnson Topps Chrome Refractor Auto Rookie Card
We apologize for the crappy photo but that's just how rare this Calvin Johnson rookie card is - there was literally only 1 available on eBay at the time of this writing. Topps Chrome was the creme de la creme back at this time and this rookie card is a must-have for any Calvin Johnson fan.
Also Check Out: Terrell Owens
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Financial Disclaimer: If you're investing in sports cards as an alternative investment, please do your own research and do so at your own risk. We are not financial advisors and this is not financial advice.
About the Author:
Trevor Weitzel is the founder of Sports Card Sharks. His pro sports teams are the Timberwolves, Vikings and Twins (which is rough). If we’re talking college then we’re only talking the University of Arizona Wildcats – BEAR DOWN! He is also an avid reseller, crypto enthusiast, and digital marketer.