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Guides

GUIDE 01

The Card Calendar

When to buy and sell rookie cards.

BuySellNo strong pattern

The calendar

Buy in October and November (or January). Sell in July and August.

Grading it? Buy October to November, it is back around May, sell July to August.

  • From August to September, rookies beat their normal pace only 15 of 52 times.
  • From September to October, only 12 of 52 times.
  • Young QBs in years 2 and 3 fell behind their own pace after kickoff in 38 of 46 seasons.
  • The bigger effect is the first year: 11 of 12 football rookies fell in their first 12 months, median about -60%.

14 Prizm rookie cards, PSA 10, 2020 to 2024 classes.

How to read this

Each number compares a month's price to that card's own trend for the year, then takes the median across cards and years (2016 to 2025). Below zero means cheaper than usual. PSA graded cards only. Small baskets of 8 to 14 cards per group.

Past patterns, not a promise. Updated October 2026.

Grading your rookies? Run the numbers with the Grading ROI Calculator