This morning I decided to dig into Mitchell Trubisky rookie cards after seeing a stack of 2020 football packs at the mall yesterday. Figured it’s worth documenting this rabbit hole I fell into. Fingers are still sore from all the typing last night, honestly.
Starting the Search
First thing I did was pull out all my old football cards from storage. Dusty boxes everywhere, man. Found about a dozen Trubisky base rookies right away – mostly 2020 Score and Donruss stuff. Nothing special, all looked identical. Then I remembered Panini cards have multiple versions of EVERYTHING. Got my magnifying glass out to check tiny serial numbers on the backs. Big mistake. Took two hours just to sort twenty cards. Nearly choked on my coffee when I realized some had different background colors.
Started cross-referencing eBay sold listings on my phone. Held cards next to the screen like some CSI detective. Prices were all over the place:
- Common base cards: Basically free if you pay shipping
- Rainbow foil parallel: $3-5 if buyer’s feeling generous
- Auto patch card: Saw one go for $40 last month
The Hype vs Reality Check
Got hyped when I found a “Gold Parallel” rated rookie. Thought I struck oil. Checked comps – $7.50. My energy drink suddenly tasted like saltwater. Dug deeper into forums where actual collectors hang out. Learned he’s basically the poster child for “how the mighty have fallen” in card collecting circles:
- 2020 hype prices: People paying $100+ for his autographs
- 2022 post-Pittsburgh prices: Basically cardboard confetti
- Current Bills backup status: Ain’t helping his cardboard value
Shuffled through my “maybe valuable” pile like a blackjack dealer. Pulled out what I thought was a rare “Press Proof Silver”. Nope – just regular silver parallel worth maybe two bucks. Felt like tossing the whole stack in the fireplace.
Surprise Finds in the Commons
Was about to quit when I spotted weird gloss on a 2020 Playoff card. Turned out it’s a “Rookie Wave” parallel – one of those you only notice when light hits it right. Checked the code on back. /75 print run! Nearly dropped my loupe. Quick eBay search showed one sold for $15 in April. Not retirement money, but helluva lot better than the base trash.
Made me look closer at all “common” cards under different angles. Found two more sneaky parallels in my starter sets. Lesson learned: Always check under bright light before giving up on a stack.
Final Takeaway Thoughts
So after wasting a whole Sunday:
- Trubisky cards are mostly hot garbage financially – don’t buy new boxes chasing his hits
- Parallels hide everywhere – that boring Donruss card? Might be “Press Proof” or “Color Match”
- Collect only if you actually like the dude as player or have Steelers/Bills nostalgia
- Autographs are the only things holding semi-decent value – and barely
Ended up organizing everything into team bags with sticky notes. Most go in the “$1 bin” for future card show disasters. Kept the /75 parallel as a junk wax legend reminder. That’s all folks!
