Joe Montana football cards were the toast of the hobby all through the 1980s, and they remain near the top of the mountain more than 25 years after his retirement.
Montana was undoubtedly THE quarterback of the decade, and he made the 49ers a dynasty with four Super Bowl titles in nine years.
To celebrate that run of greatness, let’s check out the best Joe Montana football cards from the 1980s — two for each year (Topps + a toughie), plus a couple of bonuses.
Hike!
(Note: The sections below contain affiliate links to eBay and Amazon listings for the cards being discussed. Card values culled from the PSA Auction Prices Realized tool in May of 2022.)
1981 MSA Holsum Discs Joe Montana
MSA was all over the “disc” scene in the 1970s, producing baseball “cards” for outfits like Burger King, Little Caesar’s, and Pepsi.
In 1981, they teamed up with Holsum bread to distribute a football issue, mostly in the Wisconsin area.
Therein lies the only non-Topps Montana rookie card we have, and he’s got his sly devil outfit on, complete with long curly hair, down-his-face moustache, and mischievous grin.
This is a tough card that will set you back $300 or more in PSA 9 condition.
Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)
Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)
1981 Topps Joe Montana Rookie Card (#216)
This was the Don Mattingly RC of the football card market … the card of the breakout superstar that you could pull from packs the same season he was breaking out.
The card that drove the hobby all through the 1980s.
When this card was issued, Montana had eight starts over two NFL seasons under his belt.
By the end of the ’81 season, though, he was a Super Bowl champion and a budding legend … and the Joe Montana rookie card would never look back.
Expect prices to run $350+ for a copy of the Montana rookie in PSA 8 condition.
Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)
Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)
1982 Topps Joe Montana All-Pro (#488)
Montana is doing his best Joe Horn impression here on his second Topps cards, and the first after he became a household name.
Think he’s calling his mom to tell her practice went well? Or maybe President Ronald Reagan to talk smack about the Redskins?
My money is on a connection to Canton, getting an early start on specs for his Hall of Fame bust.
Montana’s second Topps football card is a $40-50 in PSA 8.
Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)
Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)
1982 Topps Joe Montana In Action (#489)
Even after his amazing 1981 run, Montana didn’t have any sort of real oddball issues in 1982.
So … we’ll go with his Topps In Action, which the PSA Master Set Registry lists as the second most important of Joe’s card that year.
The most striking thing about this card? How old the photography looks, which I definitely take exception to.
Prices run $20-30 in PSA 8 condition.
Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)
Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)
1983 Topps Joe Montana (#169)
The 1983 Topps football set takes its design cues from minimalistic baseball issues of the past, like 1957 and 1967.
The crisp, large photos have always been popular with collectors, and this Montana is a classic, though its value lags just a bit due to being a double print.
This card generally runs about $20 in PSA 8 condtion.
Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)
Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)