Chiefs fan finds treasure trove of rare Patrick Mahomes rookie cards at thrift store
Some people search for hidden treasure at yard sales. Other scour online sites such as eBay.
But Trevor Hayes of Independence has one particular thrift store in Kansas City that he visits regularly to hunt for great finds.
“There’s a lot of stuff that comes into this thrift store, to be honest,” said Hayes, who declined to name the store. “There are a lot of collectors that come in because you can find vintage toys, just pretty much anything you’re looking for. They always recycle out new things every 30 minutes so you’re constantly going through new stuff not just the same stuff.”
Hayes, 32, said he and his brother Tony, 28, were at the store in May when Tony found an unopened box of football trading cards for next to nothing. Once home, Tony set it aside and forgot about until earlier this month. That’s when the brothers made a trade. Trevor had some cards that Tony wanted and offered up the unknown box of football cards.
Hayes couldn’t believe what he found.
There were a hundred Patrick Mahomes 2017 Panini rated rookie personal edition cards, a rarity in the world of collectibles.
They are so scarce that Hayes didn’t know what he had found.
“I looked them up and couldn’t find anything on them, to be honest,” Hayes said. “Then I found some leads on what they were and I posted one (on Facebook Marketplace) just to see what it was going to be like on the market, and a guy came by that was a card collector that ... said he knew everything about these cards.
“When he looked at them he started asking me if I wanted to sell the whole box or if I just wanted to sell some of them, and before I knew it, he was offering me a significant amount of cash for something I probably paid a couple dollars for.”
A limited release
In 2017, Panini brought in 37 NFL rookies to be photographed for the cards, which were produced quickly and 100 were given back to the players to sign. Those autographed cards were inserted into packs of a 2017 National Sports Collectors Convention promo set.
Justinn Patton, a sports memorabilia collector who lives in Independence, said another 60 to 100 cards were made for each player to keep or give away.
Patton, who bought 20 of the cards, spoke with Panini, which said these 100 unautographed cards were supposed to be destroyed after the 2017 event with the players.
One of the autographed cards sold last month on eBay for $1,433, a price likely boosted by Mahomes’ signature.
The box of cards Hayes found also contained an NFLPA watch and some bobbleheads.
To his chagrin, Hayes didn’t realize how rare the cards are. He sold nearly all of them for a few thousand dollars. It was enough to repair a car belonging to his mother, who Hayes said is on disability.
“It kind of stinks because I’m being told that it could be worth a load of money and didn’t get that much money out of them,” Hayes said. “But I’m happy I can do what I can to help my family.”
And while the cards he found are scarce because they lack Mahomes’ signature, Hayes hopes to get the quarterback’s John Hancock. Hayes said earlier this year he bought a Mahomes-signed card, but it turned out to be fake.
“It was kind of bumming me out,” Hayes said, “(so) maybe I could use some of the money and actually get a signature on one of these.”
This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 9:48 AM.
