Dan Marino was the sixth quarterback chosen in the 1983 NFL draft, but, throughout his career, he would enjoy more success than almost all of the quarterbacks selected before him. During his 17 seasons with the Dolphins, he would win an NFL MVP awards and set almost every possible passing record. Due to his record setting play and popularity of his team, the Miami Dolphins, the 1984 Topps Dan Marino rookie card would become very popular with fans and collectors. Collectors of graded cards or fans of Hall of Fame rookie cards can still pick one up at an affordable level.
This card was printed relatively recently, and, as a result, there were many produced by Topps. There have been over 16,000 of these cards graded byPSA, but ultra high grade examples are much rarer and more valuable. There have been just over 200 of these cards graded at the PSA Gem Mint 10 level, and they have sold at auction for anywhere between $800 and $1000. Cards graded 9.5 by BGS or PSA cost around $450-550 while 9's can be found for around $125. If you're just wanting a nice card for a low price, an 8 can often be had for around $50.
Although these cards will probably never reach those values due to the vast number of cards that have been graded, Marino remains an icon because of his Hall of Fame career and he remains in the public eye as a broadcaster. From the 1980s, Marino's rookie card remains a 'must have'. It's not likely to drop in value nor rise a lot but at the highest levels, some appreciation is possible. Rookie cards of John Elway and Eric Dickerson are also in the set, making it one of the most desirable of the past 30 years.
In the 1980s, centering was often an issue and if you can find a high grade Marino rookie card that is perfectly centered, that would be ideal. Marino also had an 'in action' card in the '84 series and it's also popular but not as expensive as the regular issue card.
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