12 Most Valuable 1995 Topps Football Cards

1995 Topps #229 Warren Sapp Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $85

After skipping his senior season at the University of Miami to enter the 1995 NFL Draft, right defensive tackle Warren Sapp had the size and motor to make waves at the next level.

But no one quite knew just how big those waves would be.

Selected 12th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sapp would eventually pile on the accolades, including seven consecutive Pro Bowls and the 1999 Defensive Player of the Year award.

In 1995, Sapp was a tenacious rookie hungry to learn and grow.

In 16 games (eight starts) for the 7-9 Bucs, the future Hall of Famer tallied 27 tackles (17 solo), three sacks, a forced fumble, and a pick-six.

Sapp wasn't the game-breaker he'd soon become.

And he sometimes struggled against the run and didn't have the extra gear to rip through offensive linemen with glee.

Still, Sapp's rookie season was a promising opening statement in a one-of-a-kind career.

Inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2013, Sapp left a legacy as one of the most feared defensive tackles in football history.

But he also had a light-hearted personality that helped him launch a successful career as an NFL analyst after retirement.

1995 Topps #222 Tony Boselli Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $70

In 1995, the NFL welcomed two expansion teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Carolina Panthers, as it looked to expand its market footprint.

And with their first pick in franchise history, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected star USC tackle Tony Boselli with the second pick of the 1995 NFL Draft.

With three First-Team All-American selections under his belt during his time with the Trojans, the Jaguars looked to build a solid foundation around the future star.

As most expected, things didn't go smoothly for the Jaguars during their inaugural season.

Jacksonville started the season 0-4 before eventually landing in fifth place in the AFC Central at 4-12.

However, Boselli played well overall, starting in 12 of the 13 games he played.

Boselli's rookie year and final year of his career would be the only two seasons where he didn't receive Pro Bowl honors.

After seven seasons with the Jaguars, Boselli found himself with another opportunity to play for an expansion team in 2002 when the Houston Texans selected him in the expansion draft.

However, Boselli decided to retire rather than risk even more injuries than those he accumulated during his seven Hall of Fame seasons.

1995 Topps #420 Joe Montana

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $70

Even though Joe Montana had already retired before the 1995 NFL season, Topps included him in their flagship 1995 release.

After 13 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and 2 with the Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Montana left a legacy as arguably the greatest quarterback ever.

With a resume that included four Super Bowl rings, two regular season MVPs, three Super Bowl MVPs, eight Pro Bowls, and various other awards, it was hard to argue against him.

However, Tom Brady may have since changed the discussion.

But for those fans and collectors who grew up watching Montana and collecting his cards, there were few faces we liked to see in a pack of football cards than his.

He was the poster child of winning and playing with grace under pressure.

So, collectors were more than happy to see him included in this set.

And the image with his arms raised in the air in triumph perfectly characterized his legacy.

1995 Topps #220 Jerry Rice

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $60

Coming off his third Super Bowl victory, thirty-three-year-old wide receiver Jerry Rice returned with the San Francisco 49ers for his eleventh season in 1995.

And, though he had nothing to prove at that point, Rice sure played like he did.

In fact, he had arguably the best year of his career, setting personal bests in targets (176), receptions (122), receiving yards (1,848) and receiving yards per game (115.5).

In addition, Rice reeled in 15 touchdowns and scored another one on the ground for the NFC West champion 49ers.

Though he fell short of the MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards, a ninth First-Team All-Pro selection and a tenth trip to the Pro Bowl helped certify his incredible production.

After a bye, the 49ers faced the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round at home at 3Com Park.

Despite being heavily favored, the 49ers shockingly fell to the Packers 17-27.

Rice did everything he could to help the team, catching 11 passes for 117 yards.

However, costly turnovers put the 49ers in a bind they couldn't recover from as a Super Bowl repeat slowly slipped away.

1995 Topps #350 Dan Marino

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $60

In the same year that the beloved Madden '95 was released, Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino continued to put up video-game numbers in his 13th NFL season.

Marino missed Weeks 7 and 8 with a hip injury.

Otherwise, he didn't miss a beat, finishing Second-Team All-Pro and leading the Dolphins to a third playoff berth in four seasons.

The hulking six-foot-four QB was the guts and glue of a high-flying Miami offense.

His big arm made spectacular throws routine.

And his preternatural timing left defensive backs defenseless and safeties unsafe.

Marino accounted for all nine of the AFC Wild Card entrants' victories in 1995, completing 64.1% of his passes for 3,668 yards, 24 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

He orchestrated three game-winning drives and two fourth-quarter comebacks to eke Miami into the postseason as the AFC's sixth seed.

But the fun stopped there.

The Dolphins suffered an utter disaster in the first three quarters of their Wild Card Round match-up with the Buffalo Bills, falling into an enormous 27-0 hole.

The Dolphins made it a game with a furious fourth, tallying 22 points to cap an otherwise deflating 34-22 loss.

Marino was the workhorse in defeat, completing 33 of an eyebrow-raising 64 passes for 422 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

1995 Topps #110 Barry Sanders

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $50

Detroit Lions superstar Barry Sanders rushed for 1,500 yards on the dot in 1995, making it the second of four consecutive seasons with at least 1,500 yards on the ground.

An All-Pro First-Teamer for the second straight year, Sanders rushed for an impressive 4.8 yards per attempt with 11 touchdowns against just three fumbles.

It was a masterclass by the most sure-handed RB of the 90s.

Sanders was also a valuable short-yard receiver for QB Scott Mitchell, posting 48 receptions for 398 yards and a TD.

With Mitchell at the controls and Sanders on the go, the playoff-bound Lions finished second overall with 27.3 points per game.

It was Detroit's defense, though, that ultimately doomed Detroit's '95 campaign.

In their NFC Wild Card Round date with the Philadelphia Eagles, the 10-win Lions had no answers on defense.

Philly cruised to a 51-7 lead in the third quarter, putting the game well out of reach.

As Detroit leaned almost exclusively on the pass, Sanders rushed just ten times for 40 yards and added two catches for 19.

The Lions didn't go quietly, scoring 30 of the game's final 37 points in a 58-37 defeat.

With that fantastic flurry added, the teams' 95 combined points set a new NFL postseason record.

1995 Topps #330 Emmitt Smith

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $50

Looking to avenge their NFC Championship loss from the previous year, the Dallas Cowboys and Emmitt Smith were all business in 1995.

And as they had so many times before, the Cowboys relied heavily on their superstar running back.

With a league-leading 377 carries, 1,773 rushing yards, 110.8 rushing yards per game, 25 rushing touchdowns, and 2,148 yards from scrimmage, Smith was an absolute menace.

All of those marks turned out to be career bests for the legendary Hall of Famer.

Dallas finished first in the NFC East at 12-4 overall, despite two surprising losses to a mediocre 6-10 Washington Redskins team.

After a bye, the Cowboys' playoff run began against their division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, who they beat 30-11.

Smith was solid, contributing 99 rushing yards and a touchdown.

But he was at a whole different level during the Cowboys' 38-27 NFC Championship win against the Green Bay Packers, rushing for 150 yards and three touchdowns.

In the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers slowed him down somewhat, holding him to just 49 rushing yards.

But he still scored two touchdowns in the Cowboys' 27-17 win, helping them secure their third Super Bowl title in four years.

1995 Topps #400 John Elway

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $50

The Denver Broncos were inconsistent from start to finish in 1995, underselling the team’s considerable talents in a frustrating .500 season.

John Elway did his best to will the Broncos over the hump in a muddled AFC Wild Card mix.

He completed 316 of his 542 passing attempts (58.3%) for 3,970 yards with 26 touchdowns against 14 interceptions.

When the dust settled on the season, his production was some of the best of his Hall of Fame career.

The problem was that Denver could never find or sustain any kind of momentum.

Nothing was more telling of this than the fact the Broncos did not win or lose more than two games in a row in 1995.

Every success was followed by a failure, and vice versa.

Elway’s cannon arm could only do so much.

Even the joy of knocking the rival Raiders out of the playoffs in Week 17 wasn’t enough to wash the awful taste out of the team’s collective mouths.

Ultimately, it turned out to be the rocket fuel Elway and the Broncos needed to go from chokers to champions a couple of years later.

1995 Topps #345 Brett Favre

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $35

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre had already proven himself as a rising star in the NFL, but 1995 was the year he finally proved that he was one of the best players in the league.

Favre let loose and threw caution to the wind, throwing 570 passes for an NFL-best and career-high 4,413 yards, averaging 275.8 yards per game, and tossing a league-high 38 touchdowns.

Notorious for his gunslinging ways, Favre surprisingly threw just 13 picks, keeping his interception rate at just 2.3%, one of the lowest marks of his career.

And even though Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith put up career numbers of their own, Favre was ultimately awarded the MVP trophy at the end of the year, making his season even more impressive.

After leading the Pack to an 11-5 record, Favre and crew dominated their Wild Card round matchup against the Atlanta Falcons 37-20.

Green Bay headed to the Divisional Round as underdogs against the reigning champion San Francisco 49ers but pulled out an upset win to advance to the NFL Championship game.

Unfortunately for Packers fans, the team's playoff drive came to a halt in the NFC Championship against the Dallas Cowboys.

Favre threw for eight touchdowns in three postseason games, cementing his MVP season as an offensive stud.

1995 Topps #300 Steve Young

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25

Winner of two of the previous three NFL MVPs, reigning award winner Steve Young came into 1995 on a Super Bowl championship high.

The 49ers' 49-26 triumph over San Diego in Super Bowl XXIX was more than enough to cement them an early-season favorite to repeat.

Then, the season happened.

Young missed five games in the middle of the season due to two separate shoulder injuries.

Initially opting for arthroscopic surgery, Young sat out until Week 13 against the Rams.

When he was on the field, the 34-year-old remained a premium threat.

In 11 regular-season starts, Young completed a league-best 66.9% of his passes with 20 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.

The Second-Team All-Pro's bond with Jerry Rice remained as strong as ever.

And the Young-to-Rice connection was the catalyst for yet another NFC West title.

The 11-win Niners entered the postseason with back-to-back trophies on their mind.

Instead, they fell behind big and couldn't crawl back in a 27-17 NFC Divisional Round loss to Green Bay.

Young completed under 50% of his passes in the defeat (32 of 65) with zero touchdowns against two costly picks.

He did break off a 41-yard touchdown run, carrying the ball nine times for 77 yards.

1995 Topps #353 Deion Sanders

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25

After finishing with a Super Bowl title with the San Francisco 49ers the year prior, star cornerback Deion Sanders began his search for more money.

As you can imagine, several teams tried to sway the defensive superstar, but he ultimately narrowed things down to the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.

And though the Raiders offered more money, "Prime Time" ultimately signed a seven-year, $35 million contract to play for the Cowboys.

After tasting Super Bowl success the year before, Sanders wanted more rings, and Dallas was the clear choice.

But his transition to Dallas wasn't exactly a smooth one.

Because of health issues, Sanders underwent arthroscopic surgery and sat out until Week 9.

In the remaining nine games of the season, Sanders logged two interceptions and 26 tackles.

While the highlights may have been underwhelming in the regular season, he didn't disappoint in the playoffs.

In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Eagles, Sanders ran for a 21-yard touchdown, giving Dallas its first touchdown of the 1995 postseason.

And in Super Bowl XXX, Sanders chipped in with a 47-yard reception and an 11-yard punt return in the team's 27-17 win over Pittsburgh.

1995 Topps #430 Steve McNair Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $20

Selected third overall by the Houston Oilers in the 1995 Draft, dual-threat Alcorn State quarterback Steve McNair came to Texas with big-time hype behind him.

McNair left Division I-AA college football as the reigning Walter Payton Award winner with all-time FCS records in passing yards (15,010) and total offensive yards (17,305).

Rather than throwing the much-heralded quarterback directly into the fire, new Houston head coach Jeff Fisher took a calculated approach.

McNair was undoubtedly the future of the franchise.

Yet, Houston had the luxury of sitting the 22-year-old signal caller and letting him learn the ropes in a lower-stress environment.

The backup to veteran quarterback Chris Chandler, McNair didn’t check into a regular-season game until November 5th against the Cleveland Browns.

He started the team’s final two games, leading the Oilers to back-to-back wins despite completing under 50% of his passes.

Overall, McNair saw action in four games.

He completed just a shade over 50% of his passing attempts (51.3%) with three touchdowns and an interception.

It was an underwhelming start, especially when you factor in his tepid year as a rusher.

Just a couple of years away from becoming the most feared QB rusher in the league, McNair registered just 11 rushes for 38 yards and three fumbles.

1995 Topps Football Cards In Review

The 1995 Topps football checklist is fairly decent but isn't thought of as one of the most popular of the 90s.

It includes a couple of Hall of Fame rookie cards in Warren Sapp and Tony Boselli, plus a star-studded lineup of other big names of the day.

I'm not a huge fan of the design in general, but at least the action shots are pretty good for many of the players.

And at 468 cards total, the checklist isn't overwhelming.

Other information about this set includes:

Checklist: 468 cards 

Distribution: Series 1 (248 cards); Series 2 (220 cards)

Subsets:

• 1,000 Yard Club (#1 - 29)
• 3,000 Yard Club (#30 - 41)
• Draft Picks (#221 - 243; #428 - 436)
• Steve Young Highlights (#421 - 425)

Insert Sets

• Air Raid
• All-Pros
• Finest Boosters
• Florida Hotbed
• Hit List
• Mystery Finest
• Mystery Finest Refractors
• Profiles
• Sensational Sophomores
• Yesteryear
• 1000/3000 Yard Club Power Boosters

Overall, this set is fairly straightforward and exactly what you'd expect from a flagship Topps set of the mid-90s.

It doesn't contain any majorly iconic cards and since it debuted soon after the hobby bubble burst, many collectors will likely continue to overlook it.