I remember back in 2011, the hobby was Cam Newton’s world, we were just living in it. Every single one of his cards was straight fire, and for a long time, he was the most valuable rookie in the world. He went on to set all sorts of rookie records, win Rookie of the Year, and the hearts of the hobby in the process. In following years, he has had ups and downs, but it took a 13-0 start to put him back atop the heap in 2015. It doesnt look like he is coming down any time soon.

Check out these prices, just insane:

2011 Topps Chrome Cam Newton Atomic Auto /50 BGS 9.5

2011 Crown Royale Cam Newton Silhouette Auto Patch

2014 Flawless Cam Newton Auto Patch /25

2011 National Treasures Cam Newton Auto Patch PSA 9

Newton has brought all the reasons the Panthers took him number one back to the forefront of the discussion, putting up wins and stats like he was playing a college football team each week. Its actually pretty rare for anyone to put up a season like Newton has, and even rarer that the hobby gets behind someone who has had a roller coaster career like him.

Its also worth mentioning that many in the hobby dont trust many of Newton's signatures, as his autograph inexplicably changed for some Panini, Upper Deck, and Topps products, and then switched back mysteriously when called out to the companies during 2012. I am one of the people who doesnt stand by these cards, as the autograph he “signed” doesnt appear on any in person autographs. The switch back to his confirmed autograph, is too damning to me. Dez Bryant has since gone through a similar transfer in his autographs, and it just doesnt look like it makes any sort of sense.

Here are the good signatures:

2011 Prime Signatures Cam Newton Auto

2011 Topps Five Star Cam Newton Quotable Inscriptions Auto

Here are the ones I dont trust:

2011 Absolute Star Power Cam Newton Auto

2011 Certified Cam Newton Fabric of the Game Auto Patch

You can see that the way he composes his signature is completely different, and that the structure of his letters with the swoop back to cross the T does not match any authenticated examples of in person autographs. He is notorious for being a diva when signing, and this only plays into that stigma.

That being said, any card of Newton’s right now is the best card to have, and its up to collectors to decide whether or not they are willing to bank on the Panthers winning it all, or sell while the hobby fire burns with the heat of 1000 suns.

I am not someone that likes Cam Newton, but I will say that if I had anything of his, it would be on the block as we speak. Its too hard to cash in on anything football these days, so I would be first in line at the window. Considering that 2011 is literally one of the ugliest years of cards I have ever seen, it wouldnt be hard to part with many of the examples. 2011 Contenders landed on my list of worst looking products of this era, with just a hideous approach to the set. 2011 National Treasures isnt much better, especially with the giant foil belt buckles and tiny signing area. I did like Five Star that year, but the rest of the hobby did not. Chrome remains a top card, but the Newton autographs are insanely hard to come by. If I was going to pick anything up from that year, it would be 100% chrome.

Again, all of this spike in value requires Newton to continue performing on the level he is currently performing. The hobby is a fickle bunch, and they rarely tolerate losing or poor performances. If the Panthers go 16-0, the cards will fly high. If they lose in the playoffs, all that spike will decrease to a more reasonable level.

The question becomes, how much confidence do you have in the unquestioned MVP to this point and beyond?