Football · REFERENCE ENTRY
Joe Montana
1981 · Topps Football · #216
Montana’s recognized Topps rookie, identified by #216.
- Sport
- Football
- Year / season
- 1981
- Set
- Topps Football
- Number
- #216
- Format
- Card
- Issue status
- Rookie card
About this card
Joe Montana’s 1981 Topps Football card is number 216 in that release. This is Topps’ paper-stock flagship football set for that season.
The catalog labels this a rookie card, based on the source cited below.
How to identify it
Paper base cards like this were printed in large numbers, so condition and the exact edition matter most. Other versions of the same player from the same year usually carry different numbers, so confirm the brand printed on the card.
In Joe Montana’s run
Joe Montana has 3 entries in this catalog, from 1981 to 1984, and this is the earliest of them. Nearby entries are listed below, so you can compare the releases that sit around this one.
In the 1981 checklist
This is the only entry from the 1981 Topps Football release in the catalog so far. The full release has more cards; this page covers the one cataloged here.
What to know about this issue
- PSA classifies this issue as Montana’s recognized rookie card.
- Inspect centering and printing defects rather than estimating a grade from the model identity.
Inspect the source
Source reviewed 2026-10-07. The source describes this issue; it does not verify any item offered by a third party.
No assigned grade, market value or verified offer is supplied by this reference entry.
Read the football collecting guideRaw or graded. Inspect the actual copy.
The issue stays 1981 · Topps Football. These are research checks, not a condition assessment of a specimen.
Raw / ungraded
- Match the issue
- Match the full year or season, release, number and named edition to this reference. Ask for readable images of the actual item’s front and back.
- Record visible condition
- Inspect corners, edges, centering and surface in suitable photographs or in person. Record damage or unanswered questions without assigning a predicted professional grade.
- Keep authentication separate
- Ungraded does not establish authenticity or mean “never authenticated.” A protective case alone does not establish a professional condition grade.
Professionally graded
- Read the complete label
- Record the grading company, exact issue, card grade and any qualifiers or designation. Keep an autograph grade separate from the card’s condition grade. An authentication-only designation may have no numeric condition grade.
- Compare the certification record
- Use the company’s official lookup and compare its issue details and available images with the actual item, label and holder. A matching certification number alone does not establish that an offered item is genuine.
- Compare within the stated scale
- Retain the company’s exact grade name and number. Different companies and grade designations are not automatically equivalent; a numeric label does not establish a current price.
A source-linked reference or historical scan does not authenticate the card you are considering. CardRoster supplies no assigned grade, certification or price for it.
