Due primarily to the increased number of lacrosse cards released over the past 20 years, several lacrosse stars have had many different cards issued throughout their careers. Focusing on specific individuals, or building player collections, is popular in other areas of the hobby and has recently become a thing among lacrosse collectors as well.
But even if you decide to build your collection around just a handful of names, there are still different ways to go about it. The simplest and least expensive would be to focus on base cards. These cards make up the bulk of what collectors receive when they open retail packs or boxes, and therefore have a correspondingly lower value as well.
The challenge and investment required increases significantly when moving away from base issues. Older team issues can be exceptionally difficult to find, as are inserts and low-numbered parallels from larger issues such as 2019 Parkside, the two Athletes Unlimited and four PLL sets.
Lyle Thompson and Paul Rabil are arguably the two lacrosse players whose cards sell for the most money on the secondary market. But in terms of the number of different cards of a single player, Rabil is the current leader in the lacrosse genre with 96 different trading cards to his name.
Let’s take a look at some of the more interesting cards in the Rabil collection.
2007 Sports Illustrated for Kids
This is Rabil’s first appearance on a trading card and it shows him in his Johns Hopkins uniform. It is part of a nine-card perforated page that was included in copies of Sports Illustrated for Kids Magazine. The production quality was low and card stock very thin, so the majority of these cards have flaws either from the production process, traveling unprotected in the mail, removal from the magazine or simple wear. Pristine copies are rare and desirable. Only four PSA 10 copies currently exist, three of which sold recently on eBay in the $1,200-$1,500 range.
2008 Boston Cannons Team Issue
Like the SIFK card, this was also part of a perforated panel. Rabil actually has two cards in this series, although they appear on different panels. The first card shows him again in JHU gear, but the second is his first appearance in a professional uniform.
2010 Upper Deck All-Sports Apparel Auto /15
Rabil appeared on many different Upper Deck cards between 2010-2012. While there are some more rare (1/1 minis and printing plates), the 2010 All-Sports Apparel Auto represents Rabil’s first relic and autograph card. With only 15 copies in existence, it is extremely difficult to find.
2015 MLL All-Star Game
A series of large format cards were produced for the 2015 MLL All-Star Game. The manner in which they were distributed is not known, but not many appear to have survived in the decade since the game. Rabil is one of the keys to this set.
2015 New York Lizards Team Issue
Rabil appears in four of the annual Lizards Team Issue sets. Each was given out at a game during the season, so distribution was very limited.
2021 Topps PLL Championship Series
The PLL Championship Series essentially ushered in the new era of lacrosse cards. Rabil is a PLL co-founder and was one of the league’s biggest stars at the time. He has a card in the base set as well as the Legends series, in addition to the accompanying autographs and parallels.Â
2022 Topps PLL Flagship
Rabil retired as a player after the 2021 season. As a result, the 2022 Flagship set includes the last of his career-contemporary cards. In addition to the base card, parallels and autographs, Rabil was included in two inserts: Field Generals and Goal Getters. As a case hit, the Goal Getters is considered the most desirable of the inserts and is also found in /10 red and 1/1 black parallels.
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