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The Top U.S. Winter Olympics Athletes' Cards to Look Out for on eBay

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Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are rapidly approaching, with opening ceremonies set to take place on Friday, February 4th.

Every four years, the Olympic Games present an interesting opportunity for collectors in the trading card hobby to do some prospecting and pick up cards of the athletes they think could win a gold medal on the world stage.

The really fun part about investing in these Olympic athletes is that there aren't many cards out there for most of them, and the ones that do exist are typically very affordable. There's the opportunity to purchase autographs, low numbered cards and relics for just a couple of dollars for many of the people on the list below. When you have their cards in hand, it can make watching the games and rooting for the athletes you invested in a low-risk, high-reward experience.

Here are ten athletes we have our eyes on as we inch closer to the first-ever Winter Olympics in China, and their cards to look out for:

1. Chloe Kim - Snowboarding

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eBay

At 17, Chloe Kim was the youngest woman to win an Olympic gold medal in snowboarding at the 2018 Games. She also owns six X-Games gold medals and is the first woman to win two gold medals at the Winter Youth Olympic Games. 

Outside of the sport, Kim is a mega-star: She was named one of Time Magazine’s “Most Influential People of 2018” and has sponsorships in place with brands such as Oakley, Nike, Monster Energy, Toyota, Roxy and Breitling. 

She's favored to win a second gold medal in the straight half-pipe in Beijing and will likely be all over the mainstream media. 

In the card space, Chloe has quite a few different cards available, with the 2018 Topps Olympics set and the 2021 Leaf Pro Set immediately coming to mind. Her rookie cards, like many Olympic athletes, came inside of Sports Illustrated for Kids in 2016. 

Shop Chloe Kim Cards!

2. Shaun White - Snowboarding

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eBay

Shaun White is already a legend, with three Olympic gold medals in the half-pipe (2006, 2010, 2018), as well as the record for the most X-Games medals and Olympic gold medals by a snowboarder. 

When he was nine years old, White was heavily into skateboarding—and he was actually mentored by skating legend Tony Hawk. He later turned professional in the sport at the age of 16, becoming an Action Sports Tour Champion, and he was the first person to compete in the Summer and Winter X Games in two different sports. 

Now 35, White's appearance in Beijing should generate quite a buzz, as he looks to become the first snowboarder to win four Olympic gold medals. The field is loaded, but White hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. With over 1.7 million Instagram followers, he's the biggest star the United States has in Beijing, and a big showing on the half-pipe would likely translate to plenty of attention on his cards in the hobby. 

His snowboarding rookie card came in a 2003 Sports Illustrated for Kids. He also has a 2009 SI For Kids 3D card where he's skateboarding and a 2003-04 ProCure XG X-Games card that are both worthy of keeping an eye on. 

Shop Shaun White Cards!

3. Jamie Anderson - Snowboarding

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eBay

Snowboarder Jamie Anderson won the first two Women’s slopestyle gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. She also has 19 total medals at the Winter X Games, including golds in the slopestyle in 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2013, making her the most decorated woman in the history of the sport.

She swept the slopestyle and big air events at the X Games in 2020-21, and if she medals at both events in Beijing, she'd become the first snowboarder (male or female) to win five Olympic medals. 

Anderson doesn’t have many cards, but the ones she does have mainly reside in the 2014 Topps Olympics set, with some fun autos and numbered cards that could be sneaky good plays if she manages to break the record. 

Shop Jamie Anderson Cards!

4. Auston Matthews - Men’s Hockey

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eBay

Matthews is the center and alternate captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He scored four goals in his first game as a pro (the first player ever to accomplish that feat) on his way to a Maple Leafs' record 40-goal rookie season and the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the NHL’s top rookie. 

After the 2020-21 season, Matthews took home the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for scoring the most goals in the NHL, with 41 in just 52 games. He's viewed as one of the top young, up-and-coming stars in professional hockey, and a big showing in the Olympics could see a big run on his cards. 

The main rookie card to look out for is his 2016-17 Upper Deck Young Guns, but there are quite a few fun autos and patches of his on eBay. 

Shop Auston Matthews Cards!

5. Patrick Kane - Men’s Hockey

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eBay

Patrick Kane is a right winger and alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks and was named one of the Top 100 Greatest NHL players of all time in 2017. He's won three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013, 2015) and both the Hart Memorial Trophy after the 2015 season (given to the league’s MVP) and the Art Ross Trophy the same season for scoring the most points in the NHL (46 goals, 60 assists).

He's represented the United States in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, as well as the 2018 Men’s World Championship, winning two bronze medals and a silver medal along the way. 

Canada is currently the favorite to win the gold medal in Beijing (+150), with the Russian Olympic Committee having the second best odds (+350). The United States and Sweden are both +650, illustrating the fact that the Americans have a decent shot at grabbing another medal. If they do go on a gold medal run, Kane (and the previously mentioned Auston Matthews) will be front and center. 

Kane’s rookie card is the 2007-08 Upper Deck Young Guns.

Shop Patrick Kane Cards!

6. Hilary Knight - Women’s Hockey

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eBay

Hilary Knight played college hockey at the University of Wisconsin, winning a National Championship in her sophomore year and leading the team in points. With the U.S. National Team, she has seven gold medals at the IIHF World Women’s Championships, as well as a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics, and two silver medals in 2010 and 2014.

While Canada is currently favored to win the gold medal in Beijing (+200), the United States is right behind them at +300. A Canada vs. United States gold medal game would be great theater, with Knight’s skill, popularity and leadership on full display to the world.

Knight has some interesting cards out there, including her 2012 Sports Illustrated for Kids rookie card, as well as some rare autographed cards from the 2014 Topps Olympics set and the 2019 Topps Allen & Ginter set.

Shop Hilary Knight Cards!

7. Maame Biney - Speed Skating

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eBay

Born in Accra, Ghana, Biney made history at the 2018 Olympics as the first African-American woman to compete on a U.S. Olympic short track team and just the second African-born athlete to represent the United States at the Winter Olympics. 

She didn’t medal in Pyeongchang, but is looking to break out after winning the 500m bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 2019, and the gold medal in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m at the U.S. Championships in 2021, earning her the women’s overall title. 

Most of her cards come from the 2019 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions set, with all kinds of numbered cards, relics, autos and variations on eBay. 

Shop Maame Biney Cards!

8. Chris Lillis - Freestyle Skiing

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eBay

Lillis is looking to become the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in aerial skiing since 1998. (And he's the younger brother of Jon Lillis, a former world champion and 2018 Olympian.) He's coming off a silver medal at the World Championships, performing a quintuple twisting triple backflip in the process. 

His only cards we can find are in the 2018 Topps Olympics set, with tons of relatively inexpensive colored parallels and autos readily available.

Shop Chris Lillis Cards!

9. Joey Mantia - Speed Skating

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eBay

Mantia is a 28-time world champion and world record holder in speed skating. He won two gold medals at the 2003 Pan American Games and another in 2007. He's been dominating as of late, with two 1500m World Cup wins in a row—elevating his world ranking to number two behind Ning Zhongyan of China—and he's looking for his first Olympic medal at the age of 36.

Like Chris Lillis, the only cards we can find for Mantia come out of the 2018 Topps Olympics set, and he seems to have quite a few relic cards in addition to the autos and parallels that are quite affordable. 

Shop Joey Mantia Cards!

10. Mikaela Shiffrin - Alpine Skiing

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eBay

Twenty-six-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin is the most decorated American alpine skier in history, and the gold medal favorite in Beijing in both slalom and giant slalom. She's a two-time gold medalist and record holder as the youngest ever slalom champion in Olympic alpine skiing history (18 years and 345 days). 

Shiffrin only seems to have cards from Sports Illustrated for Kids, but be careful. While there are quite a few from 2017 and 2020 issues listed on eBay, her rookie card came from a 2014 issue and is pictured above. They will be the ones in demand if she has a good showing in Beijing. 

Shop Mikaela Shiffrin Cards!