1982 Topps #486 Ronnie Lott RC: The Card Calls Him an All-Pro Cornerback, and 45 PSA 10s in 982 Graded
Ronnie Lott's rookie card calls him a cornerback. The 1982 Topps #486 prints "NFC ALL PRO" across the top and "CB" beside his name, and both were true when it was made: Lott was a first-team All-Pro at left cornerback in his first NFL season. Four years later he moved to safety, the position where the Pro Football Hall of Fame says he may have been at his most effective.
The Player
Lott was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on May 8, 1959. He played high school sports in Rialto, California, and college football at USC. He was a unanimous All-American as a senior in 1980, when he led the nation with eight interceptions. The San Francisco 49ers took him eighth overall in the 1981 draft.
The Hall of Fame says he was named the starting left cornerback "from his first day in training camp." As a rookie he had seven interceptions and became the second rookie in NFL history to return three of them for touchdowns. He led a young secondary on a team that won Super Bowl XVI, and he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to the Giants' Lawrence Taylor.
The Card
Topps gave Lott an All-Pro card in his first set. The 1982 design runs "NFC ALL PRO" in big blue letters under a row of stars, with the 49ers helmet and team name in the lower-left corner. Lott is pictured in the red home jersey, No. 42, in profile. The name banner reads "RONNIE LOTT" and, at its right end, "CB."
That last line dates the card. Lott played left and right cornerback and both safety spots over 14 seasons, and he earned his 10 Pro Bowl invitations at three positions. He moved to safety in 1985, and the Hall says free safety, "where he had the freedom to cover the whole field," may have been where he was best.
PSA Population Report
| PSA Grade | Population |
|---|---|
| PSA 10 | 45 |
| PSA 9 | 266 |
| PSA 8 | 387 |
| Total Graded (All Grades) | 982 |
* Population data as of October 26, 2026. PSA population counts are dynamic and increase as more cards are submitted for grading.
What the Population Shows
PSA has graded 982 copies of Lott's rookie card, and most of them came back high. The PSA 8 is the most common of the three top grades, at 387 copies. Then 266 sit at PSA 9 and 45 at PSA 10. Together, those three grades hold 698 copies, 71 percent of everything PSA has graded.
The tens work out to about one copy in 22. The other 284 copies are spread through the grades below the eight.
What Came After
The move to safety came with a cost. Wikipedia's account of his career says the tip of his left pinky was crushed while tackling running back Timmy Newsome in 1985, and that Lott chose to have it amputated after the season because a bone graft would have kept him out of the start of 1986. He later said he regretted the decision.
The 1986 season is the one the Hall calls perhaps his finest. Playing free safety, Lott led the league with a career-high 10 interceptions in 14 games, along with 77 tackles, three forced fumbles and two sacks, before an injury cost him the last two games.
In his ten seasons in San Francisco, the 49ers won eight NFC West titles and four Super Bowls. He went on to the Los Angeles Raiders, where in 1991 he led the league in interceptions a second time, and finished with the New York Jets. His career totals are 63 interceptions in 14 seasons, plus nine more in 20 playoff games. He was named All-Pro eight times and made the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted him in 2000.
The 1982 Topps #486 shows Ronnie Lott as the league first met him: an All-Pro cornerback, No. 42, in his first card. The Hall of Famer he became played most of his best football somewhere else on the field.
