Crabtree Rep: ‘His Rookie Cards Will Skyrocket’

Peter Miller knows a thing or two about big-time football and catching NFL stars on the way up.

The former Ohio State offensive lineman, now a principal at Jabez Marketing Group, handles all off-the-field business dealings – including trading card negotiations – for clients such as Santonio Holmes, Derrick Brooks, Fred Taylor and Roddy White.

Oh, he also has another high-profile client: Newest 49er Michael Crabtree.

Miller is keenly aware of the fact that his newest client’s trading card values on the secondary market have slipped in recent months due a prolonged holdout. But he’s also aware of the immense skill that made Crabtree a top-10 pick – and he’s confident that skill will vault Crabtree’s cards back to pre-holdout levels.

“Being positive, I think [his cards] are going to skyrocket because he’s going to do great things when he gets on the field,” Miller said Wednesday afternoon. “The team’s going to do well and he’s going to help be part of that. I think he’s going to have a great season.

“Truthfully, it’s going to depend on what happens on the field. That’s the truth. If he goes and ends up making the playoffs and has a catch like Santonio Holmes did [in the Super Bowl], then his trading card values are going to go through the absolute roof.”

Of course, Miller’s also cognizant of that coin’s other side; the one where Crabtree doesn’t make much of an impact in a shortened rookie season and, as a result, must wait until next year to begin injecting additional value into his best cards.

Miller, though, is an optimist.

“If he doesn’t perform on the field, obviously the market is going to dictate that value,” Miller notes. “I’m always going to project that my players are going to do well, and that’s how I look at Michael. He’s going to do well and his Rookie Cards will skyrocket accordingly.”

— Tracy Hackler