By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

The matchup for the Super Bowl was decided on Sunday – the Baltimore Ravens against the San Francisco 49ers.

Heading to the Super Bowl can do a lot for a player’s card value. Rookie and second –year players see the most gain, but even veterans that tend to get lost in the mix can grab attention if only for a few hours.

The San Francisco 49ers last won the Super Bowl in 1994, following a decade of dominance where San Francisco won four Super Bowls in the 1980s.

So who got them here this time?

Let’s look at top 49ers on cardboard (We’ll get to the Ravens later today):

Colin Kaepernick

Kaepernick didn’t start the season as San Francisco’s quarterback. In fact, he wasn’t even the starter midway through the season. Kaepernick took over the starting job in Week 11 and never let go. During the regular season, he threw for 1,814 yards and ran for 415 yards.

While he garnered attention during the regular season, his card prices exploded after a 45-31 win over the Green Bay Packers in a divisional playoff game. Kaepernick threw for 263 yards and ran for 181 yards for four touchdowns on the day.

Key Colin Kaepernick Rookie Cards
2011 Playoff National Treasures #327 JSY AU /99
2011 Topps Five Star #181 JSY AU /65
2011 Panini Playbook #110 JSY AU /399
2011 Playoff Contenders #227a AU
2011 Absolute Memorabilia #232 AU /299

Frank Gore

Gore led the 49ers in rushing during the regular season with 1,214 yards and eight touchdowns. In two playoff games, he has 209 yards and three touchdowns. Gore has been a great complement to Kaepernick who can also run the ball, creating option plays for San Francisco.

Key Frank Gore Rookie Cards
2005 Exquisite Collection #93 JSY AU /199
2005 SP Authentic #224 JSY /899
2005 Zenith #162 AU /99
2005 Ultimate Collection #216 /225
2005 Playoff Contenders #139 AU

Michael Crabtree

Crabtree was the best receiver for the Niners during the regular season. He had 1,105 receiving yards – more than double the next receiver – and nine touchdowns. Come playoff time, Crabtree is only doing more of the same. In two postseason games, he has 176 receiving yards and two TDs.

Key Michael Crabtree Rookie Cards
2009 Exquisite Collection #185 JSY AU /99
2009 SP Signature #212 AU
2009 Playoff National Treasures #122 JSY AU /99
2009 SP Threads #242 AU /120
2009 Limited #202 JSY AU /149

Vernon Davis

A fan favorite in San Francisco, but the tight end saw little production during the regular season. He only caught for 548 receiving yards. However, Davis has been a favorite target of Kaepernick’s during the playoffs. In Sunday’s win over Atlanta, Davis finished with 106 receiving yards and a touchdown on five catches.

Key Vernon Davis Rookie Cards
2006 Exquisite Collection #133 JSY AU /225
2006 SP Authentic #257 JSY AU /699
2006 Playoff National Treasures #137 JSY AU /99
2006 Donruss Threads #228 AU /100
2006 Ultimate Collection #208 AU /99

Aldon Smith

Smith was one of the best linebackers in the NFL this season. The second-year player had 19 ½ sacks for a loss of 145 yards and 66 tackles this season. Smith is a keystone to an impressive defense by San Francisco. He has yet to record a sack in the playoffs, but don’t think offenses aren’t watching out for him.

Key Aldon Smith Rookie Cards
2011 Playoff Contenders #106 AU /102
2011 Panini Plates and Patches #106 /49
2011 Prime Signatures #179 AU /199
2011 Playoff National Treasures #205 /99
2011 Rookies and Stars #287 /299

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Football. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Beckett Media on Facebook.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

The San Francisco 49ers are flying high after two weeks of the NFL season. Alex Smith, Frank Gore and Vernon Davis have led San Francisco to a 2-0 record this year.

To celebrate what could be an exciting season, Panini America and U.S. Bank have teamed to develop an exclusive eight-card team set.

Most of the top San Francisco players are in the set including Randy Moss and Michael Crabtree.

Fans can get a new card at each 49ers home game by visiting the U.S Bank booth or grab one at participating U.S. Bank branches during the week following the specified game.

“We’re proud to partner with a legendary franchise like the San Francisco 49ers and on this special promotion that helps honor the team’s current superstars while also creating increased visibility for U.S. Bank, a key 49ers partner,” Panini America’s Vice President of Marketing Jason Howarth said.

The cards will also preview the 2012 Absolute design.

Here’s the schedule of the cards:
・ Sept. 15: Alex Smith
・ Oct. 7: Randy Moss
・ Oct. 14: Michael Crabtree
・ Oct. 18: A.J. Jenkins
・ Nov. 11: LaMichael James
・ Nov. 19: Frank Gore
・ Dec. 9: Vernon Davis
・ Dec. 30: Patrick Willis

collectors can get more information by visiting  49ersbanking.com.

Susan Lulgjuraj is the editor of Beckett Football magazine. You can email Susan here with ideas, comments and questions. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Dan Hitt | Sports Data Publishing Manager

Every Monday morning throughout the football season, we selected our rookie, veteran and breakout players of the week with a run down on why collectors should take notice. For the postseason we’ll select three standout players for each round. Here are our picks for the divisional round of the 2011 NFL Playoffs.

Vernon Davis, TE, 49ers (180 yards receiving, 2 touchdowns)

With just 14 seconds left on the clock, Vernon Davis snagged the game winning touchdown pass from Alex Smith that sent the 49ers to the NFC Championship game. That 14-yard grab capped off a game that saw Davis log 180 yards receiving and score a pair of touchdowns. Collectors have largely ignored Davis cards since he and former head coach Mike Singletary had a falling out a few years ago. Since then Davis has put together three solid seasons making him one of the league’s most productive tight ends. However, steady play in the regular season is often not enough to the move the card market, but great post season efforts are. Watch Vernon Davis’ key cards this week for a possible spike up.

 Cards to Grab:

2006 Bowman Sterling #VD JSY AU SP ($30)

2006 Playoff Contenders #148 AU/537* RC ($40)

2006 SPx #189 JSY AU/1650 RC ($25)

Tom Brady, QB, Patriots (363 yards passing, 6 touchdown passes)

Just when we all thought Tom Brady had done everything on the football field, he ties the NFL record with six touchdown passes in a playoff. He’s performing at such a high level right now, it’s hardly conceivable that the Ravens would go into Foxborough and upset Brady and the Patriots. Stranger things have happened but expect collectors to react this week as if Brady is already on his way to his fifth Super Bowl. It’s hard to speculate what may happen to Brady cards since they’ve already reaching levels seldom seen by any player. It may be a good strategy to focus on his lesser priced rookie year singles and later year autographs.

 Cards to Grab:

2000 Playoff Prestige #286 RC/2500 ($80)

2000 Ultra #234 RC ($30)

2008 SPx Signature Supremacy #TB ($150)

Hakeem Nicks, WR, Giants (165 yards receiving, 2 touchdowns)

Hakeem Nicks is proving to be a big time player in big time situations. His 165 yards receiving on Sunday was a career high for the third year receiver who now has back-to-back playoff games of 100+ yards. Eli Manning and the Giants have other offensive weapons but Nicks appears to be emerging as the key target. Numerous times on Sunday Nicks out-muscled Packer defenders to make a crucial catch including the spectacular Hail Mary grab at the end of the first half. It’s this type of play that is liable to grab collector’s attention on Nicks’ best 2009 Rookie Cards.

Cards to Grab:

2009 Playoff National Treasures #111 JSY AU/99 RC ($60)

2009 SPx #122 JSY AU/549 RC ($30)

2009 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs #TC115 ($25)