He’s one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA with a career that may span the better part of two decades before it’s all over. Collectors who’ve seen the numbers on those special nights when he can’t seem to miss can’t be blamed for socking away a few Devin Booker rookie cards, especially considering current prices.
The Book on Booker
One of the youngest players ever to play pro basketball, Booker has a strong hoops pedigree. His father Melvin Booker was a former all-conference player at Missouri who went on to play for three NBA teams.
Devin spent a year at Kentucky before declaring for the 2015 draft. Selected 13th by the Phoenix Suns, he’s the first player in league history to debut at age 18 after playing at least a year of college hoops. After getting his feet wet, Booker began his assault on the scorebook:
- In March of 2017, he became the youngest player to score more than 60 points in a game when he went for 70 against the Celtics.
- He was the third youngest player in history (19 years, 81 days) to score 30 in a game, joining LeBron James and Kevin Durant
- He’s also the third youngest, behind LeBron and KD to reach 4,000 career points.
- In March, 2019 at age 22, Booker became the youngest player to ever have back-go-back 50 point games.
- He’s one of eight players in history to score 45 or more in three straight games. Every other player on the list is in the Hall of Fame–or will be–including Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor.
The knock on Booker is that his scoring hasn’t translated into much winning in Phoenix. Keep in mind, though, he’s still young. With a better supporting cast and more winning, some of that criticism will likely subside.
High End Devin Booker Rookie Cards
Like most players of his era, there’s a mountain of Booker rookie cards but the most actively traded card in the eBay market are those from 2015-16 Panini National Treasures. Rookie Premier Autograph cards (#113) numbered to 99 have sold numerous times, typically for over $4,000. A National Treasures RPA Silver numbered to 25 netted $6999.99 in March of 2019 while an Emerald version numbered to 5 sold for $7,350 in 2017. As of this writing, three dozen National Treasures Booker autographs have sold for $3,000 or more on eBay. Since the card has a bright white background, the Booker rookies with more purple in the memorabilia patch really stand out from others.
National Treasures isn’t the only brand with valuable Booker rookie cards, though. Other notable sales included a Panini Flawless RPA 1/1 auto that sold for $9,100 in October 2016, a Gold Standard 1/1 Logoman auto that soared to $4,059 in 2017 and a Panini Immaculate Logoman #5/5 graded BGS 9 that netted $3,350 in February 2019. In general, cards from expensive products with a low serial number, an autograph signed directly on card and a popular design will bring the biggest prices.
Best Booker Rookie Cards for Budget Minded Collectors
While big spending collectors and investors chase the high dollar cards, there is plenty of opportunity for those who want a nice Devin Booker rookie card for a budget-friendly price.
Somewhat inexplicably, you can own numerous autographed Booker rookies for under $200—with an autograph that’s signed directly on the card; some are currently selling on eBay for less than $200. Of course, that group includes some draft-oriented sets picturing him in his Kentucky uniform. Those with sticker autographs are among the cheapest Booker rookies, but we’d recommend cards from brands like Gold Standard, Preferred,Totally Certified and others.
Booker’s 2015-16 Panini Prizm #308 has more than ten parallel versions with all but the low serial numbered versions all generally within reach of most budgets. The One of One Black, the numbered to 10 Gold and the Mojo numbered to 25 are the difficult parallels to find from this increasingly popular brand.
The best advice to grab a nice Devin Booker rookie card for a good price is to simply monitor the eBay market and buy a nice looking design with an on-card autograph and, preferably one that’s serial numbered. As his career unfolds, it’s likely prices for some of those cheaper examples will too. You can see all of Booker’s rookie cards on eBay here and check out the ‘most watched’ Devin Booker rookie card auctions via the live list below.
