He may not get as many headlines as the guy with back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Award (including the league’s first unanimous selection) but Draymond Green rookie cards are building a strong following in their own right.
Green is a four-year NBA veteran and has been a starter for the past two seasons. This year, he set new career-highs for points (14.0), rebounds (9.5), and assists (7.4) per game, while also shooting a personal-best 49% from the field and becoming a more integral part of the Warriors in their record-breaking 73-win season. Outspoken and confident, Green has been proving doubters wrong after lasting until the second round of the 2012 draft.
While collectors have been hot on the trail of rookie cards of Curry and Klay Thompson for a couple of seasons now, Green’s first-year autograph issues are starting to generate considerable interest behind his success on the court. He has any number of base issues to choose from, but here are ten of the more interesting autographed rookie cards from his first season.
2012-13 National Treasures Autographed Rookie Jersey Number Card
Arguably Green’s most impressive debut cards is this one, which features Green with jersey relic pieces and a die-cut number 23. A posed photo shows him squeezing a rebound with an on-card autograph below.
With only 25 produced, the card (pictured right) doesn’t often become available but when it does, generally sells for more than $1,000.
2012-13 Immaculate Collection Autographed Rookie Patch Card
Found with green (limited to 99) or red (limited to 25) rookie logo variations, this clean autographed card featuring a piece of a Draymond Green jersey patch is in high demand lately with asking prices up to $1,000 or more for the rarer red version.
2012-13 Timeless Treasures Glass Autographed Card
The autographed Timeless Treasures Glass autographed card is vastly different to the Immaculate Collection issue. Almost entirely black on the front, Green’s signature is placed at the bottom of this stark, but visually pleasing card that is usually found for sale with a $50 – $75 price tag.
2012-13 Panini Rookie Sketch Autographed Card
The scarcest Draymond Green rookie card is his Panini Rookie Sketch autographed card, a true 1/1. One side features a brief sketch by Green while his autograph appears on the other side. Most of the players that have done these shouldn’t quit their day jobs to become artists just yet, and Green is no exception.
2012-13 Immaculate Premium Patches Autographed Rookie Patch Card
Similar to the Immaculate Collection cards highlighted above, these premium editions also include a patch and an on card autograph. Limited to just 75 (pictured left), they are a bit more scarce than the green logo variations of the Immaculate Collection card. Current asking prices on these are steep at over $500 a pop.
2012-13 Preferred Silhouettes and Prime Autographed Rookie Jersey Cards
These Panini Preferred Issues include a piece of a jersey and an autograph. The standard Silhouette card is limited to 99 while the Prime is a much more difficult pull with only 25 made. The Prime card has sold for as much as $500 on eBay, but can usually be found for less.
2012-13 Upper Deck Exquisite Rookie Signatures Autographed Card
Green is pictured here in a Spartans uniform from his collegiate days against a a black and white background, giving it a professional look/feel. This one was limited to only 199 produced as indicated on the numbered stamp on the front (pictured right). But while the standard version was limited to 199 has sold for around $100 – $125, a more exclusive silver edition (limited to only 50) has sold about twice as much.
2012-13 Panini Crown Royale Choice Award Die-Cut Autographed Rookie Card
This issue is perhaps the most unique shape of any of Green’s autographed rookie cards. In the cutout of a triangle, the Warriors forward is shown in the middle with a bold signature below. Several different parallel versions exist of this card with the gold being the most scarce with only ten created. One is currently on eBay at $200.
2012-13 Panini Elite Series Inscriptions Autographed Rookie Card
Green is featured dunking the basketball on the front with his signature added to the bottom. Selling in the $25 – $35 range, this is one of his more affordable first-year autographs and an easy way to add one to your collection.
2012-13 Fleer Retro Autographed Rookie Sensations Card
One of Green’s more classic-style autographed rookie editions is his Fleer Retro Rookie Sensations Card. The issue is a throwback to the companies’ 1991-92 insert set, which featured rookies from the previous season, such as Gary Payton. Unlike those cards which depicted players with their pro teams, the 2012-13 edition displayed rookies from their college teams and include a sticker autograph. These have routinely sold for around $25 – $35.
