Despite not finishing the season with a second straight NBA title, few modern era issues have seen the rise in interest and value that we’ve seen in Steph Curry rookie cards over the last 12 months. The downside is that at least one of them is now being counterfeited.
Curry’s 2009-10 Topps rookie card, part of the company’s last set prior to Panini America taking over the NBA trading card exclusive, seems to be the target of scammers. In a Twitter post, Andy Broome, senior grader at Beckett, alerted collectors to the phony cards.
Fake Curry RCs coming out of the woodwork. Seeing a number of them submitted lately.#thehobby #collect pic.twitter.com/XqGJMIgPh9
— Andy Broome (@cardgrader) June 21, 2016
The Curry card isn’t rare, but demand has been high enough that ungraded examples have sold for nearly $100 with graded copies of authentic Curry cards selling for anywhere from $100 to $1,600.
Broome indicated that while the fake Curry rookie cards are of a professional quality, they feature more gloss than the authentic versions and the paper stock is not the same as a genuine card. He also told SC Daily the Topps logo on the phony cards was printed to look like the silver foil used on the originals but is made up of print dots, giving it a “muddy” appearance.
The difference between a counterfeit Curry rookie and a real one are obvious when comparing side by side or examining under a 10x loupe but Broome says “it would be possible to dupe someone online or in person if they’re not familiar with the card or not looking closely.”
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