Every year at this time, there is a household name that emerges from the depths of basketball’s obscure and irrelevant. The NCAA tournament is the stage that sees these players break through and become stars.
Through the years, perhaps no NBA star used the tournament to have a coming out party quite like Steph Curry.
Still to this day, Curry’s card backs make any collector do a double take.
College: Davidson.
No, he wasn’t a Hokie like his NBA star father, Dell. He wasn’t a Tar Heel or a Blue Devil or a part of the Wolfpack.
He was a Wildcat. No, not an Arizona Wildcat. He was a Davidson Wildcat, a school in Davidson, North Carolina that played in the Southern Conference when Curry was there and now plays in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Curry grew up in Charlotte while his father, Dell, played for the Hornets. The family moved to Toronto for three years while Dell played for the Raptors. In those three years, Steph Curry developed into the best junior high and JV basketball player in Ontario while playing against the likes of Kelly Olynyk and Cory Joseph.
After Dell Curry retired, the family moved back to Charlotte. Steph led Charlotte Christian Academy to three conference titles and state playoff appearances. He was a point guard who could handle the ball and shoot, but he also committed turnovers. Many colleges considered him too slight and one-dimensional. Davidson was the one school that saw something in him, and they were the only school who recruited him heavily.
Little did they know that in less than five years, Curry would not only be in the NBA as a top 10 draft pick, but his rookie cards would become the most sought after from the 2009-10 rookie card class.
As a freshman in 2006-07, Curry tore it up for the Wildcats. However, his feats went largely unnoticed since he was putting up big numbers against conference rivals like Elon, Wolford, Samford and Appalachian State.
Curry did shine at the right times as a freshman. His second ever NCAA game was against Michigan, and he scored 32 points with four assists and nine rebounds. Curry led the Southern Conference with 21.5 points per game. Among NCAA Freshman, only Kevin Durant of Texas scored more points per game. Curry set an NCAA record for Freshmen with 113 three-pointers.
The Wildcats got into the NCAA tournament as a 13 seed, losing to Maryland despite Curry lighting up the Terrapins for 30 points.
Curry grew to 6’2” before his sophomore season, and Curry scored 25.5 points per game to lead the Southern Conference in scoring for the second straight year.
In the 2008 tournament, Davidson went in as an 11 seed. Gonzaga led Davidson by 11 in the second half, but Curry scored 30 of his 40 points in the final 20 minutes to lead Davidson to an upset win. Curry was 8-for-10 from beyond the arc.
Next up was the Georgetown Hoyas, a two seed that was ranked eighth nationally. The game was a full-on Xerox of the Wildcats’ first game. Curry was held to five points in the first half and Davidson trailed by 17 at one point. Curry got hot in the second half and poured in 25 points to lead Davison to a 74-70 comeback upset win.
With Davidson as the surprise team in the sweet 16, three-seed Wisconsin was next. Curry scored 33 in a 17-point victory over the Badgers. Curry became the fourth player in tournament history to score 30 points in each of his first four NCAA tournament games.
In the Elite Eight, the bubble finally burst, but just barely. Davidson lost to the eventual champion Kansas Jayhawks 59-57. Curry scored 25 points and set an NCAA record with his 159th three pointer of the season.
Photos from the Kansas game have appeared on cardboard. Curry’s first ever card falls into the is-it-a-card-or-not debate. Sports Illustrated for Kids, like many other magazines, produced card-like inserts into every issue. There was no licensing needed because they fell into the category of editorially content. Although they weren’t considered by the hobby to be actual cards, collectors still went after them.
In Curry’s third year at Davidson, he led the NCAA in scoring with a 28.6 average. Davidson lost in their conference tournament and failed to get into the NCAA tournament.
The Golden State Warriors drafted Curry seventh overall in 2009. As a rookie, Curry averaged 17.5 points per game and was runner up for the 2009-10 Rookie of the Year Award to Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings. In 2019, Evans was suspended by the NBA for violating the terms of its anti-drug policy. He currently plays for the Broncos de Caracas in Venezuela.
Top Steph Curry Rookie Cards
This is not a 10 most valuable list, but a 10 cards we like for collectability list.
10. 2009-10 Topps Chrome RC #101 #/999
This was the last year that Topps was in the NBA market, as Panini was given an exclusive license. The popular Topps Chrome cards did not have their own standalone brand. They appeared as inserted in Topps Basketball, serial numbered to 999. There was a noticeable photoshop job done on the card, but it did not hurt the value as when the cards were produced, there were no Warriors Curry photos yet available.
In 2021, two PSA 10 versions of the card sold for just over $50,000 in eBay auctions. That was the height of a crazy market and prices have dipped considerably. Refractor versions, numbered to 500, are a big target of investors and cost more across the board.
9. 2009-10 Panini Court Kings RC#129 Auto/649
A next generation of the iconic Donruss Baseball Diamond Kings, this card is as aesthetically beautiful as any Curry cards from his rookie year.
The sticker autograph is much more subtle on this card, and with 649 cards, they are not as rare and easier to obtain.
Considering the limited production and the player, prices have remained somewhat reasonable–and the design/photo are tough to top.
8. 2009-10 Panini Classics RC #166 Auto/499
This card has always been a little bit under the radar, but there is so much going for it. The design is clean and lends itself to a good photo area and a nice space for the on card signature. The photo is brilliant, as Curry is wearing the Warriors yellow “San Francisco” alternate uniform, which makes it stand out.
Better copies have been bringing $5,000 and up.
7. 2009-10 Panini Absolute Memorabilia #144 RC Jersey/Memorabilia/Auto/499
This card has a lot going on. Including two jersey swatches, a basketball swatch, a stickered autograph, and serial numbering to 499.
The value of this card has been sporadic. There was a BGS 9.5 with a 10 autograph that sold in an eBay fixed auction for $13,999 in 2021. But for a BGS or PSA 9, expect to pay between $4,000 and $6,000.
6. 2009-10 Certified RC #176 Freshman Fabric Auto/399 Jersey
Although the design is attractive on this card, there is very little Curry on it. The jersey swatch is in the dead center of the card with the autograph sticker below. The card is numbered to 399. It’s an eye-catching card, but more Curry and an on card signature would put it over the top.
These typically bring low-to-mid four figures.
5. 2009-10 Limited RC #156 Auto/299 Jersey
This is a high end foil card as the former Leaf Limited brand evolved after Playoff purchased Pinnacle’s brands in the 1998 Pinnacle bankruptcy. The card is gorgeous but what prevents it from being among the top three is the sticker autograph.
The foil, the Warriors logo, the action shot of Curry and the fact that fewer than 300 exist makes this one one of our favorites.
One eBay buyer snared a high-grade copy for less than $4,000 in February.
4. 2009-10 Playoff Contenders RC #106 Auto SP
As far as the appearance goes, this card punches way above its weight for a card that is not serial numbered. The design is similar to the popular NFL Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket autographed RCs. What separates this one from the others is the autograph. Curry has a tiny signature on most cards. The Contenders Rookie Ticket has an on card signature with a Curry auto that is much larger than what you see on most of his cards.
If you are purely an investor, the lack of serial numbering might be an issue. If you like Curry as a collector and a fan and maybe to display the card, this might be the card you want.
It is also easier to find than some of the other Curry RCs on this list.
3. 2009-10 Crown Royale RC #103 Auto/399
Only the power of the Exquisite brand name is keeping this card from being number two on the list. And having stated that, Crown Royale also has a lot of brand power as it was one of Pacific’s most popular brands until the company and its brand names were sold to Playoff in 2004. The die-cut design is iconic in the hobby, Curry is in his Warriors uniform and the signature is on card. 
Those that prefer this card over Exquisite also argue that there are 399 numbered autographs, while there are two Curry Exquisite cards autographed and numbered to 225, meaning there are actually 450 Curry Exquisite RCs.
The quality is exceptional here and there are usually some nice copies to be had.
2. 2009-10 Upper Deck Exquisite RC Auto /225
Coming from Upper Deck’s final days as an NBA licensee, this Curry rookie autograph is serial numbered to 225, and it has a clean, on card signature. One thing that many collectors find awkward is that there are two Curry autographed RC’s numbered to 225 in the set. The card that sold for $20,500 is #64, while there is also a Curry RC numbered 72. Both have the same design but different photos. Both photos are of Curry in a Davidson uniform.
A BGS 9.5 copy of #64 recently sold for $14,000.
1. 2009-10 Playoff National Treasures #206 Patch Auto/99
Upper Deck lucked out by having LeBron James in the rookie class when it launched Exquisite in 2003-04, and the same could be said for the inaugural Playoff National Treasures set in 2009-10 and Steph Curry.
The card is serial numbered to 99, making it his rarest RC. It also pictures Curry in a Warriors uniform rather than a Davidson or draft pick. The patch piece and the on card signature rather than a sticker signature make this card special.
Perhaps the Holy Grail of basketball cards is the one-of-one Black Logoman patch variation of this card. In 2021, the card sold at auction for a record $5.9 million. It was given a PSA grade of 8 with the autograph graded 10. There’s another one on eBay right now–also with a seven-figure price tag.
Related Stories:
Alt Buys Majority Stake in Steph Curry Rookie Card Valued at $5.9 Million
Notes: Philly Show Signers; Big Dynasty Pull; $3.3 Million NT Buy; Solution for Slippery Shoe Boxes
Notes: Curry’s Bruce Lee Shoes Auction; Heritage Tally, More
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 1st Signed Card Surfaces; Part of 2013 Rookie Program
Steph Curry Jersey from Historic Scoring Stretch in Charity Auction
Steph Curry’s All-Star Jersey Sells for $500,720
Notes: Fred Claire Collection; High-Grade Clemente, Curry RCs; MeiGray Expo
