He was the Baby Beard then. Who would have guessed what was to transpire in the nine years to come? All-Star Games. An MVP. Forty and 50-point games on a regular basis. And maybe, a threat to the dominance of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Western Conference. Now, the best James Harden rookie card ever to hit the open market has revealed … [Read more...]
List of Six-Figure Basketball Cards Growing
Basketball cards were once so lightly regarded that the only company that made them decided to take a pass, even when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were young, Michael Jordan was an explosive rookie and Dr. J was still flying high and winning titles. That pendulum swung back in the 1990s, though, and now the sport with worldwide appeal is building a pretty … [Read more...]
Kyrie Irving Rookie Cards Proved Worth the Wait
His talent was once a little hard for fans and collectors to judge. Kyrie Irving’s rookie cards would have been a bit of a mystery had they been distributed in a traditional fashion five seasons ago. A labor dispute put his cardboard arrival on hold but those who jumped in quickly once they finally arrived have been rewarded. Duke and Done Irving was born in … [Read more...]
1973-74 Topps Basketball Set Low on Rookies; High on HOFers
The 1973-74 Topps Basketball set may never measure up to the sets produced during the golden age of basketball cards — the emergence of 1980s stars Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, followed by Michael Jordan, was a big turning point for collectors. But the set gave basketball card collectors another taste of the two-league war being waged by the NBA and the upstart ABA, … [Read more...]
Best Vintage Hoops Bargain? 1972-73 Has Doc, HOF Horde
The Doctor was in and so was the Zen Master. The ABA was back. Wheaties were in the mix and Wilt tipped it all off. The 1972-73 Topps Basketball set is a gold mine of 70s hoop goodness, even if some of the players still had their shirts on backwards. After pushing out a 233-card issue in 1971, Topps kicked it up another notch in ’72 with a tidy, 264-card … [Read more...]
Karl-Anthony Towns Has Collectors’ Attention
The players from the 2015 NBA Draft are surprising fans and card collectors as not only are there more with superstar potential than expected but they are producing at a high level already. Kristaps Porzingis, Devin Booker and Myles Turner are just some of the rookies who but Karl-Anthony Towns rookie cards may wind up as the best of this year’s class. While … [Read more...]
10 High Powered Vintage Basketball Cards
Basketball card collecting exploded during the 1990s, as did card production numbers. Once unappreciated cards from all eras suddenly had a big following--and bigger prices thanks to the rise of Michael Jordan, the arrival of David Robinson, the 1992 Dream Team, increased TV coverage and the convergence of numerous popular Hall of Fame players. Yet the NBA's history goes … [Read more...]
Kristaps Porzingis Cards Soar as Latvian Validates Knicks’ Pick
When he was drafted, fans of the Knicks booed the pick. Now, only a few games into his NBA career, crowds in Madison Square Garden chant his name and card collectors all over the world are searching for Kristaps Porzingis rookie cards. The New York Knicks list "The Zinger" at 7’3. Unlike 7-6 Yao Ming he doesn't have a country of over a billion people as potential fans, but … [Read more...]
NBA Finals MVPs of the 2000s and Their Rookie Cards
Like the 1990s, the first decade of the 21st century had a bit of a dynasty feel at the start. The Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen Bulls had faded into history, replaced by Shaq and Kobe. While they didn’t win every NBA Finals MVP of the 2000s, their rookie cards were at the top of collector want lists. Some of them date back to the previous decade while others were … [Read more...]
Rookie Cards of 1980s NBA Finals MVPs
It was the decade that brought us the Showtime Lakers, the gritty, gutty Celtics and Sixers and a rebirth of pro basketball under commissioner David Stern. The hoops card market was struggling as the 1980s began but still gave us one of the era's greatest cards. By the end, it was a free-for-all but some of the greats who won MVPs in the era had their rookie cards during the … [Read more...]