A short but record-setting sweet college career didn’t immediately translate into NBA stardom but a little patience has paid off for collectors who believed in one of the league’s top 2018 draft picks. Trae Young rookie cards are now starting to look like they’ll be a good long-term play.
The Transition
In his one season at Oklahoma, Young was the first player in history to lead the nation in both points and assists. Drafted fifth by Dallas, he was immediately dealt to the Atlanta Hawks for the rights to Luka Doncic and a future first round pick. While the deal may have looked like a steal for the Mavericks early on, Young has begun to show signs of being a superstar thanks to a skill set tailor-made for today’s NBA. He dropped 49 points, dished out 16 assists and grabbed eight rebounds in a quadruple overtime loss to the Bulls and since the All-Star break has averaged 29 points and nine assists per game.
Young has become must-see TV, a player with whom the Atlanta Hawks will create an identity and one the NBA will market in the future –Vincent Goodwill, NBA Writer, Yahoo Sports.
Big Bucks and Bargains
Young’s propensity to put up big point totals and double-digit assists on a regular basis has not gone unnoticed. Sales of his rookie cards on eBay have picked up although it seems a lot of collectors believed from the start. In February, the 1/1 Donruss Optic Gold Vinyl Autograph was pulled and sold for $9,100. Back in December, a Panini Prizm Black Gold numbered to 5 netted $2,200. In the week leading up to this story, at least seven Young cards sold on eBay for $1,000 or more.
He’ll have some yet to be released rookie autographs in high-end products that will likely surpass any early sales, so a list of his “best” rookie cards is, for now, incomplete.
Some of the more pedestrian Young rookie cards remain at levels well under Doncic’s first year cardboard. As late as a few weeks ago, numerous Young rookie autographs were selling for less than the price of an entire low-end box of 2018-19 product. Several autographed cards from non-draft products can still be had for well under $150. Standard issue rookies and even many serial-numbered parallels remain cheap.
Better news for fans, collectors and card shop owners is that both players are still very young. Doncic just turned 20; Young won’t be 21 until September. They’re just the tip of what looks to be a very solid 2018-19 NBA Draft class with plenty of room for their cards to grow in demand.
To keep tabs on the ‘most watched Trae Young card auctions on eBay, just consult the real-time list below.
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