His 1996-97 E-X2000 rookie also sells for a boat load, as do high-grade versions of his Topps base rookie-really, you can't go wrong with any early Kobe cards.Īll card images courtesy of TCDB, while pricing data is pulled from recent eBay sales as of Tuesday morning. His rookie cards are head and shoulders above everyone else on this list in terms of value, with PSA 9 versions of his Topps Chrome rookie selling for more than a PSA 10 version of Allen Iverson's in the No. It was all a recipe for superstardom, and his development from tantalizing teen star to franchise player and all-time great helped solidify his place as one of the hobby's biggest names. Who else but Kobe Bryant in the top spot?Ī high school phenom playing in one of the sport's biggest markets, Bryant was compared to Michael Jordan from the start of his pro career. He was ultimately overtaken by Kobe Bryant for top rookie card honors in his class, but the market for his cards remains robust, and his Topps Chrome rookie is the cream of the crop. When 1996-97 products were first released, Iverson was the rookie card to pull, and his immediate success only further boosted his appeal. He averaged more than 30 points per game five different times, won four scoring titles, was an 11-time All-Star, and played with a swagger that made him one of the most popular players in the sport. Iverson averaged 23.5 points and 7.5 assists per game for a 22-win Philadelphia 76ers team as a rookie, and two years later he had them in the postseason. 1 pick in the 1996 NBA draft, ahead of UMass center Marcus Camby. 4 on the list.Īfter averaging 20.4 points per game as a freshman at Georgetown, Allen Iverson racked up 25.0 points, 4.7 assists and 3.4 steals per contest as a sophomore to secure his spot as the No. That said, his Topps Chrome rookie still carries a high enough price tag to check in No. His 1998-99 SP Authentic rookie card is actually his most valuable, but with a limited print run of 3,500, it was not eligible to be included in these rankings. The 7-footer spent his entire 21-year career in a Dallas Mavericks uniform, finishing as a 14-time All-Star who currently sits sixth on the all-time scoring list with 31,560 points. Nowitzki averaged a modest 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 20.4 minutes as a rookie, but he quickly upped his production in the coming years to emerge as one of the NBA's top scorers. 6 pick Robert "Tractor" Traylor in one of the most lopsided draft-night deals in league history. The pack version is the one that is considered his true rookie card, and it was also short-printed since it was a late addition to the set, making it the more valuable of the two and his most valuable rookie card overall.ĭirk Nowitzki made a name for himself at the 1998 Nike Hoop Summit, and he was drafted out of Germany by the Milwaukee Bucks with the No. The same card was then included in Hi-Series packs, with "#1 NBA Draft Pick" replacing "Trade Card" printed on the front. The "Trade Card" sells for $40-50 in PSA 9 condition and $800-1,000 in PSA 10 condition. 1 overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, which of course, was O'Neal." They included a "Trade Upper Deck" card that could be sent to Upper Deck along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope in exchange for a special card of the No. Most companies simply waited to include him in their sets until they released Series 2 of their checklist, but Upper Deck took a different approach. "Due to an exclusive sports card agreement with Classic Games, Shaquille O'Neal was not initially eligible to be included in 1992-93 products. We've already touched on this card in our " 10 Basketball Cards Every 90s Kid Should Own" article a few months ago: The rankings are ordered by PSA 9 value, with raw value serving as the tiebreaker when needed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |