NBA OLD GUARD VS. NEW STARS: Jordan, LeBron, Curry, Wemby cards still attracting big dollars

Collectors continue to dole out five-figure sums for pro hoop heroes. 

Regular SCD readers got plenty of examples with our recent NBA All-Time All-Hobby Team. You’ll find more evidence in our monthly Top 10 list (below) and in our “next 10” chart.

But wait, there’s more! Check out these hot hoop sales from eBay auctions in January and early February.

Also See: Jordan, Bird, Magic highlight NBA All-Hobby team 

JORDAN AND JAMES, TOGETHER

Love combo cards? They don’t get much better than this: a 2006-07 Upper Deck Hardcourt “Dual Auto Floor” insert card featuring perhaps the two greatest hoop players ever: Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

Owens: Bird, Magic created greatest rivalry in NBA history 

The card was made in an edition of 23; this one is numbered #18. It was graded BGS 9.5 (with a 10 for the sigs). The condition helped it soar to $14,607 on 36 bids. And why not? Individual signed patch cards featuring either of these individual legends can sell for similar prices.

In terms of pure physical skills, Jordan and James have few peers. Who wouldn’t love to watch Jordan and James—in their prime—match up in a one-on-one game? As it is, Jordan won six NBA titles and averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. James, through early February, had career averages of 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. 

SHAQ! 

Who can forget Shaquille O’Neal’s simultaneous arrival in the NBA and in the hobby? From his pro beginnings as a 20-year-old with the Orlando Magic, this 7-foot-1, 325-pound behemoth had his way on the hardwood floor. In 1992-93, as a rookie, he averaged 23.4 points and 13.9 rebounds per game, and he only got better. He finished his career with averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game. Plus, his teams made the playoffs in 17 of his 19 seasons, and he won four NBA titles along the way. Fans today know Shaq as an analyst for TNT and NBA TV.

In the early ’90s, Shaq was everything in the hobby, having elbowed his way into the stratosphere occupied by Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. His most desirable early cards included his 1992-93 Topps, Upper Deck and Fleer rookies.

Today, somehow, those cards have relaxed in value and can be had for less than $1,000. Highest-selling examples on eBay over the past three months: Gold versions of his 1992-93 Topps card. Two examples graded PSA 10 sold for prices of $810 and $768.

But it’s a piece of Shaq memorabilia that has caught our attention. A signed jersey in a 35-by-43-inch frame sold for $14,600 on 31 bids. The Laker-gold jersey dates to his years with L.A. (1996-2004). Shaq’s sig appears on the “4” in his white 34 uniform number. The autograph was authenticated by Beckett.

Also See: Rick Barry talks collecting, being mistaken for Mickey Mantle, his hoops-playing sons 

COOL CURRY

Signed memorabilia cards are always enticing, but when a jersey patch bears lettering from a player’s uniform, all the better. Case in point: a 2018 Panini Immaculate card of Stephen Curry that sold for $12,950 on 35 bids. 

Also See: Top 40 sports card sales on eBay in 2023 

The card features Curry’s ornate signature on the top half, just above the mark (#7/10) and just next to an action photo. Underneath those elements is a jersey patch bearing the “TE” of Golden State. The card was graded PSA 9, with a 10 autograph.

Any worthy piece of memorabilia featuring Curry, a four-time NBA champ, is a can’t-miss investment.

HI-YO, SILVER WEMBY

We’re keeping a close eye on Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs. The 19-year-old French import has been a revelation in the NBA this season, using his incredible wingspan to haul down 10-plus rebounds and block 3.1 shots per game while also averaging 20-plus points. He’s nowhere near reaching his potential, but he’s already secured a place in the hobby as perhaps the most collectible name to arrive in the past year.

We reported in recent issues on a number of five-figure Wemby items in auction sales. Among them: an ungraded 2022-23 Bowman University Chrome ($13,201) and a 2023 Panini Prizm Gold graded PSA 10 ($12,500). Plus, there were two Silver Pack Prizm cards produced by Panini and issued at the 2023 National Sports Collectors Convention. Both were graded PSA 10 and sold for $12,100 and $11,100.

In early 2024, we’ve seen a host of Silver Pack Prizms from The National turn up on eBay. They’ve relaxed in price from the two Silver examples noted above, yet they’re still pushing five figures. Examples in January and February brought prices of $9,400, $8,600, $8,400, $8,220 and $8,145. All five were graded PSA 10.

TOP 10 CHART 

1. $55,003 on 63 bids: 1951 Bowman Willie Mays (PSA 7)

2. $32,329 on 73 bids: 1981 Topps Joe Montana (PSA 10)

3. $27,798 on 105 bids: 2023 Panini Absolute Kaboom! Green Bryce Young, #1/1 (ungraded)

4. $27,600 on 54 bids: 1986-87 Fleer Basketball complete set graded PSA 9

5. $23,766 on 34 bids: 2022 Panini Prizm Brock Purdy Gold Vinyl, #3/5 (PSA 10)

6. $20,600 on 55 bids: 2018 Panini Contenders Lamar Jackson Cracked Ice, #12/24, auto (BGS 10)

7. $20,100 on 47 bids: 2018 Panini Contenders Super Bowl Ticket Lamar Jackson, #1/1, auto (BGS 9, auto 10)

8. $20,050 on 82 bids: 2000 Fleer Autographics Tom Brady (PSA 10)

9. $19,640 on 85 bids: 1984-85 Star Michael Jordan (PSA 7)

10. $19,312 on 42 bids: 2023 Bowman Chrome Draft Expos Tom Brady Orange Refractor, #17/25, auto (BGS 9.5, auto 10)

SWEET JORDAN 

Michael Jordan, as always, appears in our Top 10 chart, and he also turns up three more times within our “next 10” items. Two of them are PSA 9-grade Fleer rookies. The other is a sweet-looking signed patch card from Upper Deck’s 2007-08 Exquisite Collection.

The “Exquisite Exclusives” example here, marked #6/23, sold for $15,501. It’s an impressive sum, but it does represent a softening. Two years ago in this space, we reported on another example of the card (marked #10/23) selling for $26,261. And that one was slightly lower in terms of grade: BGS 9 vs. the BGS 9.5 reflected below. It’s rare to use the word “softening” in relation to Michael Jordan memorabilia, but we don’t anticipate much more of that.

THE NEXT 10

• $18,555 on 39 bids: 2017-18 Topps Chrome EUFA UCL Soccer sealed 12-box hobby case

• $18,300 on 39 bids: 2022 Topps Luminaries Babe Ruth Cut Signature Relic Card, #1/1, auto (ungraded)

• $18,100 on 82 bids: 2022 Panini Prizm Brock Purdy Gold, #5/10, auto (PSA 10)

• $17,100 on 38 bids: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle (ungraded)

• $16,876 on 60 bids: 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan (PSA 9)

• $16,500 on 120 bids: 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan (PSA 9)

• $16,200 on 47 bids: 2017 Panini Contenders Optic Prizm Patrick Mahomes II Rookie Ticket (PSA 10)

• $15,600 on 23 bids: 2022-23 Panini Spectra Jalen Williams, #1/1, auto patch (Logoman), (ungraded)

• $15,501 on 57 bids: 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Exclusives Michael Jordan, #6/23, auto patch (BGS 9.5)

• $15,200 on 25 bids: 2015-16 Upper Deck SP Authentic Connor McDavid Future Watch, #433/999, auto (PSA 10)