One of the most valuable NBA cards of all time is a 1997-1998 Upper Deck Michael Jordan All Star Game Used jersey #GJ13S. This NBA card includes a piece of Michael Jordan’s Jersey and his signature. This is valuable because of the piece of his jersey and the signature, but what makes it more valuable is Jordan’s amazing performance during that season.
Basketball cards have been here for a long time. The NBA card first came out in 1910 in the series “College Athlete Felts B-33.” Along with these, 10 other sports had their athletes serialized as cards, and only 30 were associated with basketball.
That covers the history, but what about now? NBA cards are one of the most prominent hobbies among basketball fans. One of the reasons they buy these is they’re being used as an investment. So what makes an NBA card valuable?
One of the driving factors of the value is the popularity of the player that it represents. NBA Cards representing players like Michael Jordan and LeBron James are more expensive compared to players like Dejounte Murray and PJ Tucker.
A card becomes more valuable whenever something personal from the player it represents is included in the card such as a piece of their jersey or their signature or sometimes even both. These increase their worth because they make the NBA cards more unique.
Another value-raising property is if it’s a rookie card. Rookie cards are for players who are just new to the rosters. These are only limited since they stop serializing these as time goes on, because players stop being rookies at some point.
When these players become famous, the fact that they are rookie cards won’t change which makes them even more valuable. These are by far the cards that hold the most value and potential value.
Of course, the player’s popularity and the uniqueness of the cards are not the only way which makes it valuable. When a player sets a record-breaking performance that season, the serialization of that player on that season will most likely be very valuable. The better the record, the higher the worth.
The reason why this card is so valuable is because in the 1997 NBA All Star Game in Ohio, Michael Jordan was the first player in league history to record a triple-double at an NBA All-Star Game. This card was sold in October 2017 for $2.7 million held by Goldin Auctions.
Retired players typically still hold their value, and they rarely ever drop. According to the consensus, retired players will still slowly rise in value. That’s why some collectors keep retired players in their possession for several years until they sell it.
Of course, they can also decrease in value. This usually happens when supply and demand thin out or when the player loses popularity or heads towards infamy. Whenever players go on a bad streak or they are associated with a crime, their value may drop also.
Because of these factors, NBA cards are a good investment to experienced basketball enthusiasts and collectors. Some like to buy new ones and wait for their values to rise while some are collectors that would want to get their hands on limited and vintage items. There are numerous ways to decide on a card’s worth but it’s really you who decides on what the true value is.
