Are Basketball Cards Valuable? – 2024 Guide

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You must be looking to know that really basketball cards valuable to buy or not. Well, Before buying cards you must know about them first and we’ve listed some of the best basketball cards which you may consider buying if you really like or feel worth it. You can go for them.

Up to five and six-figure amounts can easily be reached with the most popular basketball cards of the sport. Scarcity and fierce auction battle will leave some hobbyists looking for for years. Collectors will go crazy over any of these items. You have something special if you are lucky enough to own one or more tickets.

To make this list, the price guide to every basketball card expected to raise more than 3,000 dollars on the open market was used by PSA Sports Business Research.

One more significant thing is that only the cards dated before 1990 were available.

Therefore, even though they are incredibly worthwhile, you won’t find any Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, or Steph Curry cards on here. Please make sure you save any of the cards with a sleeve or cover if you have some of the cards in that collection at all.

The Most Valuable Basketball Cards Guide

Here is the entire list of the nine most valuable Basketball cards. The Most Valuable Basketball Cards Guide Every short description offers an outline of the card history, which makes so much money worth it, and is followed by an explanation of the card itself.

I hope you want to read the list as much as I do!

1. 1948 Bowman #69 George Mikan

1948 Bowman #69 George Mikan

 

The Bowman rookie card from 1948, George Mikan, heads our list as the “Holy Grail.” The legendary center became the first dominant great man in the league, setting the bar for the next big men, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.

The card picture is fantastic because it has a Mikan on a tough-to-load background, which is dark blue. The concentrating and the toning of the edges with this card are typical problems.

And it is also important to remember that after some uncut sheets of 1948, Bowman’s surface a while ago, you can cross several hand-cut specimens.

Estimated PSA 9 Value: $90,000

2. 1957 Topps #77 Bill Russell

1957 Topps #77 Bill Russell

 

Topps basketball is one of the biggest yet hardest basketball sets of 1957, and the draft card of Bill Russell is the key card that it has. Bad centering and bad printing make it hard to locate a high-quality card.

The card is also a small print, making it scarcer from the start. Russell’s one of the biggest and most famous people the game has ever seen, and players get crazy for the card.

Estimated PSA 9 Value: $85,000

3. 1980 Topps Larry Bird / Julius Erving / Magic Johnson

1980 Topps Larry Bird / Julius Erving / Magic Johnson

 

With its 1980-81 set, Topps has done something new and presented cards that had three different players on perforated mini cards.

Larry Bird’s and Magic Johnson’s rookie card, with Julius Erving, sandwiched between them, is by far the most wanted. On the three other cars in this package, the three players appear, but this is the key.

The collection has initially been not that popular with collectors, but in recent years this has dramatically changed. This card today is one of the most famous and popular cards in the world.

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $50,000

4. 1969 Topps #25 Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) Rookie Card

1969 Topps #25 Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) Rookie Card

 

The NBA’s leading all-time scorer appeared in the 1969 Topps with the most famous basketball card. His rookie card measures around 2 1⁄2 “by 4 11/16” far more significant than typical sports cards.

While it was an innovative product choice, it makes cards more vulnerable to wear and tear surfaces. High-quality copies of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar rookie cards will earn huge dollars at auction as well as centering, and print defects are also problems.

Estimated PSA 9 Value: $40,000

5. 1961 Fleer #8 Wilt Chamberlain

1961 Fleer #8 Wilt Chamberlain

 

Chamberlain was the greatest player ever on the hardwood; it can be claimed. And Wilt’s 1961 Fleer rookie card is classified on the classic package, among many others.

Fleer split the front of the card into three parts, each with a team logo and top name, middle player name and central place, and a large photo at the center. In recent years, hobbyists have placed this card among the keys to their wishlists and values.

Estimated PSA 9 Value: $35,000

6. 1985 Prism Jewel Sticker Michael Jordan

1985 Prism Jewel Sticker Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan’s 1985 Prism Jewel Sticker was one of the unique cards on this list. In terms of style criteria, the Jordan hologram, which soared for a reverse dive, took this card ahead of time.

Such cards from Michael Jordan were not commonly circulated and were often sold out by retailers that were in the market. You are looking at a high-quality level if you’re lucky enough to find one that has lasted in good condition.

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25,000

7. 1961 Fleer #36 Oscar Robertson Rookie Card

1961 Fleer #36 Oscar Robertson Rookie Card

 

It’s impossible to know whether the 1961 Fleer set’s most valuable basketball card is after Chamberlain’s rookie. Yet the rookie of Oscar Robertson is as successful as any other event. The “Big O” was able to do everything on the floor, and in 1962 it first averaged three times as much as an NBA player.

This dominance made him into a hero and a beloved collector. He is a member of the Cincinnati Royals, and later on the Sacramento Kings. His rookie card lists him.

Estimated PSA 9 Value: $22,000

8. 1986 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan

1986 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan

 

Because of Jordan’s iconic heroics, the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie has become an essential early sports card for the hobby. No one scored more points per match than Jordan’s 30,12 points, making him the most fearsome offensive weapons ever.

This was also something special to watch Jordan perform because you knew he could do something incredible that he could never be seen before. His success has raised the worth of his rookie card, but these multi-colored borders will prevent difficult wear. Mind, though, as this hobby card is perhaps one of the most doctored because of its extreme popularity.

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $21,000

9. 1960 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry West

1960 Kahn's Wieners Jerry West

Estimated PSA 8 Value: $20,000

The 1960 Kahn’s Wieners Card of the Jerry West myth is another oddball card on our list. Such geographic issues were mainly spread in the Cincinnati area, and it is essential to remember that in this coin, West was only Non-Cincinnati Royal.

The hobby acknowledges Fleer only as its rookie in 1961, so it is as though this pre-rooky card published a year ago were more pricey. It is, therefore, difficult to find them in good quality without stain since the cards are distributed inside meat packets.