As the demand of basketball cards increases, many collectors go on the hunt for the rarest cards! And sure, there are those Luka 1/1s, but sometimes it’s more fun to find the old, underground card that shows you’re a true collector!
Some aren’t the most valuable cards (while some fall in the millions), but they’re off-the-radar of most average collectors.
16 Rare & Valuable Basketball Cards for Serious Collectors
- 1984-85 Star Michael Jordan #101
- 1948 Bowman George Mikan #69
- 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Emerald Kobe Bryant #81
- 1957 Topps Bill Russell #77
- 2009-10 Playoff National Treasures Stephen Curry RC #206 Patch Autograph /99
- 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite LeBron James #78 RPA /99
- 1996-97 Kobe Topps Chrome Refractor #138
- 1990-91 Hoops Mark Jackson #205
- 1980 Topps Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson Autograph
- 1990-91 Hoops Sam Vincent #223
- 1961 Fleer #36 Oscar Robertson
- 1986 Fleer #76 Johnny Moore
- 1969 Topps #99 Checklist 1-99
- 1969-70 Topps Rulers Lew Alcindor #10
- 1999 Upper Deck Century Legend Wilt Chamberlain Autograph
- 1970 Topps Pete Maravich #123 Autograph
1. 1984-85 Star Michael Jordan #101
Estimated PSA 9 Value: $444,000
While the ’86 Fleer is considered his true rookie card, there actually was a card that came out his real rookie year! In 1984-85, Star released a set of cards, but only in limited quantities to arenas and local card shops. In fact, it’s estimated that only 3,000 of these cards were produced.
Because it wasn’t released by a major manufacturer, it’s usually considered an “extended rookie card” (XRC). It doesn’t help the popularity that PSA wouldn’t grade this card until recently!
There are only TWO PSA 9 in existence, which is why one of them sold for over $400k in 2022! It’ll probably never been seen as a TRUE rookie card, but it’s value (due to its rarity) will likely continue to surpass the ’86 Fleer.
2. 1948 Bowman George Mikan #69
PSA 10 Value: $500k+
While this isn’t an underground or strange card, it’s rare because it’s just SO OLD. George Mikan was the first true superstar in the NBA, and retired as the career scoring leader.
There’s only one of these cards in a PSA 10 (and only four 9s), which is it why it sold for over $400k in 2015 (imagine what that would be today… $1 million+?).
This is absolutely one of the rarest cards in history.
3. 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Emerald Kobe Bryant #81
Estimated BGS 8.5 Value: $2,000,000
For many collectors the PMG (precious metal gems) are the holy grail of card collecting. They are likely the most sought after and valuable insert/parallel set ever created. There were 100 PMGs created for each player, with there being 90 red and 10 green.
Just to show you a bit about value:
Did you think that any Erick Dampier card could fetch over $2k? It’s not even his rookie year, it’s not an auto, and it’s not even the green PMG!
Now you can get a feel for why Kobe, the second-most collected player in the hobby, with a second-year card of the most sought after set ever could fetch so much.
That $2 million value mentioned above was from a real sale in 2022.
4. 1957 Topps Bill Russell #77
Estimated PSA 8.5 Value: $630,000
Another one that’s just so freaking cool, not because it’s a weird laundry tag 1/1 or an auto card. It’s not even serial numbered.
It’s just an old-school card of one of the best players ever… and it’s super rare to find this in a decent quality. In fact, there are ZERO PSA 10s of this card in existence, and only three PSA 9s.
Even a PSA 4 can fetch you a decent number:
It’s an iconic card that’s fast getting forgotten by the current generation of collectors.
5. 2009-10 Playoff National Treasures Stephen Curry RC #206 Patch Autograph /99
PSA 9 Value: $400,000
Alright, let’s have some fun with one of these newer RPA (rookie patch auto) cards! Steph Curry is one of the single most popular players in the hobby, period.
Combine that with this being National Treasures’ debut year, you get a nasty, on-card signature, and just an overall clean card, and you have a recipe for a rare and extremely valuable card!
6. 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite LeBron James #78 RPA /99
BGS 9.5 Value: $1,680,000
I had to include this as probably the crème-de-la-crème of LeBron rookie cards. In this particular example, you get the sweet multi-color patch that’s clearly from the Cavaliers jersey (unlike so many of today’s patch cards!).
The on-card auto looks nice, and you get the numbered /99 on the side. To me, this is near the pinnacle of collecting basketball cards, and also why it sells for nearly $2 million in a high grade.
Can you imagine if they had been doing RPAs back when Jordan was a rookie?
7. Kobe Topps Chrome Refractor #138
BGS 10 Value: $100,000
What isn’t there to like about this card? The regular, non-chrome version of this card is one of the most popular and widely collected cards in the hobby! I have a PSA 9 of that card displayed on my shelf right now.
So take that card, turn it into a chrome and it’s a refractor? Not only does it look incredible, but it’s also seriously rare with only 63 PSA 10s in existence.
8. 1990-91 Hoops Mark Jackson #205
PSA 10 Value: $350
Okay, okay, you’re not going to believe that a $350 card should be on this list. But take these things into account:
- It’s not even his rookie card!
- He’s not a hall of famer
- This card came out at the height of the junk wax era.
For comparison, here’s a sale of rookie Gary Payton’s Hoops PSA 10 card from this set:
So what makes his worth 10x more than a rookie hall of famer?
The story here is that behind Mark Jackson are the Menendez brothers, after they killed their parents but before they were arrested.
Sure, it’s not my cup of tea, but it’s an object of fascination for many basketball card collectors as well as those who go for murder memorabilia.
9. 1980 Topps Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson Autograph
PSA 6 Value: $3,000
Here’s the deal with this card—you get two hall of fame rookies, along with Julius Erving on the same card! So why isn’t this card worth 100x the value?
Truthfully, it might be—if you had a PSA 10.
The PSA 10 version of this card without the autos has a pop count of 23, and PSA estimates a value of over $700,000! eBay recently has a sale of a PSA 9 for just over $17,000—so obviously this card’s value hinges significantly on condition, which is normal for such an old card.
And then for a collector to go and get the auto for all 3 of them? I’m not even sure that a PSA 10 of that exists…and if it did, that’s a multi-million dollar card.
10. 1990-91 Hoops Sam Vincent #223
PSA 10 Value: $190
Just like the Mark Jackson above, you’ve got a non-rookie card from an unremarkable, overproduced set that sells for more than almost any other card!
If you haven’t seen this card before, take a look at that dude wearing #12 in Chicago red.
Yep, that’s Jordan, captured in the only game of his career where he wore #12! His jersey was stolen before the game and had to wear this number for a day…and as luck would have it, Hoops happened to use a picture of Sam Vincent from this game, with Jordan in the shot!
(Hoops, I don’t know if you were lucky or smart here, but I think you knew what you were doing!)
11. 1961 Fleer #36 Oscar Robertson
PSA 7 Value: $4,400
Sure, it’s not quite as old as the Russell or the Mikan, but this is still a really cool card! The original walking triple-double is still one of the top 10 players of all time, and a card this old is going to be a gem for basketball collectors.
12. 1986 Fleer #76 Johnny Moore
PSA 10 Value: $22,000
Here’s another card with an interesting reason as to why it’s worth so much….
Among high-end set collectors, the holy grail is often Fleer’s 1986 set. Its iconic look is recognizable to any basketball card fan (and even many who aren’t).
Oh, and it’s got perhaps the best rookie class ever captured in a single card set:
- Michael Jordan
- Charles Barkley
- Patrick Ewing
- Karl Malone
- Hakeem Olajuwon
- Isiah Thomas
- Dominique Wilkins
- James Worthy
- Chris Mullin
- Clyde Drexler
And honestly, there are even more, the result of no major manufacturer having produced cards for a few years. We get the iconic ’84 draft, along with ’85 and ’86 rookies thrown in for good measure.
So why Johnny Moore?
Well, a few set collectors have taken on the challenge of finding all of these cards in a PSA 10!
As you can imagine, that’s hard with such an old set…and the Johnny Moore only has 68 PSA 10s! It’s famous in certain circles for being the hard card to find.
(Actually, it’s the Jeff Malone that’s the rarest, with only 67 10s in existence, but Johnny Moore for years has been thought of as the hardest one to get).
Interestingly, this Johnny Moore card sells for $5-$8 if ungraded.
13. 1969 Topps #99 Checklist 1-99
PSA 7 Value: $1,700
Similar to the ’86 Fleer set, some (deep-pocketed) collectors like to go after the ’69 Topps set!
In addition to Kareem’s rookie, you’ll find other all-time greats such as:
- Wilt Chamberlain
- Gail Goodrich
- Nate Thurmond
- Connie Hawkins
- John Havlicek
- Elgin Baylor
- Billy Cunningham
- Jerry Lucas
- Oscar Robertson
- Wes Unseld
- Dave Bing
- Earl Monroe
- Elvin Hayes
- Walt Frazier
- Jerry West
- Hal Greer
- Dave DeBusschere
That’s just an insane list.
So why the checklist? It’s super rare…PSA’s pop report lists ZERO PSA 10s of this card, and only 3 9s. They give an estimate of $15k for the 9!
I’m guessing not a lot of kids kept the checklist card, especially not in good shape.
14. 1969-70 Topps Rulers Lew Alcindor #10
PSA 8 Value: $3,100
This is just a freaking cool card, right?
Only 3 PSA 10s exist of this card, with only 50 graded a 7 or higher. This card is 10″ tall, which is almost 3x taller than a regular card! The fact that PSA even has holders for these is really cool.
But man, the famously huge Jabbar on a card like this, and it’s a rookie? Sign me up.
15. 1999 Upper Deck Century Legend Wilt Chamberlain Signature
BGS 8.5 Value: $11,000
This set (for some reason) isn’t considered that epic of a set, with many of the autos of all-time greats not fetching a huge price. For example, you can pick up a Havlicek for under $100!
But, This card set came out in 1999, the same year that Wilt died. Considering signature cards weren’t mainstream yet, there are only a few auto cards of his distributed by a manufacturer!
That makes this card actually super rare and highly sought after.
16. 1970 Topps Pete Maravich #123 Autograph
Estimated Value: $30,000
This card obviously wasn’t produced with an auto on it in 1970, which means that someone had to have this card, and have Pistol Pete sign it before his death in 1988!
Add in that he’s a hall of famer with a legendary hoops game (check out his LSU stats sometime), and you get a card that would have basketball card collectors salivating.
Honestly, I can’t even find a sale of this card, but the one posted above is just a listing on eBay. If you had this as a PSA 8 even, that would carry a serious price tag!