How to Invest in Basketball Cards: A Beginner’s Guide
Everything you need to know to dip your toes into one of the hottest alternative asset classes
21/09/23: an updated and improved version of this article has been published on my blog here.
Introduction
In no small part due to the covid-19 pandemic, the trading card hobby has boomed over the past year.
In February 2021, a Luka Doncic rookie card sold for $4.6 million, then the highest price ever fetched for a basketball card. Just two months later, a LeBron James rookie card snatched the crown away (as the King rightfully should) in a historic $5.2 million sale.
Indeed, 23 out of the 24 most expensive sports card sales of all time have come since February 2020.
But while the market for the ultra high-end has stayed strong in recent months, prices for low- and middle-end cards have actually fallen.
Could that be an indication that the sports card bubble is bursting? Some certainly see it that way.
For others, though, the recent dip in prices represents little more than a market correction for an asset class with proven longevity and potential for…
