When it comes to great players who are still active in the NBA, LeBron James is the standard everyone adheres to. His long career filled with countless achievements has cemented the four-time champion into the conversation for the Greatest Of All Time.
While his place among the greats cannot be questioned, James’ value in the card market is doing otherwise. We take a look below at how James’ stock has been doing and the possible reasons why it has dropped in value.
LeBron James Cards Dropping Hard
Just like every stock in the card market, the King’s value has been on a steady decline recently. In a post on Instagram by Slabstox, James’ PSA 10 2003 Topps Chrome rookie card has fallen from $175,100 two months ago to where it is now at $94,250. This represents a 46% drop over that same period of time.
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James’ drop in value is also seen when checking eBay’s recently sold cards. Last week, the same card with a PSA 10 grade sold for $75,000. As compared to the figure tallied by Slabstox, this more than half of what it sold for at the end of March.
The King’s decline in the card market can be attributed to several factors coming together at the same time. For one, the Los Angeles Lakers have been ravaged by injuries before the playoffs even started, including James who missed a significant amount of time due to a high ankle sprain. This development, in turn, caused the Purple and Gold to tumble down the standings and into the Play-In Tournament.
Another factor that could have contributed to James’ drop in the card market is the Lakers getting eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the first round. While a lot of basketball fans breathed a collective sigh of relief when Los Angeles secured a playoff spot, they also expected to breeze by the Suns without any difficulty. Again, this is where the injury bug bit Anthony Davis, causing LeBron to shoulder most of the load.
Last, but not least, collectors should also consider the overall downward trend the card market is currently on. For some months now, prices of almost all cards have been declining, including James’ rookie cards. This is expected to continue into the offseason until prices bounce back up again a few weeks before the new season starts.
Taking all of these reasons together and it’s not hard to see why the four-time NBA champion’s cards are going down. What needs to be determined now is whether collectors should hold, sell, or hoard more of his stock.
The Verdict On James Rookie Cards
No matter where he is in his career or how much he fails, one thing is still clear about James. He remains to be one of the best to ever play the game and is locked to be an inductee into the Hall of Fame in the future. With those two things in mind, it’s safe to say LeBron James rookie cards will hold their value well down the line.
With this conclusion, the wisest course of action is to either hold your cards of the King or get more of them during the dip. Like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant before him, James has transcended the game into a modern icon. This makes his cards a must-have for any dedicated collector.
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