Investing in cards can be loads tricky. The money you spend is directly tied to a player's performance on the court. If he gets an opportunity, stays healthy, thrives, and produces, the value of his cards has a good chance of going up. On the other hand, if he's not a fit with his current team, gets hurt, or doesn't live up to his billing, the value of his cards can tank faster than it takes Charles Barkley to finish a Krispy Kreme doughnut.
That sentiment holds true for a lot of NBA players, but there are a few who have accomplished enough in the league where the values of their cards have become tank-proof. One perfect example of this is the league's one-and-true king, LeBron James.
LeBron James Cards – The Infallible Gambit
You can like James or not. That's not for us to legislate. You can't, however, deny his resume. In 18 years, James has racked up a list of accomplishments that reads like a long grocery list. He's a four-time NBA champion, four-time MVP, four-time NBA Finals MVP, 17-time All-Star, 13-time All-NBA First Team, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and he ranks third for most points in league history. Not too shabby of a CV, eh?
We can debate his place in the GOAT rankings, but his career accomplishments speak for themselves, and all of that translates into the world of cardboard.
The card community recognizes greatness, and it comes as no surprise that the value of James' basketball cards occupies its own space in the market. Simply put, his cards are expensive. His rookie cards and autographs will cost you an arm, a leg, and possibly one of your kidneys. His refractor cards won't cost you as many appendages, but you might still have to part with a toe or two. And if you haven't been paying attention, cards that feature him in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform are also gaining steam.
Yes, investing in the King's basketball cards has become less of a fun exercise and more of a serious and expensive gamble. You'll need to pay serious money to buy his key cards.
Take his 2003 Topps Chrome Refractor RC #1111, for example. A graded PSA 10 of this particular card was selling for around $8,000 to $10,000 in 2018. Today, you can count yourself lucky if you're able to purchase a similar card with the same grade for $150,000. The percentage increase is math that my brain can't process.
Scan through LeBron's other rookie cards and similar patterns emerge. A 2003 Bowman Chrome Refractor RC #123 doesn't fetch the same amount of coin as its Topps Chrome counterpart, but you'll still need to shell out around $60,000 to $80,000 to even get hold of one.
James' numbered rookie cards follow similar trends. The market for these cards ranges from $20,000 to $200,000.
The reality is clear: what were somewhat affordable LeBron James rookie cards only three years ago have become so hopelessly out-of-reach for the financially capped among us.
As numbing as these figures look, we're not here to paint a picture of doom and gloom to those who are looking to score a top-grade LeBron James card. On the contrary, the market for his cards is so strong that even if you spend five or six figures on one, you're still making, at the very least, a sound investment, provided that you know when to cash out.
You don't have to limit yourself to his rookie cards, either. If you've become priced out of that market, there are plenty of other key LeBron James cards that you can break the bank with if you play the investment game properly.
His autographs are good examples. Ideally, you'd want a LeBron James rookie autograph or even a rookie patch autograph (RPA). But if you can't afford either of the two, there are still enough LeBron James autographs in the market that you can scoop up for a fraction of the price of his RPAs. These autos have shown strong growth themselves, and while they're unlikely to reach the monetary levels of his rookie autos and RPAs, the important thing is that they, too, increase in value.
If you're after more recent cards, LeBron's Lakers cards are likewise strong investment pieces, specifically with refractors and numbered parallels. A 2018 Optic LeBron James #94 Holo refractor graded PSA 10 easily fetches north of $1,000 in large part because it's James' first action card where he's wearing a Lakers uniform. These kinds of trivial pursuits matter in the grand scheme of the trading card hobby.
You're going to have to be patient with some of LeBron's cards, but that's also part of making the right moves in cultivating the value of these cards. See, as much as we'd all like these cards to explode in value overnight, it doesn't happen as often as most people think.
That's why if you're investing in LeBron James, it's important to take the long-term route instead of going the buy-and-dump routine. The latter will likely earn you more disposable cash in the short term, but if you want to maximize your investment in his cards, holding on to them is the best way to do it.
Circle back to his RCs. Those cards didn't explode in value until the last few years when James had already played more than 14 seasons in the NBA. As exciting as it is to see some of his cards explode in value in a short period of time, that's only the case for a handful of his cards.
Most of them are slow burns, but that's also part of the investment game.
So spend wisely on the LeBron James cards you want to invest in. Sit on them, let them ripe, and once you're ready and their values have increased, cash out and swim on the pile of Benjamins that you just made.
Follow Us
Subscribe