Kevin Garnett topps rookie card boom
 

I know things are taking off AGAIN in the hobby, and it's crazy to watch, but it's worth mentioning individually the rise of KG's topps rc card and why it's taken off.
I don't have time to see who is influencing what in the trading card scene. I'm wise enough to know that people with a bit of influence/tonne of followers online can change prices dramatically.

This week KG's Topps rc PSA10 officially had a sale for $2500. There's been numerous sales in the preceeding week for $2000 plus. Two years ago this same card PSA 10 sold for $15-20.

A year ago when Covid hit and the first boom in the hobby hit, it went up into the $400-500 bracket.

I showed a work colleague some of this the other day and I couldn't explain why it's happened other than I'd heard someone like Gary V had said another boom was coming. Also being overseas and far removed from what's happening with investing etc in the US I wasn't able to explain why it'd happened very well.
Is it as simple as investors with cash are buying up cards instead of investing elsewhere because of the quick returns?
Can anyone spell it out for me a bit better?
Firstly for the whole hobby spike again, and specifically for this topps rc card for KG ahead of any of his other 14 rookie cards?


Disclaimer - I have my one topps rc card at PSA and boy do I hope it comes back a ten before this all deflates!

Crazy because he doesn't have a chrome, I would think his finest would be the big ticket...no pun intended

I think Mike and Gary Vee mentioned it on the podcast

[QUOTE=lietuvalabas;16986666]Crazy because he doesn't have a chrome, I would think his finest would be the big ticket...no pun intended[/QUOTE]

Agreed, but there's the whole greening thing. PSA 9 or 10 WITH peel is also waaaay up.

[QUOTE=lietuvalabas;16986666]Crazy because he doesn't have a chrome, I would think his finest would be the big ticket...no pun intended[/QUOTE]

I actually think the opposite

Because he doesn’t have a Chrome? I’d say Topps should be the priority (not saying it is... Finest is obviously super pricey)

Finest was awesome in 1995 but lost a lot of steam after 1995

And we all know collectors are OCD

They want a Garnett Topps to match their Kobe, Duncan, etc...

It’s why I still think LeBron Fleer is undervalued.

Only card you can buy where you get a LeBron, Kobe, and Jordan...

[QUOTE=asujbl;16986683]I actually think the opposite

Because he doesn’t have a Chrome? I’d say Topps should be the priority (not saying it is... Finest is obviously super pricey)

Finest was awesome in 1995 but lost a lot of steam after 1995

And we all know collectors are OCD

[B]They want a Garnett Topps to match their Kobe, Duncan, etc...[/B]

It’s why I still think LeBron Fleer is undervalued.

Only card you can buy where you get a LeBron, Kobe, and Jordan...[/QUOTE]

Good shout, I hadn't thought of that

[QUOTE=asujbl;16986683]

[B]It’s why I still think LeBron Fleer is undervalued.

Only card you can buy where you get a LeBron, Kobe, and Jordan...[/B][/QUOTE]

[IMG]https://media2.giphy.com/media/toe7vOw1WPAmEDfKeZ/giphy.gif[/IMG]

[QUOTE=GeechQuest;16986725][IMG]https://media2.giphy.com/media/toe7vOw1WPAmEDfKeZ/giphy.gif[/IMG][/QUOTE]

Maybe I’m the only OCD one.

I’m assuming. Haha

[QUOTE=asujbl;16986746]Maybe I’m the only OCD one.

I’m assuming. Haha[/QUOTE]

I think collecting has an OCD component by it's very nature.

Everything is just speculation and guessing, but the line of thinking you stated is exactly how I think when I'm looking to flip things and it's never not worked out.

"Chrome is blowing up, how about Prizm? Prizm the rage, next Optic? First year products are now a thing, what first year staples am I overlooking? Too much focus on modern, what's hot from the past that's overlooked? Old HOF dudes blowing up, who will be inducted in a couple of years?"

Always thinking down the road generally is the only way to stay afloat in the hobby.

[QUOTE=GeechQuest;16986762]I think collecting has an OCD component by it's very nature.

Everything is just speculation and guessing, but the line of thinking you stated is exactly how I think when I'm looking to flip things and it's never not worked out.

"Chrome is blowing up, how about Prizm? Prizm the rage, next Optic? First year products are now a thing, what first year staples am I overlooking? Too much focus on modern, what's hot from the past that's overlooked? Old HOF dudes blowing up, who will be inducted in a couple of years?"

Always thinking down the road generally is the only way to stay afloat in the hobby.[/QUOTE]

Always thought Vince is undervalued but never had the cash to chase.

About time the Big Ticket gets some deserved hobby love.

the reason why his topps base is low PSA pop is because .....
it was essentially $1-5 card in the past

this kind of cards are the one "investor/flipper/manipulator" are targeting.
Low pop graded, but actually mass produced

you see the pattern


KG's best RC is his Finest, by far.

[QUOTE=yaoming;16986906]the reason why his topps base is low PSA pop is because .....
it was essentially $1-5 card in the past

this kind of cards are the one "investor/flipper/manipulator" are targeting.
Low pop graded, but actually mass produced

you see the pattern


KG's best RC is his Finest, by far.[/QUOTE]

Disagree with this completely

Since we have tons of evidence to the contrary

I sold 16 for $8 a piece a month ago smh

The run on LeBron/MJ/Kobe at least made sense to me, this trickle down to KG, Shaq etc makes no sense. They are who they are, will never play another game, already in the HoF, no intrinsic bump left I can think of other than them literally passing away. Screams investor pump over collector growth for dollar box cards for 25 years. Be careful out there buying for any reason other than collecting

Wish I had mine :( It was lost/stolen in transit.

[QUOTE=jfan2024;16987045]I sold 16 for $8 a piece a month ago smh

The run on LeBron/MJ/Kobe at least made sense to me, this trickle down to KG, Shaq etc makes no sense. They are who they are, will never play another game, already in the HoF, no intrinsic bump left I can think of other than them literally passing away. Screams investor pump over collector growth for dollar box cards for 25 years. Be careful out there buying for any reason other than collecting[/QUOTE]

Wait...

Jordan and Kobe are going to play again?

Sweet

[QUOTE=asujbl;16987054]Wait...

Jordan and Kobe are going to play again?

Sweet[/QUOTE]

KG great as he is, does not belong in the same sentence as MJ/Kobe/LeBron

[QUOTE=jfan2024;16987070]KG great as he is, does not belong in the same sentence as MJ/Kobe/LeBron[/QUOTE]

Who said he does?

[QUOTE=jfan2024;16987045]I sold 16 for $8 a piece a month ago smh

The run on LeBron/MJ/Kobe at least made sense to me, this trickle down to KG, Shaq etc makes no sense. They are who they are, will never play another game, already in the HoF, no intrinsic bump left I can think of other than them literally passing away. Screams investor pump over collector growth for dollar box cards for 25 years. Be careful out there buying for any reason other than collecting[/QUOTE]


KG does have a Doco coming out, also a book in a week and is going into the hall in May I think so I can understand a bit of interest. Both have a presence of sorts in the media, Shaq more than KG obviously.

[QUOTE=asujbl;16986916]Disagree with this completely

Since we have tons of evidence to the contrary[/QUOTE]

Pop isnt low because it was rare. Thats a fact.

bought KG (topps rookie) and Duncan (topps rookie) lots last April. For peanuts.

made mistake of grading with BGS and SGC (thought they'd have good turn around times vs PSA at the time and.. were still terrible). got 10s and 9.5s. Sold way too early. sad.

sent my last one of each to PSA last September. Hoping for 9s at least.

glad he's seeing a bump.

Have bunch of them on the floor but maybe one would grade out.

Overproduced garbage but psa 10s still won't be that plentiful.

[QUOTE=jfan2024;16987070]KG great as he is, does not belong in the same sentence as MJ/Kobe/LeBron[/QUOTE]

Which is why his prices are much lower?

[QUOTE=mc1;16987171]Pop isnt low because it was rare. Thats a fact.[/QUOTE]

Definitely weren’t rare by any means. But last I checked (early January) KG was less than 200 in PSA 10 in 25 years. We know why that pop is so low, but the thing is, because of that same reason, there’s not likely to be a sh!tload more of them. 75% of these were ripped, tossed into a box unprotected, and jostled around for 25 years. There’s not too many gems left to be graded to be honest, I know how hard it is to find any good copy (say psa 9 or better) of any 90s Topps rookie card in raw form these days.

[QUOTE=packerfan4200;16987354]Definitely weren’t rare by any means. But last I checked (early January) KG was less than 200 in PSA 10 in 25 years. We know why that pop is so low, but the thing is, because of that same reason, there’s not likely to be a sh!tload more of them. 75% of these were ripped, tossed into a box unprotected, and jostled around for 25 years. There’s not too many gems left to be graded to be honest, I know how hard it is to find any good copy (say psa 9 or better) of any 90s Topps rookie card in raw form these days.[/QUOTE]

Sure. Plus anything left in boxes and packs has a good chance of being bricked. I opened some 96-97 and 97-98 topps last year and the sticking was bad.

[QUOTE=mc1;16987402]Sure. Plus anything left in boxes and packs has a good chance of being bricked. I opened some 96-97 and 97-98 topps last year and the sticking was bad.[/QUOTE]

Yep, that too. Another thing I didn’t even really consider when thinking about potential new high grade copies entering market in short term .

I have at least ten of these that were in Penny sleeves for years and I re-examined them and not one would gem in my opinion. Centering is all over the place and mine had edge issues coming right out of the packs. People think these cards are all easy gems but it isn’t the case. I bought a box of these in 2005 and they were already starting to brick and stick. There would be a residue on either the card back or front. 1996-97 Topps was the same way. Since 1997-98 doesn’t have an entire gloss front it shouldn’t be as bad but I haven’t opened a box of that in at least five years now.

The pop reports will gain but nowhere near the amount of gems as you see for modern stuff. People just didn’t take great care of these cards.

[QUOTE=LovelyLlamas;16987467]I have at least ten of these that were in Penny sleeves for years and I re-examined them and not one would gem in my opinion. Centering is all over the place and mine had edge issues coming right out of the packs. People think these cards are all easy gems but it isn’t the case. I bought a box of these in 2005 and they were already starting to brick and stick. There would be a residue on either the card back or front. 1996-97 Topps was the same way. Since 1997-98 doesn’t have an entire gloss front it shouldn’t be as bad but I haven’t opened a box of that in at least five years now.

The pop reports will gain but nowhere near the amount of gems as you see for modern stuff. People just didn’t take great care of these cards.[/QUOTE]

Interesting - I had one in a folder since 1996. When they started going nuts I pulled it out and it looks sweet as. Guess we'll see how I went when it comes back.

[QUOTE=packerfan4200;16987354]Definitely weren’t rare by any means. But last I checked (early January) KG was less than 200 in PSA 10 in 25 years. We know why that pop is so low, but the thing is, because of that same reason, [b]there’s not likely to be a sh!tload more of them. 75% of these were ripped, tossed into a box unprotected, and jostled around for 25 years. There’s not too many gems left to be graded to be honest,[/b]I know how hard it is to find any good copy (say psa 9 or better) of any 90s Topps rookie card in raw form these days.[/QUOTE]

Couldn’t disagree more, the 10s are going to multiply now. Granted many weren’t kept protected over the years, but the amount that were will prove to be substantial.

What llamas mentioned about the centering is true, but people are really underestimating how many of these are out there.

A whole bunch of topps KG RC's posted for sale on eBay in the last couple days. This market is way too easy to manipulate.

Of all the KG rookies, the Topps has got to have the least aesthetic appeal. And it's not even close.

You guys know any card that sells high will have tons of trimmers going after it....

PSA pops will always go up

[QUOTE=yaoming;16986906]
KG's best RC is his Finest, by far.[/QUOTE]

I just gotta say and I can't disagree more with this based on the design of the card.

For the Finest card they literally just took a quick picture of Garnett with a baseball hat of the basketball team that just drafted him. You can't put any less effort than that.

The Topps card shows Garnett playing intense defense - which given that he would go on to revolutionize how NBA defense was played, was pretty remarkable.

I actually see parallels between Russell's Topps' rookie and Garnett's, which is incredibly fitting given that Garnett is arguably the closest defensive comparison to Russell ever.

[IMG]https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Large/Basketball/2008/2008-630226RepFr.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Basketball/2420/2420-237Fr.jpg[/IMG]

I'm personally someone who doesn't think the Topps/Chrome rookies of Kobe or Duncan are all that strong, and I find the Shaq Topps rookie to be blah, but the Garnett Topps rookie is stellar.

That's not why it's going up clearly - it's going up because of the larger trends involving "Topps flagship" - but that card happens to be standout and I think it's great if people are starting to appreciate it.

[QUOTE=KingInTheWest;16987831]
Of all the KG rookies, the Topps has got to have the least aesthetic appeal. And it's not even close.[/QUOTE]

Could not disagree more.

[QUOTE=asujbl;16986683]I actually think the opposite

Because he doesn’t have a Chrome? I’d say Topps should be the priority (not saying it is... Finest is obviously super pricey)

Finest was awesome in 1995 but lost a lot of steam after 1995

And we all know collectors are OCD

They want a Garnett Topps to match their Kobe, Duncan, etc...

It’s why I still think LeBron Fleer is undervalued.

Only card you can buy where you get a LeBron, Kobe, and Jordan...[/QUOTE]

Agreed about the lack of Chrome ought to be a boon not a hindrance. That's not how it's been to this time, but I think it could change quickly.

As far as LeBron Fleer, I assume you mean Fleer Tradition?

I've got no skin in the game and the logic of people going after the "Fleer Flagship" makes a ton of sense...but I kinda think Fleer blew it. They stopped making "Fleer", and there's even a year where there's neither Fleer nor Fleer Tradition. They seemed to be treating Ultra as their flagship more so than Fleer.

I think it's a shame because Fleer should have a stronger basketball brand than Topps, but that's not how things played out.

I could see it changing though simply because the strength of '61 and especially '86 is so, so strong.

Garnett’s finest has been the “go to rookie” for essentially the last 25 years. The “flagship” craze is hilarious to me because when I grew up in the 90s no one cared about Topps basketball. “Flagship” rookies weren’t a thing, and if anything Upper Deck star rookies was the king of the “base” rookie craze.

For those that are shelling out $550 for PSA 9 Topps Garnett rookies......good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[QUOTE=rj.cataldo;16988532]Garnett’s finest has been the “go to rookie” for essentially the last 25 years. The “flagship” craze is hilarious to me because when I grew up in the 90s no one cared about Topps basketball. “Flagship” rookies weren’t a thing, and if anything Upper Deck star rookies was the king of the “base” rookie craze.

For those that are shelling out $550 for PSA 9 Topps Garnett rookies......good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]

90’s was a long time ago

I wish they made Finest Refractor RCs this year.

Just whisper to me who’s up next...Grant Hill?

[QUOTE=rj.cataldo;16988532]Garnett’s finest has been the “go to rookie” for essentially the last 25 years. The “flagship” craze is hilarious to me because when I grew up in the 90s no one cared about Topps basketball. “Flagship” rookies weren’t a thing, and if anything Upper Deck star rookies was the king of the “base” rookie craze.

For those that are shelling out $550 for PSA 9 Topps Garnett rookies......good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]

I was there, I know. It's not lost on me what an uphill climb I have advocating for aesthetic in a hobby where many see aesthetic largely as brand status, but I'm okay with being in the minority.

[QUOTE=rj.cataldo;16988532]Garnett’s finest has been the “go to rookie” for essentially the last 25 years. The “flagship” craze is hilarious to me because when I grew up in the 90s no one cared about Topps basketball. “Flagship” rookies weren’t a thing, and if anything Upper Deck star rookies was the king of the “base” rookie craze.

For those that are shelling out $550 for PSA 9 Topps Garnett rookies......good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]

This "hobby" is full of the biggest sheep in the world.
Follow the leader.

[QUOTE=spurs50fan;16988617]Just whisper to me who’s up next...Grant Hill?[/QUOTE]


Just buy “flagship” rookies of all 1990s hall of famers in high grade. They will eventually get their “turn”. Grant Hill is probably not a bad guess.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Steve Nash is next...

nvm he already sells high.

Jerry Stuckhouse...

[QUOTE=k13;16988655]This "hobby" is full of the biggest sheep in the world.
Follow the leader.[/QUOTE]

Remember that time you had a positive post?

Me neither

[QUOTE=asujbl;16988771]Remember that time you had a positive post?

Me neither[/QUOTE]

People can have their own opinions.

Its true, people are getting fleeced and they dont even care. Good luck to anyone buying PSA 10s of flagship Garnett. Probably just a pump and dump.

Let me know how much theyre going for in 6 months.

[QUOTE=mc1;16988853]People can have their own opinions.

Its true, people are getting fleeced and they dont even care. Good luck to anyone buying PSA 10s of flagship Garnett. Probably just a pump and dump.

Let me know how much theyre going for in 6 months.[/QUOTE]

You clearly don’t get k13

[QUOTE=asujbl;16988866]You clearly don’t get k13[/QUOTE]

Sure, we need dissenting opinions in too.

[QUOTE=mc1;16988872]Sure, we need dissenting opinions in too.[/QUOTE]

You clearly don’t get k13

[QUOTE=asujbl;16988875]You clearly don’t get k13[/QUOTE]

Someones had a few too many I see.

Good night.

[QUOTE=mc1;16988888]Someones had a few too many I see.

Good night.[/QUOTE]

Not at all.

You clearly don’t know k13 and his shtick

You don’t collect Hockey. Go ask that board.

He’s notorious

Lol I sold a BGS 9 for like $40 a month ago.

[QUOTE=duron;16987532]

What llamas mentioned about the centering is true, but people are really underestimating how many of these are out there.[/QUOTE]

POP 1 OF Something NUNN GRADED HIGHER RARE L@@@@@@K


[url]https://www.ebay.com/itm/PSA-10-MICHAEL-JORDAN-1989-1990-Hoops-200-Chicago-Bulls-HOF-GOAT-GEM-MINT-RARE/352742157242?hash=item5221122bba:g:-ycAAOSwjDJezc0S[/url]

1995 Finest are Garnett's best rookies and should followed by 1995 SP. Topps are great choice but I would put them on third place. However, I am curious how much a gem mint Topps Redemption will go since the Topps are already in 2k range. In my opinion, the recent boom of Topps will push the 1995 Finest to an another high level, so hold your Finest and do not sell.

[QUOTE=ninjacookies;16989004]POP 1 OF Something NUNN GRADED HIGHER RARE L@@@@@@K


[url]https://www.ebay.com/itm/PSA-10-MICHAEL-JORDAN-1989-1990-Hoops-200-Chicago-Bulls-HOF-GOAT-GEM-MINT-RARE/352742157242?hash=item5221122bba:g:-ycAAOSwjDJezc0S[/url][/QUOTE]

Praise be to the godz and da earfz we ain’t the ones buying this trash.

[QUOTE=Totalpackage;16989030]1995 Finest are Garnett's best rookies and should followed by 1995 SP. Topps are great choice but I would put them on third place. However, I am curious how much a gem mint Topps Redemption will go since the Topps are already in 2k range. In my opinion, the recent boom of Topps will push the 1995 Finest to an another high level, so hold your Finest and do not sell.[/QUOTE]

The main problem with Chrome and Finest cards from Mid 90's is I expect all of them to go green eventually. You don't have to worry about that with the Topps Base RC.

I actually expect the gap to shrink or see KG's Topps move ahead of the Finest, along with Kobe's closing the gap to the Chrome.

That Topps card is horrendous.

Grab yourself an Upper Deck SPx Base or Gold or an Upper Deck Special Edition Base or Gold..

[QUOTE=asujbl;16988895]Not at all.

You clearly don’t know k13 and his shtick

You don’t collect Hockey. Go ask that board.

He’s notorious[/QUOTE]

Haha, I still enjoy your comments.

I think the Finest looks gaudy as hell, with a not so great photo. The base Topps has simple and clean aesthetics with a good action shot.

[QUOTE=asujbl;16988895]Not at all.

You clearly don’t know k13 and his shtick

You don’t collect Hockey. Go ask that board.

He’s notorious[/QUOTE]

You dont know what I know. I know youre a hardcore PSA defender, so theres that.

who the hell is paying 2k for kg topps paper base rookie

Good thing I held my Flair KG rookies from chlldhood. 25 year hold, 7x'd my return, going to make $40!!!

I'm in the 95 Finest looks awful camp.

[QUOTE=aaronking23;16989624]who the hell is paying 2k for kg topps paper base rookie[/QUOTE]

Plus one here. I am also wondering who is actually buying these at that price range. I think PSA just want more submission from these Topps base cards since there are tons of them in raw condition.

[QUOTE=Totalpackage;16989030]1995 Finest are Garnett's best rookies and should followed by 1995 SP. Topps are great choice but I would put them on third place. However, I am curious how much a gem mint Topps Redemption will go since the Topps are already in 2k range. In my opinion, the recent boom of Topps will push the 1995 Finest to an another high level, so hold your Finest and do not sell.[/QUOTE]

Since I got back into collecting in 2018, and as Garnett was always a favorite, I can say that PSA 10 Topps Redemption doesnt show up very often. I think only one came up in the last two years.

Its crazy to imagine the pump has pushed the topps base to the same level as the finest, when finest was always considered his "best" rookie. For the collectors, some actual rare ones to hoard...er...search for along with the topps redemption, are the collector's choice player's club platinum and the electric court gold parallels.

[QUOTE=drobfan8;16989371]That Topps card is horrendous.

Grab yourself an Upper Deck SPx Base or Gold or an Upper Deck Special Edition Base or Gold..[/QUOTE]


Nice cards, but not True RC's.

[QUOTE=i4gotmyid;16990287]Since I got back into collecting in 2018, and as Garnett was always a favorite, I can say that PSA 10 Topps Redemption doesnt show up very often. I think only one came up in the last two years.

Its crazy to imagine the pump has pushed the topps base to the same level as the finest, when finest was always considered his "best" rookie. For the collectors, some actual rare ones to hoard...er...search for along with the topps redemption, are the collector's choice player's club platinum and the electric court gold parallels.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. The 95 Topps Redemptions are so rare in both BGS 9.5 and PSA 10. I had a couple chances back in the day when they were still affordable but unfortunately I missed them.

Since the Topps are in 2k range, what about the 95 SP? They do seem quite undervalued.

hah just wait it'll trickle down. today its garnett topps, he was pretty stand alone as far as superstardom in his rookie class. but look at the spinoffs and trickle down effects.

first is was just Kobe, then iverson, then nash and now ray allen, dont get me wrong 3 of those 4 guys are in my all time favorite top 10 players list (not iverson) but similar type sets of an already hot/hyped player helps. look at the iverson stardate, raws going $800 lmao.

Then you have duncan heating up, surely mcgrady will follow suit.

The mcgrady played with vince carter. well hey Vince and Dirk are both in the same rookie class, shoot man both those guys were good right? jason williams? why not?

Then Yao stuff (which admittedly his stuff is already up)

man remember when dwight howard was the next KG/Shaq?

Obviously once dwight gets pump the next star was CP3...its almost predictable at this point.

[QUOTE=aaronking23;16989624]who the hell is paying 2k for kg topps paper base rookie[/QUOTE]

Everyone

I think I'll throw myself in the 'Finest is ugly' camp as well. I personally don't find the card very good looking, it will green over time and it isn't rare (1 per box). The greening in particular is what stopped me from getting more than like 6 of them otherwise I would have hoarded them pretty hard I think.

I think the Topps base card is nice, but certainly is quite plentiful. I busted a box of Topps 95 Series 2 a couple years ago and I believe I got 4 KG rcs from the box. I currently have about 12 raw ones that I need to send it, but I'd imagine only 1-2 might gem.

Overall, the rarest true rookie cards in Gem Mint condition for KG are the Topps Gallery and the SP Championship. However, since both of those sets didn't really have staying power, I personally think that KG's best rookies are his Topps, Upper Deck and Hoops. I do like the look of his Ultra and Skybox as well though.

As far as rarer KG rookie year cards, I think these are all very sweet cards (in no particular order):

Collector's Choice - Base RC Player's Club Platinum (1:35 - Series 2)
E-XL - Natural Born Thrillers (1:48)
Hoops - Grant's All-Rookie Team (1:64 - Series 2)
SP Championship - Champions of the Court Die-Cut (1:75)
SP Championship - Championship Shots Gold (1:62)
Topps - NBA Draft Redemption
Upper Deck - Base RC Electric Court Gold (1:35 Series 2 Retail)
Upper Deck - Special Edition Gold (1:35 Series 2 Hobby)

Some eye candy:
[img]https://i.imgur.com/AttzPE0.jpg[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/w7oLIpy.jpg[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/YBQP8cL.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/IUmNQBN.jpg[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/ee82uti.jpg[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/QSAS92x.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/z6UPw2O.jpg[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/Cb8vY7D.jpg[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/NtAiH8g.jpg[/img]

Only took 68 posts for his best rookie year card to be mentioned.

[QUOTE=Illustrious;16989429]I think the Finest looks gaudy as hell, with a not so great photo. The base Topps has simple and clean aesthetics with a good action shot.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I don't want to be a bully and make people feel like there's something wrong if they love their Finest KG RC, and I'm also not denying that relative scarcity matters.

But I can't help but notice that a lot of folks are speaking as if the Topps KG card offends them on an aesthetic level, and I just don't see where that can be coming from.

Do folks honestly think they'd like the Topps card better if it had a picture of KG with a baseball hat on? Are they actually bothered by a shot of a soon-to-be all-time great defender playing intense defense? I'm skeptical.

I will say that I have do have some quibbles with the design itself, so it's not like I'm saying the "Topps does it perfect", but if you're focused on collecting a KG card because you like what KG was, to me the Topps card is awesome. It's okay to like both the Topps and Finest cards certainly, but what is there to actively dislike about the Topps card?

I tend to lean on what I recall from the time, and how I didn't even consider buying any "Topps" cards back when these cards were coming out. Because back then Topps was viewed as "bottom of the barrel" rather than "the flagship", it makes sense that those with long hobby memory still see things through that lens and are confused when newer collectors/investors come in and have different preferences.

Where I think the veterans can really go a bad way is in assuming that there must be something aesthetically wrong with what the newer folks are choosing. Fine to bring up print run, but printing more cards with a slightly less expensive process doesn't mean that the card is ugly, particularly when that card has great subject aesthetic.

(More than anything else though, my pet peeve here is that I don't think people are actually spending time focusing on the photography itself, and as a result Panini in particular has learned to be really, really lazy.

As an example, I'm a Steve Nash guy and I just realized that his Prizm cards in '15-16 & '18-19 use the exact same photo after not giving him a card in '16-17 & '17-18. It just screams that they aren't really paying much attention to the images they are putting on their cards because the hobby isn't making them. I'd like for that to change.)

Oh and then there are his high school XRC cards!

[img]https://i.imgur.com/LeKcMJ7.jpg[/img]

SP Authentic base is miles better than the Topps in my opinion

[QUOTE=Luni;16990704]I personally think that KG's best rookies are his Topps, Upper Deck and Hoops. I do like the look of his Ultra and Skybox as well though.
[/QUOTE]

Your tastes and mine are pretty similar. I'd add Fleer & SP to the mix. I like the Hoops design because of its background which harmonizes with a decent (if not great photo). SkyBox and Ultra are okay, but I don't like the gigantic "ROOKIE" mucking up the design.

To me the two standouts are the Topps & Upper Deck here. The Upper Deck has a lovely full bleed design and captures KG in an off-balanced in-game intensity. Completely get if anyone likes that one best.

[IMG]https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Basketball/2447/2447-273Fr.jpg[/IMG]

But the Topps card really captures the true essence of KG's greatness as a player in a way that you rarely see in a RC. It's easy to capture a moment of a rookie with great athleticism, harder to capture the mind of someone who would prove to be a particular strain of basketball genius.

(Incidentally, the SP card has KG on defense too and is good, but there's an intensity to the Topps card that the SP just can't match.)

[IMG]https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Basketball/2401/2401-159Fr.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=Luni;16990801]Oh and then there are his high school XRC cards!

[img]https://i.imgur.com/LeKcMJ7.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]

Haha I was just wondering if someone was going to mention his ihsa card

[QUOTE=packerfan4200;16987354]Definitely weren’t rare by any means. But last I checked (early January) KG was less than 200 in PSA 10 in 25 years. We know why that pop is so low, but the thing is, because of that same reason, there’s not likely to be a sh!tload more of them. 75% of these were ripped, tossed into a box unprotected, and jostled around for 25 years. There’s not too many gems left to be graded to be honest, I know how hard it is to find any good copy (say psa 9 or better) of any 90s Topps rookie card in raw form these days.[/QUOTE]

I disagree. I know I'm not the only one sitting on unopened boxes. I'm betting some are sitting on cases.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2kBoVPb][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50940021988_a9632f254f_w.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/2kBoVPb]Untitled[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/192071937@N03/]Twoinar[/url], on Flickr