6 Essential Julius "Dr. J" Erving Basketball Cards
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Julius Erving, known to most as “Dr. J”, is one of the greatest NBA players of all time and helped usher in a whole new and exciting style of above-the-rim basketball. The 6’7” small forward was a human highlight reel with an incredible list of career accolades, including winning a championship in 1983 with the Philadelphia 76ers, being a member of the 30K+ career points club, and being named one of the 40 most important athletes of all time by Sports Illustrated. He dominated the ABA and the NBA.
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Below we’re listing six essential Dr. J basketball cards. While the focus is almost exclusively on his stand alone cards, there’s one card on this list that features Erving and two other Hall of Famers.
1972 Topps #195
The 1972 Topps card is Erving’s rookie card, featuring him sporting the Virginia Squires uniform. This card is an absolute must for Dr. J fans, with that classic 70s design and a fantastic rookie photo.
Low and mid-grade copies of this classic card typically sell for under $1,000. A PSA 7 sold on October 30, 2025 for $1,230. The highest selling copy of this card, a PSA 9, sold for $57.6K back in March, 2021. According to PSA, the PSA 9 population for this card is 162 and there is only one PSA 10, which if it sold at auction would likely be the highest selling card from this 1972 Topps set.
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1973 Topps #240
The 1973 Topps card is Erving’s 2nd year card and is another must-have for fans and collectors alike. The eye-appeal for this one takes a sharp decline from the incredible look of the 1972 set, but still this card has its charms.
Ungraded copies of this card in pretty good conditions can be found for under $50, but if you prefer graded copies you can find high-end copies for under $1,000. In fact, a PSA 9 copy sold in October, 2025 for $1,050. The highest selling copy was a PSA 10 which sold for $7.7K back in October, 2020.
1986 Fleer #31
The most iconic basketball set of all time, the 1986-87 Fleer set, features both a regular basketball card and a sticker of this 76ers legend. Notably, the 1986-87 season was also Erving’s final season, so these two cards were his final cards as a player.
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Fleer captured amazing action shots with this set and the Dr. J card featuring him dunking over Michael Cooper does not disappoint.
Good ungraded copies of this card can be found for around $50-$100, while top tier PSA 10 copies sell for around $2K. The highest selling copy was a PSA 10 that sold for $2.8K in February, 2021.
1986 Fleer Sticker #5
The 1986 Fleer sticker (#5) of Erving is the far more valuable card from this set. While the image may not be as exciting, the value and demand among collectors pushes this card in top condition into the $10K+ range, with a PSA 10 copy selling in July, 2025 for $10.2K.
2023-24 Panini Noir Julius Erving Shadow Signatures
When it comes to modern on-card autograph cards of Erving, you have plenty of options. But one of the better looking ones is the 2023-24 Panini Noir Shadow Signatures, featuring the outstretched HOFer mid-flight just milliseconds away from a dunk. This card captures that incredible athleticism and the tri-color shadow element adds a little something to this card’s eye appeal.
This card has a few variations, including a gold parallel numbered to just 10. Even in gold, this card can be had for under $200 or so, which makes it extra appealing for those of us with tighter budgets. The highest selling copy was an ungraded gold variant with a jersey number match (6/10) which sold for $452 back in November, 2024.
1980 Topps Scoring Leader Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson
Arguably the 2nd greatest basketball card ever made, the 1980 Topps Scoring Leader card featuring Erving sandwiched between rookie panels of both Larry Bird and Magic Johnson is by far the most valuable card on this short list. This card has never surpassed the million dollar mark but its getting close.
A PSA 10 copy sold just days ago for $800K, beating out the 2nd highest selling copy which was a PSA 10 that sold for $720K back in January, 2021. High end copies of this card have many of us priced out, but there are more affordable options, including a near identical card that swaps out Larry Bird for Jan van Breda Kolff which sells for under $100 even with PSA 8 copies.
Conor is a life long sports card enthusiast who started collecting in the early ’90s, inspired by hometown heroes like Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Tom Brady, and David Ortiz. Like many ’90s hoops fans, he also started building (and continues to build) a modest Michael Jordan collection.