7 Essential Larry Bird Basketball Cards
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No player embodies the game of basketball quite like Larry Bird. His blend of clutch shooting, intense hustle, ruthless trash talk, and legendary battles with Magic Johnson elevates him to a status few can rival.
Bird's greatness is unparalleled.
The last player to win back to back to back (3x) NBA MVPs and the only player in NBA history to be named:
- Rookie of the Year
- MVP
- Finals MVP
- All-Star MVP,
- Coach of the Year, and
- Executive of the Year
Below we take a look at seven essential cards collectors should consider when it comes to "the hick from French Lick".
2010-11 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Signatures Dual Magic Johnson & Larry Bird (/25)
Bird and Magic's legendary rivalry began in college and continued to grow as they propelled the NBA to new heights. This card features autographs and images of both players from their college hoop days.
With only 25 copies ever made, you'd think this card would be more expensive but no copy has cleared $1,000. The highest selling copy sold for $875 on July 31, 2025.
2008 Topps Chrome Larry Bird (#169)
One of only two cards on the list to not be from Bird's playing days, this card commemorates an animated Bird getting hyped from the bench during the 1984 NBA Finals right after a Cedric Maxwell 3-point play.
Its one of Bird's favorite photos and it looks awesome as a Topps Chrome card.
Ungraded copies of this card can be picked up for a few bucks and the highest selling copy was a PSA 10 Gold refractor parallel (/50) that sold for $2,650 in October, 2022.
1993 Topps Finest #2
Bird's last official season concluded in 1992, so technically this is not a card from Bird's career as a player. However, it's a stunning card from a set that changed the hobby with the introduction of refractor parallels, making this one a must for collectors.
High end copies of the 1993 Topps Finest refractor card can fetch thousands, with the highest selling copy going for $3,333 on March 10, 2025.
1986 Fleer #9
From the most iconic basketball set ever, this Bird card is another must-own for collectors. 1986 was a big year for Bird, helping the Celtics win the 16th championship and Bird's third. Bird also won the first ever NBA 3-point competition and NBA MVP in '86, his third straight.
An autographed PSA 10 copy of this card sold on November 29, 2025, for just shy of $72K, by far the highest sale ever for a copy of this card.
1986 Fleer Sticker #2
A total of eleven stickers were included in the 1986 Fleer set, including this one of Bird. High end stickers are both rare and expensive. A PSA 10 copy sold for $13.8K back in November 2025 and the highest selling '86 Fleer Bird sticker sold for $21.6K in February 2022.
1981 Topps #4
The 1981 Topps card is Bird's first solo card, along with an equally cool but slightly less valuable Super Action card. 1981 was Bird's second season and it was a marquee year for Bird. He finished 2nd in MVP votes (just behind Dr. J) and he helped the Celtics secure their first of three championships under Bird's leadership.
This one is a favoring among hobbyists and Bird fans, and recent sales prove it. A PSA 10 sold back in June 2025 for $45K but in December 2025 an autographed PSA 10 sold for $138K!
1980 Topps Scoring Leader: Larry Bird, Julius Erving, and Magic Johnson
No surprises here, the Bird, Dr. J, Magic Scoring Leaders card is one of the most iconic basketball cards and is an absolute must for serious collectors. The 1980 Topps basketball cards were all 3-panel cards like this one and the perforations on these cards lead to countless tears, so high grade copies are rare. As a result, high end copies are extremely expensive.
A PSA 10 copy sold in October 2025 for $800K, which was just $40K behind the highest sale ever recorded. The record sale for this iconic double rookie card was set back in April 2022 when it sold for $840K.
Bird's blend of skill, swagger, and rivalry with Magic made 80's basketball a defining decade for fans the world over. These cards are a tribute to his greatness and connect collectors to a golden era in the NBA.
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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.