Five Kobe Bryant Cards to Improve Your Collection With a $500 Budget

A lot of spectacular mid-tier Kobe Bryant cards can be obtained at this price point.

Apr 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) smiles during the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center. Bryant was playing in the final game of his NBA career. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Sure, a $150 budget is a modest start, but it's in the nature of the Hobby that the better cards also cost a bit more. Luckily, there are loads of Kobe Bryant gems you can use to boost your collection with a budget of $500.

This is a continuation of the original $150 budget list and no cards featured there will be repeated in this article.

1997-98 Skybox E-X2000 - $110 Ungraded

One of Kobe's most beautiful cards comes from his second year in the league | CardLadder

Comps for this piece are all over the place with majority of the sales dating back to November 2025, but it's still within the budget. Kobe Bryant's 1997-98 E-X2000 card is one of his most visually appealing and unique cards ever and definitely belongs in anyone's collection.

The most recent sale happened through a recent eBay auction that ended at a price of $107.5 for an ungraded copy. If anything that's a great price to get such a beautiful card for, especially considering how desired it is at any condition.

1996-97 Topps - $90 Ungraded

Kobe Bryant's most iconic rookie card comes from the 1996-97 Topps set | CardLadder

This is without a doubt the most iconic Kobe Bryant rookie card that exists. His 1996-97 Topps RC is known all across the Hobby, and even those who don't primarily collect basketball will instantly recognize this piece.

Prices have been jumping up and down in the past few days, but for purposes of this article we'll take into consideration its floor in recent sales. This Kobe RC recently sold for almost $90 and a few days ago it was averaging that amount as well, so it's definitely possible to pick up an iconic piece of Hobby history for under $100.

1997-98 Metal Universe "Death Star" - $100 Ungraded

Kobe Bryant had a lot of amazing cards in the Metal Universe sets | CardLadder

This is another one of those early Kobe Bryant cards that just attracts you instantly. It's called the "Death Star" card because of the background design behind Kobe himself and is one of the most sought-after pieces from the 1997-98 Metal Universe set.

The Death Star Kobe has gotten more expensive over the past year but it's still relatively affordable and fits perfectly within the budget for this list. $100 would get you an ungraded copy, which shouldn't be too hard to find both online and in person.

2002 Stadium Club The Hustlers - $60 in PSA 9

Stadium Club has always made cards with beautiful photographs over the years | CardLadder

Stadium Club has always had tons of beautiful cards over the years regardless of sport, and in 2002 it produced this gorgeous-looking Kobe Bryant piece. It's nothing too over the top and still an attractive card to have especially with how the holographic pattern looks.

For only $60 you'd be able to pick up Kobe's 2002 Stadium Club "The Hustlers" card already in PSA 9 condition, making it the cheapest entry on this list.

1997-98 Fleer Ultra Gold Medallion - $120 Ungraded

The Gold Medallion version of Kobe's 1997-98 Fleer Ultra card is one of the best | CardLadder

Rounding out the list is a parallel of the 1997-98 Fleer Ultra set, the Kobe Bryant Gold Medallion. It features an image of Kobe going for a reverse dunk with everything but his Lakers warmup outfit covered in gold.

It's one of the best Gold Medallion Kobe cards out there, along with the 1998-99 Fleer Ultra version. As of writing, it can be purchased for around $120 raw, leaving a bit more room in the $500 budget.