7 Vintage Basketball Cards Under $1,000 To Start A Collection
As more and more collectors get frustrated with the increasing print runs and costs and decreasing returns of ultra-modern cards, it's a good time to start collecting vintage cards.
RELATED: 7 Vintage Baseball Cards Under $1,000 To Start A Collection
Defining the cutoff point for vintage basketball isn't as clear-cut as it is with baseball, so I'm going to use the same year. 1980 and earlier is vintage for these purposes.
Over on my YouTube channel, I'm going through a list of 100 cards of the most iconic male athletes and cards. The concept is simple: the athletes or cards needed to transcend their sports, they needed to be considered GOATs of some kind, I selected only one card per athlete, the athlete needs to have been a pro for at least 10 years, and the card needs to be able to be obtained for under $5,000.
That last criterion was a tough one. I've never spent more than $1,100 for a card, so how will I get to $5,000? A number of commenters have expressed similar thoughts.
For those people, and for new collectors, here are the seven vintage basketball cards that can be purchased for under $1,000 that I would start a collection with today. With baseball I selected no more than one card from any set, but that is much more difficult with basketball due to the lack of sets in many years.
In no particular order:
1980 Topps Larry Bird / Magic Johnson Rookie Card
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson helped save the NBA in the early-1980s, before Michael Jordan could take it over. They were rookies in the same season (1979), and the Lakers and Celtics won 8 of the 10 championships during the 1980s. At least one of the teams was in every finals for the decade, and they faced each other in the finals three times.
Bird and Johnson, of course, were the faces of those franchises. Both were 12x all-stars, and both were 3x MVPs.
And this doesn't even touch on the fact that they're flanking all-time great Julius Erving (Dr. J).
The card can be found in a PSA 1 for around $200, and a PSA 6 for under $800.
1972 Topps Julius Erving Rookie Card
Dr. J was a 16x all-star, 4x MVP, and 3x champion between his time in the ABA and NBA. He was the best-known ABA player at the time of the merger, his teams never missed the playoffs, and he is widely considered to have been one of the greatest dunkers in history.
His rookie card, featuring him wearing his Virginia Squires jersey from the ABA, can be found in a PSA 1 for around $200, or a PSA 7 for under $1,000.
1957 Topps Bob Cousy
Celtics point guard Bob Cousy was a 13x all-star, led the league in assists for eight consecutive seasons, and won the NBA championship 6x. He is considered the league's first great point guard.
It's not his rookie card -- that distinction probably belongs to the 1951 Berk Ross card -- but it's his first Topps card and most popular among collectors.
A PSA 1 can be found for around $300, or you can get a PSA 5 for under $900.
1969 Topps Kareem Abdul-Jabbar / Lew Alcindor Rookie Card
After leading the nation in points and rebounds and winning the national championship in each of his three college basketball seasons, Lew Alcindor was drafted by the Bucks and went on to do more of the same in the NBA.
After winning his first NBA title with the Bucks in 1971, he changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He won the NBA championship 6x, MVP 6x, Finals MVP 2x, and was an all-star 19x.
For decades he held the record for most points in a career, until LeBron James topped him. Many believe Abdul-Jabbar has a valid claim for NBA GOAT.
His rookie card can be found in a PSA 1 for around $300, or PSA 4s can be found for under $800.
1970 Topps Pete Maravich Rookie Card
Like Abdul-Jabbar before him, "Pistol" Pete Maravich absolutely dominated the college circuit, averaging 44 points per game in each of his three seasons at Louisiana State. And that was before the three-point line was introduced.
He wasn't as dominant in the NBA, but he was a 5x all-star, won the scoring title once, and is still considered one of the most create ball-handlers ever.
His rookie card can be found for around $200 up to a PSA 3, and even a PSA 7 can be found for under $1,000.
1961 Fleer Oscar Robertson Rookie Card
Oscar "Big O" Robertson is one of the greatest point guards of all-time. He averaged a triple-double for an entire season, and was the only player to do that for 55 years, until Russell Westbrook accomplished it an astonishing 4 times in 5 years.
Robertson was a 12x all-star, won the NBA championship with Abdul-Jabbar and the Bucks, led the league in assists 6x, and won the MVP once.
His rookie card can be found for around $300 in a PSA 1, or in a PSA 4 for under $900.
1961 Fleer Jerry West Rookie Card
Because there were no major card sets between 1957 and 1961, this Fleer set is stacked with iconic cards. Jerry "The Logo" West was a 14x all-star, won an NBA championship, and was named Finals MVP in a finals the Lakers didn't even win.
West went on to have a prolific front-office career, winning 6 more NBA championships as the Lakers GM and then 2 more as a consultant for the dynasty Golden State Warriors.
His rookie card can be found for around $500 up to PSA 2, or PSA 4 for under $1,000.
Mike runs the hobby YouTube channel Junk Wax Hero, where he talks about a lot of different aspects of the hobby from a collector’s perspective. His most popular series is Attic Find Friday. He also writes a free weekly hobby recap newsletter at junkwaxhero.com. It’s a cliche, but his favorite card is the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr.