Shaquille O'Neal's Card Market is on the Rise
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In the hobby world, markets for NBA big men are typically smaller than those of others on the court with the same accolades. But recently, Shaquille O'Neal, one of the most famous centers in NBA history, has seen his market grow exponentially in the last six months.
According to Card Ladder, Shaquille O'Neal (known as Shaq by most) has seen his card market jump more than 125 percent in the past six months. The graph looks like a valley turning into a mountain, with the highest jump starting toward the end of May, within just the last three months.
The sales volume of Shaq's cards shows an increase in his card market. Sales were slow and steady from March through May. But as the graph shows, from the end of May until the present, his sales went bonkers.
Shaq's Highest Selling Cards
The three highest sales of Shaq cards have all happened in the last 10 weeks, which makes sense with his market growth in the last six months. The top two, in fact, occurred on the same day, June 28.
His highest-selling card is a 1997-98 SkyBox Metal Precious Metal Universe (PMG) green numbered to 50, graded a PSA VG-EX 4. This is a happy coincidence, as the market for PMG cards has also exploded. A rare Michael Jordan PMG numbered to 100, graded a BGS 8, just set a record at auction, selling for more than $1 million.
This card sold at auction with Goldin, finishing on June 28 for a grand total of $378,200 with the buyer's premium. The auction garnered 33 bids.
Shaq's second-highest-selling card came with the help of two other big men, David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon. Their 2006-07 Upper Deck Exquisite Triple Logoman, graded a BGS 7.5, sold the same day as his green PMG, June 28.
This card was also sold via auction with Goldin, and after 36 bids the card sold for $183,000.
The third-highest-selling Shaq card is another one of his Metal Universe PMGs. Red, numbered to 100, and graded a PSA Mint 9, it sold again on Goldin. This auction finished on May 9 this year, which, if you refer to the graphs, is right before O'Neal's market starts to really skyrocket.
While still a great sale, the final price of $175,680 seems a bit modest considering the market for Precious Metal Gems. And just six weeks later, one with a lower grade but also serial-numbered to 100 sold for more than double.
Why Is Shaq's Market Growing
Many factors shape a player's market, but when a player retires, on-court performance clearly is not one of them. Retirement or a passing also isn't a factor here. We have seen the markets of all great players increase in the past year. Tom Brady, for example, has seen his market grow more than 66% over the last six months. And in that same timeframe, Ken Griffey Jr.'s market has grown more than 40 %.
Whether the market is shifting from prospecting to hall of famers, or there is another unknown factor going on, collectors of great players are seeing their pieces jump in value, and it's going fast.
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After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz