Kobe Rookie, Magic / Bird Rookie, Mays 1960

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Today is a deep dive into three assets IPO’ing on Collectable (2) and Otis:

  • Kobe Bryant 1996 Bowman’s Best Atomic Refractor BGS 9.5 – IPOs 22nd March on Otis
  • Magic Johnson Julius Erving Larry Bird 1980 Topps PSA 8 x2 – IPOs 23rd March on Collectable
  • Willie Mays 1960 Topps PSA 9 – IPOs 24th March on Collectable
Kobe Rookie, Magic / Bird Rookie, Mays 1960

What is the Kobe Bryant 1996 Bowman’s Best Atomic Refractor BGS 9.5?

This is a limited run refractor card for Kobe Bryant’s rookie season with the Lakers. There are 216 registered with BGS and 239 with PSA. Of those, 54 are 9.5, and 38 are either PSA 10 or BGS 10.

It features 3x 9.5 subgrades and 1x 9.0 subgrades, which places it at the lower end of the BGS 9.5 spectrum.

It IPOs on Otis 22nd March

Cultural Relevance

We went into quite a lot of detail about Kobe’s relevance a couple weeks ago when Rally IPO’ed the floor from his last NBA game. Check here if you’d like a refresher.

Inferred Value – < $58k

[Detailed Analysis for Insiders Only]

Category Strength

The sports cards category has returned 67% ROI so far across the entire portfolio.

Subcategory Strength

[Insiders Only]

Risk Profile

[Insiders Only]

Recent Growth Trend

[Insiders Only]

Growth Outlook and Future Catalysts

No big catalysts here; certainly nothing to make me think it’s going to touch $58k anytime soon.

Asset Liquidity

This will have a roughly 30 day lockup period then will trade daily.

Platform Risk

[Insiders Only]

Intangibles

This Kobe Bryant NFT is awesome.


Kobe Rookie, Magic / Bird Rookie, Mays 1960

What is the Topps Scoring leader PSA 8 x2 basket?

This is a basket of two PSA 8 graded rookie cards for Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. HOF’er Julius Erving also features.

There are nearly 9k of these cards registered with PSA of which 2,741 are graded PSA 8. There are 637 graded higher.

Kobe Rookie, Magic / Bird Rookie, Mays 1960

It IPOs on Collectable 23rd March.

Cultural Relevance

For our purposes, I’m going to focus on Bird and Johnson, since it’s their rookie card. If you’d like to read more about Dr J, you can do that here.

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were the subjects of a fierce / friendly rivalry during the 80s. Anyone who was a kid then will remember the rivalry and all the television adverts for Converse.

HBO made a documentary about their rivalry in 2010 called Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals. The film argues that their rivalry, and the media attention it got, potentially saved the NBA subsequent to its merger with the ABA.

The two, and their teams, were dominant in the early and mid 1980s.

  • 1980: Bird wins rookie of the year; Magic wins the NBA championship and he gets Finals MVP
  • 1981: Celtics win the championship
  • 1982: Back to the Lakers
  • 1984: Celtics
  • 1985 & 1987: Lakers

Johnson retired from the NBA in 1991 subsequent to a positive HIV diagnosis. Bird retired in 1992 due to a back injury. Two careers cut sadly short, though both men played in the 1992 Barcelona olympics are part of the Dream Team.

You could go on about these guys for days; definitely watch the documentary if you’re interested in learning more.

Inferred Value – $15k – $25k

[Detailed Analysis for Insiders Only]

Category Strength

The sports cards category has returned 67% ROI so far across the entire portfolio.

Subcategory Strength

[Insiders Only]

Risk Profile

[Insiders Only]

Recent Growth Trend

[Insiders Only]

Growth Outlook and Future Catalysts

It’s got three blue chip players, but the card itself is only a PSA 8, which is not blue chip. Meh.

Asset Liquidity

This will have a roughly 90 day lockup period then will trade daily (this is new for Collectable).

Platform Risk

[Insiders Only]

Intangibles

Was Larry Bird the goofiest looking basketball player of all time?

Kobe Rookie, Magic / Bird Rookie, Mays 1960

What is the Willie Mays 1960 Topps PSA 9?

This was the last year Topps cards were horizontal, shifting to portrait for the 1961 season, and highly-graded cards are rare. Of the 4.2k cards in the PSA population report, only 25 are PSA 9; there are three PSA 10.

Kobe Rookie, Magic / Bird Rookie, Mays 1960

The set also includes a Carl Yastrzemski’s and Willie McCovey’s rookie cards.

It IPOs on Collectable 24th March.

Cultural Relevance

Willie Mays is one of the top five baseball players of all time. You can learn more about him here (we covered him for the photo drop last week).

Inferred Value – $40k

[Detailed Analysis for Insiders Only]

Category Strength

The sports cards category has returned 67% ROI so far across the entire portfolio.

Subcategory Strength

[Insiders Only]

Risk Profile

[Insiders Only]

Recent Growth Trend

[Insiders Only]

Growth Outlook and Future Catalysts

We’re seeing a bit of a flight to quality at the minute, and some of the money fleeing modern NBA could flow into vintage baseball.

Asset Liquidity

This will have a roughly 90 day lockup period then will trade daily (this is new for Collectable).

Platform Risk

[Insiders Only]

Intangibles

I have two photos of the catch up in my office.


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Author

Wyatt Cavalier

Wyatt Cavalier

With a background in finance & intelligence analysis, Wyatt has an unhealthy obsession with finding the best blue chip investment opportunities. His previous newsletter, Fractional, resonated deeply with subscribers, bringing actionable insights and unconventional trading strategies. His rare book collection specializes in banned editions. He currently lives in Spain with his beautiful wife, three young boys, and dog Monty.

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