It’s currently unclear whether Bronny James truly deserves a spot in the NBA, but what isn’t up for debate is how collectors have aggressively targeted his cards in the days following the draft.
Along with James, here’s a glance at the markets for a variety of key cards over the last 30 days, according to Market Movers data.
All cards have sold at least 10 times and have a current average value of $30 and above.
Price percentage risers
- 2018 Prizm Mikal Bridges Silver PSA 10: +150%
- 2023 Bowman Chrome University Bronny James Base PSA 10: +148%
- 2022 Bowman Chrome University Caitlin Clark PSA 10: +130%
- 2020 Bowman Bobby Witt Jr. Paper Prospects PSA 10: +110%
- 2022 Bowman Chrome Julio Rodriguez Base PSA 10: +89%
Bronny James hasn’t played a single minute in the NBA yet, and he’s likely already the most polarizing player in the league. Even if he becomes an incredible pro, it’s hard to see the narrative for James being anything other than the Lakers drafting him behind pressure from his Hall of Fame father.
The dynamic with James’ market has been fascinating he was selected in the second round Thursday night, however. James doesn’t have many collectible items, and his Bowman University products from his time at USC have never really moved the market much. At least until now.
James’ graded cards tracked by Market Movers are up 24 percent collectively over the last 30 days across 159 sales. Without any flagship Lakers cards to purchase, collectors have focused on his 2023 Bowman Chrome University Base PSA 10, which has sold about once per day over the last month and has jumped 148 percent in price to around $60.
It should be noted these cards don’t have the profile that most collectors look for when searching for long-term holds. His Lakers cards will arrive later this year for key sets such as Optic, Prizm and Select, and, of course, there's the issue of licensing — Panini currently holds the rights to make NBA-branded cards, but Fanatics holds the rights to James’ autographs.
Even in the unlikely event James puts together a solid career, his rookies will always be impacted by the fact his key cards won’t include autographs.
Price percentage decliners
- 2018 Select Luka Dončić Courtside PSA 10: -53%
- 2023 Prizm Jahmyr Gibbs Base PSA 10: -45%
- 2020 Donruss Anthony Edwards Base PSA 10: -44%
- 2022 Bowman Elly De La Cruz Chrome Prospects PSA 10: -42%
- 2023 Bowman Draft Paul Skenes Base PSA 10: -40%
There’s currently a little disconnect between card prices and one of Major League Baseball’s top young players. It’s undeniable how popular Elly De La Cruz has been since his explosive debut, and while collectors have been scooping up his rookies with volume, his prices continue to decline.
Cruz’s graded cards tracked by Market Movers are down 4 percent over the last 30 days across more than 1,800 sales, and his 2022 Bowman Chrome Prospects PSA 10 has been a major driver of that. Down 42 percent on 130 sales over the last month, that card has dropped over $30 in price and is now averaging around $46.
What’s interesting about several of Cruz’s key cards is that it has been a slow fall. Cards will certainly carry a price premium at release and experience a regression, but it’s fair to say his prices were never egregiously high.
A major factor at play could be that his cards have flooded the market and simply aren’t hard to find. That 2022 Bowman Chrome Prospects PSA 10 has a population already over 10,000. His 2024 Topps Base PSA 10, which was released just a few months ago, already has a population of more than 2,700.
It’s certainly not a bad thing that collectors can secure key cards of a rising star at affordable prices, but those hoping to hold long-term for a profitable flip might be left wanting.
Dollar amount risers
- 2023 Absolute C.J. Stroud Kaboom! PSA 10: +$500
- 2019 Bowman Draft Gunnar Henderson Chrome DP Auto PSA 10: +$449
- 2022 Bowman’s Best University Caitlin Clark Best of 2022 Autographs Refractor PSA 10: +$437
- 2003 Topps Chrome LeBron James Base PSA 10: +$364
- 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken FF Error PSA 10: +$172
Aaron Judge has been having an unbelievable season so far, so it has been easy for many to miss the fact Gunnar Henderson has also been truly stunning. Slashing .288/.383/.600 with 26 homers and 58 RBI through 330 at-bats, Henderson is making a legitimate run at AL MVP.
His cards have adjusted accordingly as well, and Henderson’s graded cards tracked by Market Movers are up 13 percent collectively over the last 30 days across more than 1,400 sales. His two most popular cards — his 2023 Topps Base PSA 10 and 2023 Topps Chrome Base PSA 10 — are up 25 percent and 33 percent across 60-plus sales each.
Henderson’s high-end autographs have performed extremely well recently, too, with his 2019 Bowman Draft Chrome DP Auto PSA 10 up $449 in price and most recently sold for nearly $1,200. At a much higher price point, his 2019 Bowman Draft Chrome DP Auto Blue Refractor /150 has sold multiple times over the last month, with a $1,000 price bump bringing the current market to around $4,500.
Dollar amount decliners
- 2018 Prizm Luka Dončić Silver PSA 10: -$705
- 2023 Upper Deck Connor Bedard Young Guns Outburst Silver PSA 10: -$500
- 2017 Prizm Jayson Tatum Silver PSA 10: -$229
- 2017 Donruss Patrick Mahomes Base PSA 10: -$128
- 2018 Prizm Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Silver PSA 10: -$115
It’s hard to imagine any superstar benefiting from this NBA offseason more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has so far. Already a title contender last season, the Thunder traded Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso in a deal that shocked fans. Oklahoma City then added Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein to play alongside Chet Holmgren.
The Thunder are now among the title favorites for many fans and collectors, but Gilgeous-Alexander’s card market continues to dip into the offseason. Price declines are expected, though it’s somewhat surprising to see two massive moves not shift his overall market at all.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s graded cards tracked by Market Movers are down 1.5 percent over the last 30 days across nearly 500 sales. Narrowing the scope to the last week, his market is down 1 percent across 118 sales.
If the early returns are any indication, Gilgeous-Alexander’s market might continue to slide throughout the summer and be in for a big swing in a positive direction if Oklahoma City’s reinforcements perform the way many expect.
Sales volume leaders
- 2023 Prizm Victor Wembanyama Base PSA 10: 901 sales
- 2023 Prizm C.J. Stroud Base PSA 10: 281 sales
- 2018 Topps Update Shohei Ohtani Rookie Debut PSA 10: 182 sales
- 2024 Topps Elly De La Cruz Base PSA 10: 174 sales
- 2023 Bowman Draft Paul Skenes Base PSA 10: 132 sales
There are rules to collecting, and Paul Skenes continues to ignore them. Though pitchers are far less popular than position players among collectors, the Pirates rookie remains an exception nine starts into the season.
So far, Skenes has been incredible with 70 strikeouts in 52.1 innings pitched and a WHIP of just 1.032. Rookie pitchers tend to hit a wall as their innings climb, but anything close to what Skenes has done so far continuing in the second half of the season could result in him running away with NL Rookie of the Year.
The buzz for Skenes has been exceptional, though it’s fair to wonder how long it will last. Skenes isn’t the first pitcher to be an exception to traditional collecting trends, and he won’t be the last.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.