Lizard's Rant

Guest post by Cardcollectingrambler from Break Open Another Box!

For years, the big three that are now leading the Celtics to the best record in the NBA, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen & Paul Pierce, have been pretty much passed over in the hobby. Garnett toiled on a struggling T-Wolves squad, carrying the burden on his shoulders to lead the team in almost all statistical categories. Allen, who’s been one of the top sharpshooters in the league over the last decade, has also had the unfortunate luck of playing for mostly low-achieving teams. And the story isn’t much different for Pierce, who’s cards haven’t shown much signs of life since his rookie-year. Now that they’re all playing together on this rare & high-profile three-star team, their key rookie cards appear to be finally peaking collectors’ interest.

Garnett’s 95-96 Finest RC almost immediately exploded in value at the beginning of the season, averaging around $54 in November, and even reaching highs in the $80’s range. The market cooled off quite a bit since then, but his best rookie has still been selling in the $37-48 range over the last couple of weeks; about double what it was selling for not too long ago while he was with Minnesota. Garnett isn’t putting up the numbers that he used to in previous seasons, but that should be expected now that he has two top-tier scorers by his side.

Allen’s 96-97 Topps Chrome RC started the season off really slowly, with Garnett receiving the bulk of the attention. After averaging between $8-10 through November & December, it finally started to experience some gains in January. It’s averaging around $14-15 this month, but I saw two of them sell for $20.50 & $25 TAC mid-month. His 96-97 Skybox Autographics Auto has been selling in the $60’s range for the black ink version, and around $140 for the blue ink this month.

Pierce’s top rookie, his 98-99 SP Authentic RC #’d 3500, has been a solid seller in the $25-35 range this season. His 98-99 SPx Finite RC #’d 2500 has been getting increased hobby interest (it’s his most limited #’d rookie). It’s averaging $13.50 this month, up from $7.60 last month. You can find the Radiance parallel #’d 1500 for around the same price. I saw two of his elusive 98-99 Topps Autograph (his only rookie-year auto) sell separately last month for $67 & $36 TAC. This would be a nice card to get, if you can find one.

Although the Celtics have been looking less untouchable recently, losing 5 of their last 10 games (4 of which were against teams that they should’ve beaten), I expect them to still finish at or near the top of the East, and defeat the Pistons in the Conference finals. There’s still room for growth in all three of these stars’ rookie cards, so it’s still not too late to buy!

Please check out my blog, Break Open Another Box!, for more of my ramblings!