1980-1981 Topps Basketball Larry Bird/Magic Johnson Rookie SGC MINT 9

Sold For:

$8,700

Year:

1980

Auction:

2020 Fall

Lot #:

2771

Category:

Post-1900 Baseball Memorabilia

Graded MINT 96 by SGC. Of the 1,276 examples graded by SGC to date, only twelve examples of this classic card have ever been graded higher! Extremely desirable ultra-high-grade rookie card featuring Larry Bird and Magic Johnson from the very popular 1980-1981 Topps basketball series. The card is bright and crisp, with vibrant colors, four razor-sharp corners, flawless registration, and near-perfect centering. The reverse is also perfectly clean. Larry Bird's and Magic Johnson's Topps rookie card is part of PSA's Top 250 Sportscards in the Hobby set, based on the book Collecting Sports Legends: The Ultimate Hobby Guide, by Joe Orlando, which selects the most significant cards from all the different sports. Examples of premier rookie cards, such as this, in extreme high grades have realized especially strong prices recently. The Topps Bird/Magic card is one of the cards that is recognizable to collectors of all ages, and as such, is one of the great cardboard collectibles in our hobby. This is an exceptional high-grade example of Larry Bird's and Magic Johnson's rookie card, which is the key card from the set, and arguably the most significant basketball card in the hobby. Reserve $2,500. Estimate (open).