1980-1981 Topps Basketball Larry Bird/Magic Johnson Rookie GAI GEM MINT 9.5

Sold For:

$3,600

Year:

1980

Auction:

2024 Fall

Lot #:

3074

Category:

Basketball Cards or Memorabilia

Graded GEM MINT 9.5 by GAI. Superb 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 strong corners, flawless registration, and outstanding centering. The reverse is also clean. Though we do not think this card would receive the same grade of "GEM MINT 9.5" from either PSA or SGC, we do think this card is consistent in appearance with many other high-grade examples in the marketplace, and we do not see any blatant signs of alteration, which is often a concern with cards graded by companies other than PSA or SGC. This is an exceptional high-grade example of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson's rookie card, which is the key card from the set, and arguably the most significant basketball card in the hobby. Opening Bid $500.