I get that basketball and cards are like a foreign language to me, but I still remain puzzled by some of the trends that pop up as a result of production. Over the last week or two, we have gotten a first hand view into one of these situations. Jeremy Lin, a player discarded already by one team in his career, has caught fire considerably after a few incredible games during a recent stretch. As a result of these games, Lin’s cards have gone from bargain bin junk to ridiculous prices in a matter of days. In fact, the cards have gotten so expensive, that I would consider someone to be insane to buy into them right now.
Check out these ridiculous prices:
Jeremy Lin National Treasures Auto Jersey RC 1/1
Jeremy Lin National Treasures Auto RC 1/1
Jeremy Lin Limited Next Day Signatures RC /99
Lin looks to be making the most of his shot at the big time, but how much of his steep value spike is a result of collectors in other countries, and can the prices sustain themselves? I have to believe that even if Lin continues to play at his top game, the cards are not going to get any more valuable. At this point, all odds point to the cards already approaching their ceiling, especially as Panini rushes to make more cards of him in his new uniform.
The NBA and its collectors are a bunch unlike any others. Sometimes, I have to put on a different set of glasses to make sure that I don’t apply a football or baseball filter to its volatile pricing that never ceases to amaze.
Gellman, keep in mind that pro basketball has so few roster spots in comparison to football and baseball, forcing us basketball addicts to pick from a limited pool. Additionally, with the Panini exclusive, there is just no choice but to buy what’s out there. I despise Panini and won’t buy any of their garbage, so I’m stuck buying older product. This Lin phenomenon started at the beginning of last season and died down considerably, and has now reemerged. I agree that basketball collectors are slightly overzealous in collecting “their player”. And don’t get me started on the Jordan insert ridiculousness. I really can’t stand sticker autos and won’t buy any, which again leads me to Panini’s terrible ability to get on card signatures. The lockout has artificially inflated the market due to lack of product. I also think that basketball collectors tend to be a younger demographic and aren’t necessarily concerned with the long term viability of purchases vs. baseball and football. Just my two cents.
People are throwing their money away on his rookie autos, as they are going for hundreds of dollars based on results from 4-5 games. This reminds me a lot of the Devin Harris phenomenon a few years ago, except his cards weren’t selling for nearly as much and he had ONE really good season. Since then, he has fallen back into mediocrity. Lin could turn out to be a really great player for multiple seasons, but I wouldn’t spend more than $75 on one of his rookie autos right now.
Sure seems like 10/11 Panini NBA wax is on the popular side. I moved about all I had in stock over the weekend and restock prices are right about where I was at retail.