Collecting superstars on a budget?

[jwillgrails]

Hi All,

Like many folks, I returned to the hobby about a year ago. During the 90s and early 00s, I collected Jason Williams. Well, J-Will was my first serious player collection after years of opening packs for fun.

Since returning, I have continued building my Jason Williams PC and added a few 90s insert sets that hold nostalgic value.

I have spent a lot of time immersing myself in the hobby again to understand the current landscape without buying too many modern era cards. The first modern player I dabbled with was Trae Young (flashy point guards are my jam). I picked up a few nice cards of his before the start of the 2019/20 season.

With that said, it feels really weird to have no cards of the game’s biggest superstars at the moment - LeBron, Steph, Giannis, Luka, etc. The prices of their high end cards are pretty daunting so I wanted to discuss different options for different budgets.

I'm curious to hear from a few people about which cards they'd target of each superstar given a certain price bracket. This is more about which cards you like — rather than the best investment strategy — although I’m sure there will be some overlap.

For example...

LeBron
- Under $150 - Card A
- Under $100 - Card B
- Under $50 - Card C
- Under $10 - Card D

Steph
- Under $150 - Card A
- Under $100 - Card B
- Under $50 - Card C
- Under $10 - Card D

Giannis
- Under $150 - Card A
- Under $100 - Card B
- Under $50 - Card C
- Under $10 - Card D

Luka
- Under $150 - Card A
- Under $100 - Card B
- Under $50 - Card C
- Under $10 - Card D

I have a pretty good handle on MJ and Kobe cards but always keen to hear other people's thoughts on those guys. This information will hopefully create value for other members too.

At the moment, I'm looking at picking up a Luka Doncic Blue Velocity Optic RC as they're currently under $150 and look beautiful against his Mavericks uniform.

Keen to hear everyone’s thoughts below.

Thanks!

[watashiwa05]

I like the this idea. Will try to come up with a few when I have some more time to catch up on current pricing.

[DajuanWagner]

Where's Yuta Tabuse??????? You missing that superstar...…...

[GoNYGoNYGo]

Off the top of my head for a few at the $150 price point I came up with these.

Lebron around $150 I like his Upper Deck Star Rookies Card - Iconic card and a way to get into the Lebron RC market at a reasonable price point.
Giannis 2013-14 Fleer Retro Metal Universe - Iconic 90's set - get one in good condition as they are very condition sensitive like the 90's set was
Giannis 2013-14 Crusade Blue RC these are very sharp looking cards in hand (might be closer to $200 now though)

As for Luka some of the cards I've had that I really like and I know they are all under $150 some I think are even like 20/30 bucks.
Chronicles Phoenix or Crusade - you could also probably get a nice parrallel for $150.
Threads Sparkle
You could probably get a raw prizm around this price point

[isles4life]

LeBron
- Under $100 - 2006-07 or 2007-08 Topps Finest Red Refractor
- Under $50 - 2019-20 Donruss Net Marvels

[Beavers98]

This is a great idea. I think you can find a lot of cards in those price points. Looking to see what people come up with.

[packerfan4200]

Giannis:

A. Downtown Inserts . Probably a little over $150 now but that’s what came to mind
B. Prizm Mojo /25 Inserts. I got a Far Out! for $97 a while back. Have seen others sell in $100 range since.
C. You can buy any combo of (2) 18-19 and 19-20 Optic Holos or Prizm Silvers for $50 or less.
D. 19-20 Hoops High Voltage or any Holofoil insert

[byronscott4ever]

Where's Yuta Tabuse??????? You missing that superstar...…...

$150 max eliminates a chance of finding anything

[bberns]

I suggest that you look at SP inserts / SSP case hit parallels from 2012-13 to 2017-18 from the lesser known brands. For long term value, stick to the really cool looking ones (of which there are many).

Those cards are crazy undervalued for each of those players (especially non-LeBron). For example you can get a 2013-14 Knights of the Round Steph Curry for $100 or so. Super cool looking card (I don't own any of these by the way).