question with Lebron topps chrome rc
 

I'm semi new to this but I'm looking for a good lebron rookie card and noticed topps chrome has quite a few versions of the same card:

2003-04 Topps Chrome
2003-04 Topps Chrome Refractors
2003-04 Topps Chrome Refractors Black
2003-04 Topps Chrome Refractors Gold

Which one is the best lebron rookie card to have? what are the differences between them?

Thanks

All based on rarity. The black refractor has only 500 copies. The gold only has 50 copies. The regular and refractor do not have a stated print run.

Of course the best to have is the rarest, so based on your list from the bottom up is the order they would go. Best way to check on pricing is through ebay completed listings.

great, thanks for the clarification!

They are all great to have...

but goodness gracious the Black Refractor is a beauty. I am not a LeBron fan at all but I really enjoy looking at that one.

The Gold is the best Topps Chrome rookie,

but his Exquisite Rookie Auto Patch is his best overall Rookie card.

Lets say the regular topps chrome is $50 and the black is $200 (just an example).. If you're wanting to make an investment in hopes it is worth more one day, is it ever a better choice to go with the $50 version instead of the $200 to get a better return % wise? Does that make sense? Like any card not just lebron.. Is it always better off to get the rarest you can afford or is it ever a smarter investment to just go with the lesser one?

[QUOTE=BLawson87;3810480]Lets say the regular topps chrome is $50 and the black is $200 (just an example).. If you're wanting to make an investment in hopes it is worth more one day, is it ever a better choice to go with the $50 version instead of the $200 to get a better return % wise? Does that make sense? Like any card not just lebron.. Is it always better off to get the rarest you can afford or is it ever a smarter investment to just go with the lesser one?[/QUOTE]

i would say its a smarter investment on the rarer one.

[QUOTE=pingbling23;3810534]i would say its a smarter investment on the rarer one.[/QUOTE]

I agree rare always helps....

Ok cool. I am interested in getting a few "top notch" cards to keep for awhile and see what happens and it makes me nervous spending that much on a card but I guess as long as LeBron or whoever continues to hold value it shouldn't drop dramatically. Thanks guys

Would you guys still say it would be better to invest in 1 super fractor LeBron chrome rookie for as an example $400 or 8 LeBron regular chrome non refractor at $50 each? I'm still kinda new at getting into the high end side of things, so I have no idea what the trends have been in the past.

The rarest will always be a better investment percentage-wise, I would get 1 high end card instead of 5 mid-end cards. :)!

i would have to think in 20 years, a rare lebron will rise in value at a higher percentage vs 5 regualr chrome rcs.

Agree with two above posters.

Awesome, thanks.

[QUOTE=thecomebacker;3810095]The Gold is the best Topps Chrome rookie,

but his Exquisite Rookie Auto Patch is his best overall Rookie card.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for all the feedback.

I'm not sure if I can afford to pay XX,XXX for the exquisite card.. is the topps chrome his second best rookie card?

How aobut for Kobe? Is the topps chrome rookie his best rookie card or is there another type of card that is his best rookie card?

A LeBron rookie can run you from $5 to $20,000+ depending on the card. Most of his higher end rookies are autographed. For example:

03-04 Exquisite Rookie Auto/Patch /99
03-04 Ultimate Rookie Auto /250
03-04 SPx Rookie Auto/Jersey /750
03-04 SP Authentic Auto Rookie /500

Also, cards graded BGS 9.5 or PSA 10 will sell significantly more than those ungraded. Hope this helps :)!

As an investment you've missed the boat, especially if you're thinking in terms of 20 years down the track.

Lets say you buy a card for $400, just due to inflation you'd need to sell it for $650+ just to break even, take out ebay fees, risk of damage to card etc. and you might just break even.

Any LeBron Topps Chrome card is good to have, try to find his 2009-10 Topps Chrome Card as it sold on eBay for up to $80 for his Chrome Refractor version /500. Went crazy after LeBron won his first championship.

[QUOTE=sreg0r;3812767]As an investment you've missed the boat, especially if you're thinking in terms of 20 years down the track.

Lets say you buy a card for $400, just due to inflation you'd need to sell it for $650+ just to break even, take out ebay fees, risk of damage to card etc. and you might just break even.[/QUOTE]
What were they going for when he first came into the league? Surely not that much cheaper than they are now.. Of course no one knows what will happen but I believe if LeBron wins a few titles in the next few years his stuff will go up even more. Just my thought but who knows

[IMG]http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll250/daoher1/LeBron/129.jpg[/IMG]

I like his Bowman Chrome rookie better. You should check those out too.