Written by For the last few weeks, in the NBA, Jeremy Lin has been a golden god. Taking over the world of the NBA is tough when your name is not Kobe or LeBron, but Lin has managed it in just a short time. Due to his underdog story, combined with a national media focus, and multiplied by his Asian heritage, his cards have gone from worthless to insane. In fact, the prices are so crazy they are starting to reach the level of gaining mainstream news coverage.
The National Treasures RC jersey auto has been the most valuable of all his cards, and one recently sold for the price of a car.
Personally, I dont even get what made THIS one worth as much as it is. The autograph runs off the sticker and the patch really isnt that impressive. In all honesty, this is probably one of the poorer examples of a good looking card. He has some others that I like much better, but there are none from companies that are known for better looking cards. Panini has a lot of the same problems in basketball that they have in football, and am in shock that a card of a guy who has played less than half a season could sell for this much.
Lin could end up being a great guard in the NBA, but these prices are beyond some of the ones paid for Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. That makes no sense to me at this juncture in his career. I think that when his first cards in a Knicks uniform hit in the next few weeks, it will get ultra competitive, but this still defies all explanation.
Yahoo posted the sale on their front page, and when it gets to that point, you know there are more people that think the Linsanity really is certifiable.
It’s all hype baby. Speculators inflating prices. Expect to see Lin smeared all over next year’s product to an obscene amount.
I am would be very surprised if this card is actually paid for. We all know how the nuts come out of the woodwork when there is a hype like there is over Lin…
The thing about basketball is that it’s such a star driven sport.
If you look back over the entire history of the NBA, for example, only 10-15 players are collected by enough people to support high prices for their cards over the long term (Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Shaq, Kobe, and LeBron).
After all, if cards of players such as John Stockton, Jason Kidd, and Steve Nash, are for all intents and purposes considered to be commons, what does the future hold for Lin?
That is just f@#king nuts. There is no way I would pay 5% of that price for that card. Seriously, there are more people with money than brains out there. How the hell do they end up with so much disposable income if they are so stupid with their purchases? Obviously the buyer has never heard of John Starks or Devin Harris. Both had 1-2 solid years and then faded away into mediocrity. Lin might have much better careers than those two, but he could just as easily be a flash in the pan. If the latter happens, buyer’s remorse is going to sink in like a mo-fo.