Which Larry Bird Rookie Card Should You Collect?

Get ready to step into the realm of basketball legends with the iconic Larry Bird Rookie Card – a true masterpiece for any collector’s dream lineup. Larry Bird, the sharpshooting legend of the hardwood, captured hearts with his unparalleled skill, fierce competitiveness, and clutch performances that defined an era.

Larry Bird spent his entire NBA journey with the Boston Celtics, clinching three championships, securing three MVP titles, and earning a spot in the prestigious 50/40/90 club as he vied for a scoring title. Bird is a quintessential Hall of Famer, consistently ranked among the top 10 basketball legends in the history of the sport by fans and analysts alike.

Larry Bird 2024

The excitement doesn’t stop there; the Larry Bird Rookie Card continues to be a hot commodity in the world of sports memorabilia. With Bird’s legacy forever etched in the annals of basketball history, his rookie card remains a symbol of sports greatness and a prized possession for fans and collectors alike. Whether you’re looking to reminisce about the golden age of basketball or aiming to add a piece of history to your collection, the Larry Bird Rookie Card is your ticket to capturing a piece of the magic.

Best Larry Bird Rookie Card: 1980 Topps Scoring Leaders Bird/Erving/Johnson

I mentioned the famed rivalry between Bird and Johnson earlier… Well, they even share a rookie card.

How mental is that?!

And, there’s some other player on there too. Julius Erving…. ever heard of him?

So, yeah… as you can imagine, this card is the hot item from Topps’ 1980 set.

The card wasn’t actually seen as anything too special when it was released, but since then the true value of the card has been noticed.

If you’re after top quality cards too, this one can be a bit tricky. It’s a hard card to find without some print defect.

So, with that… there aren’t too many PSA 10s getting around.

However, the price is still under what I first assumed it would be, having two of the top three rookies of the decade on the same card.

Because these cards were mini-cards with a three players on each, there was a few variants of Larry Bird cards out there.

Larry Bird Second Year Card: 1981 Topps #4

Bird won the rookie of the year, and was an all-star in his first season.

So, yeah… he was kinda a big deal straight from the shoot. Which is incredibly impressive.

This second-year card for Bird isn’t the most exciting card you’ll ever find – with the photo just being a pic of Larry in his warm-up jacket.

Other Notable Larry Bird Cards

As you can imagine, there’s a bunch of great options when looking for Larry Bird cards. He was a mainstay from sets throughout the 1980s’ with appearances in the Fleer and Skybox sets of the times.

Also, because Bird was an absolute superstar of the game, he has a lot of cards from the years after his retirement.

Every set that includes past legends almost needs to have a Larry Bird card for those Celtics fans.

There are some beautiful auto cards and patches that have been released over the years. While they may not be the same as getting your hands on a rookie card, it’s still special.

Are Larry Bird Rookie Cards a Good Investment?

Well, I’m no financial planner. Still, the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird rookie card has gone up in value over the years, and I think it should do down the line.

Like I mentioned earlier, the pop report on this card is pretty special. There were some really inconsistent printing during this 1980 set.

Here’s the pop report at the time of writing.

As you can see, there are over 8,400 cards graded on PSA, and with that there’s only 635 cards that are graded 9 or 10. 

Out of that, there’s only 24 cards graded as a 10. 

Wow GIFs | Tenor

So yeah… If you can find this card with a good grade, I’d hop on that.

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Author

  • Vince

    I'm a big time sports nerd, with soccer being my first true love. I've been collecting sports cards since I was a little kid, and now... well, not much has changed, but I write about it... and I have facial hair.

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