How I 10xed My Investment In Russell Westbrook Rookie Cards (And You Can Too).
In a recent Instagram post I suggested new card-collectors target players whose rookie-cards have a history of growth, so I wanted to share one real life example of doing so via the triple-double GOAT Russell Westbrook.
Westy’s top 2 rookie cards (Topps & Bowman) have both been trending up since 2019 gaining about 290% and 175% respectively since then.
However those cards can be hard to find and are always very competitive when they do show up; so rather than fighting over such highly sought-after cards, I decided to instead look for a secondary, less popular card to target, which I found in the form of the Fleer Rookie pictured in the first image up above. With a PSA 10 population of just 83, this card is actually even more rare than the other two, making me believe there was no way it wouldn’t appreciate alongside them. With that in mind, I waited for one to pop up on eBay and was able to snipe it in the final seconds of the auction for just $27 CAD (about $21 USD).
Not only did this price-point seem incredibly undervalued to me, but with it being such an affordable investment, I knew I’d have no issues holding it all the way past his retirement if it took that long to appreciate in value. And with Russ being far and away one of my personal favourite players, I was more than happy to keep it in my collection forever if I needed to (and likely will regardless).
Fast forward to today, not only has the Fleer already gained 300–500% based on the most recent sales, but with so few cards in circulation, I could only track down 3 of them currently up for sale, with the cheapest one priced at more than 10x my original purchase price!
And while its meteoric rise can be attributed at least in part to the current bullish card-market environment, with Westbrook likely to remain in the national conversation for years to come, I can only imagine the type of growth a minuscule-population card such as this has in store over the long run.
So while everyone is chasing the next Zion, or fighting over LBJ’s most popular cards, I see tremendous upside in seeking value off the beaten-path with players who are likely to have long-term market demand.
