Kobe Bryant, the shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, had a legendary 20-year career before retiring with 5 NBA championships under his belt, as well as 15 memberships in the All-NBA Team. He has had nearly 500 basketball cards made, according to the card graders at PSA, and among them are some of the most valuable trading cards ever.
Bryant tragically died in 2020 in a helicopter crash. Since then, the value and collectability of his cards have only skyrocketed. Continue reading to learn about the 9 most expensive Kobe Bryant cards ever sold.
9. Exquisite Collection Limited Logos Kobe Bryant
Year: 2004-2005
Set#: KB1/KB2
photo source: Goldin Auctions
This signed card in the Exquisite Collection is actually two cards, KB1 and KB2, each of which sold at a Goldin Auction for $36,000. The card was graded “9” by the BGS (or “mint”) and the signature was graded “10.” The Exquisite Collection was released by Upper Deck and contains some of the most sought-after cards ever.
All the cards in this collection feature a Jersey patch in the center (game-worn) and the athlete’s autograph on the card. Most cards in this collection were only released in 50 examples, so nabbing the rarer ones is a feat worthy of only the most devoted collector.
Did you know?
The Upper Deck Exquisite Collection was originally sold in packs of 6, with no guarantee that you would get any rare or valuable ones in each. These packs cost $2,000 each, but the chance at a Kobe Bryant proved to be incentive enough to try!
8. Flair Showcase Legacy Collection Row 1 Kobe Bryant Rookie Card
Year: 1996-1997
Set#: 31
photo source: Goldin Auctions
The Flair Showcase Legacy Collection Row 1 Kobe Bryant Rookie Card is from the player’s 1996/1997 season. It could be considered Flair’s rookie card too, from the year they really took off with their Bryant and Michael Jordan cards.
There were 90 cards in their base set for this year, separated into what they call “Rows.” Row 2 is the base set and the most common while Row 1 and Row 0 are much rarer. Row 1 is known as the “Grace” set and this was where this card came from.
This card was sold at a Goldin auction for $136,530.
Did you know?
Flair started in 1993 and jumped right into the high-end sports card trading market. However, by 2006, collectors had become completely obsessed with “superfractor” cards and Flair fell by the wayside.
7. UD Trilogy Trimarks 2 Lebron James/Kobe Bryant/Michael Jordan Signed Card
Year: 2004-2005
Set#: JBJ
photo source: Goldin Auctions
The card known as the UD Trilogy Trimarks 2 Lebron James/Kobe Bryant/Michael Jordan Signed Card was released in a very limited set of 10 cards. This example that went up for sale at a Goldin auction was marked as #01, which likely added to its allure and contributed to it taking $133,200 when the hammer finally fell.
The cards represent three of the biggest stars in the sport, including not only Bryant but also Lebron James and Michael Jordan. The card displays all three signatures, rated “10” by Beckett for quality. The card’s overall rating dropped to “5.5,” however, due to it being so off-center in the printer. This limited-edition card still took in a bundle based on the allure of its three icons.
Did you know?
Since being founded in 1988, UD or Upper Deck has been a major player in sports card trading. They also sell figures and toys based on athletes in a diverse array of sports, including not only basketball but also tennis, hockey, golf, and more. Look for the label that says, “Upper Deck Authenticated.”
6. Prizm Kobe Bryant Gold
Year: 2015-2016
Set#: 182
photo source: Goldin Auctions
Set# 182 is the Prizm Kobe Bryant Gold card, one of the most recent cards that you can buy, being released for Bryant’s 2015-2016 season. The card was made by Panini, the Italian card developer who got their start making soccer stickers.
This card was only released in 10 examples (this one is numbered #03). The BGS rated this card true gem+ or “9.5.” The Gold Prizm design is definitely unique for these cards, and that uniqueness drove up the auction price of this card to $145,200.
Did you know?
Parallel cards have a reflective coating on them that Panini calls “Prizm.” Other brands usually call this “refractor.” Prizm has both gold and silver Prizm, denoted by the color of the shiny border around the photo.
5. Finest Kobe Bryant Refractor w/ Coating
Year: 1996
Set#: 269
photo source: Goldin Auctions
The card known as the Finest Kobe Bryant Refractor w/ Coating is a rookie card, #269, released for his 1997-1997 season. It was graded an unheard-of “10” by the PSA. So even though it is one of 126 examples known to exist, it’s unlikely that many others are in this condition, which is known as “gem mint.”
At a Goldin auction, one of these cards, complete with its entire original coating as assessed by the PSA, sold for $162,360.
Did you know?
Attributes of gem mint-rated cards include a sharp focus, sharp corners, and the full original gloss on the whole surface of the card. The image must be centered and printed perfectly. The only concession made to the gem mint grading is a small amount of imperfection in the printing quality.
4. E-X2000 Credentials Kobe Bryant Rookie Card
Year: 1996-1997
Set#: 30
photo source: Goldin Auctions
The E-X2000 Credentials Kobe Bryant Rookie Card is a limited-edition card in a set of 499 examples. The one that sold at this Goldin auction was rated “9” by BGS and took in $170,400. It is numbered as the 442nd card in its set.
The “credentials” set was made by Panini, arguably the biggest competition for Topps in the basketball card trading industry. The card came out in 1996-1997, like Bryant’s other rookie cards.
Did you know?
Panini basketball cards have been around since the Panini brothers started their company in Milan, selling millions of soccer stickers. They moved on to Italian football trading cards and albums and eventually created a set for “Sports Superstars.” These included NBA players like Michael Jordan in their 1987 set and eventually led to this Kobe Bryant entry.
3. Finest Gold Refractor Kobe Bryant Rookie Card
Year: 1996-1997
Set#: 269
photo source: Goldin Auctions
The Finest Gold Refractor Kobe Bryant Rookie Card that sold at a Goldin auction was in pristine condition, graded by the BGS a “10” in all facets except the surface, which received a “9.5.” Fewer than 250 of these cards are known to exist, or about 1 in every 5,000 packs of cards.
There’s also a bronze refractor variant that is not quite as rare. For the gold one, buyers are willing to shell out hundreds of thousands, with the one that sold here going for $206,400. There’s an example on eBay currently listed for $500,000, which if it sells, would become the most expensive version of this card ever.
Did you know?
Topps used to have a practical monopoly on sports cards, which led to a ruling in 1965 that changed how trading cards are viewed by the government. The bidding for player contracts for the subjects of these cards is still hotly contested.
2. Kobe Bryant Chrome Refractor #138
Year: 1996-1997
Set#: 138
photo source: PSA
The Kobe Bryant Chrome Refractor #138 is a card by Topps that is usually considered the holy grail of Kobe card collecting. While examples can have asking prices of $150,000 or more, they usually sell for around $32,500, making them one of the most coveted Kobe cards, regardless of condition.
It was a pristine example of this card, a black label “10,” that sold for $1.752 million at a Goldin auction, topping all similar cards that have come before. #138 is the rookie card of the basketball legend, produced in 1996-1997. Only one other example of this card is considered to exist at this level of quality.
Did you know?
Rookie cards are those that feature the athlete at the beginning of their career, once they’ve hit the height of their sport’s competitive circuits. These first appearances are often highly valued since they are produced before the athletes attain major popularity. This generally makes them scarcer and more historically relevant.
1. Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Card
Year: 1997
Set#: 81
photo source: PSA
The most expensive Kobe Bryant card ever is the Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Card. This card came from a 1997 set containing 123 cards, many of which feature coveted athletes. Only the first ten cards in the set were done in green foil while the rest were red.
Only 10 of these Kobe Bryant cards are known to exist, with one graded “8.5” by the PSA selling in February 2022 for $2 million.
Did you know?
There are many coveted player cards in the Metal Universe set. These include #1 (Charles Barkley), #23 (Michael Jordan), #50 (Shaquille O’Neal), and #20 (Allen Iverson).
