It was a seldom seen redemption card from 2007-08 Bowman Sterling Basketball that featured the best Larry Bird & Magic Johnson autographed card.  Sure, we’ve seen plenty of their dual autos from Upper Deck and Topps, all using the new technology and featuring game-used items.  This card was something even better and only 10 copies were available.

This redemption card was for an authentic 1981 Larry Bird/Magic Johnson Rookie card, signed in gold ink and hand #’d /10 copies.

By the looks of this auction, Topps had a strict deadline for these and sent back any expired redemptions with a company seal (Ouch, that’s pretty bad).  Anyone that actually pulled one from packs and sent into Topps in time, got one these pictured below.

The card came graded by BGS w/ the Topps logo, although I’m not sure why they used a gold label for a “7″ grade.  Despite that, the card is one truly amazing collectable and judging by this auction (has a reserve), they are rare and extremely expensive.

If these are too rich for your blood, check out some of these other Bird/Magic autographs available.  One of them might fit well in your collection and you can celebrate one of the best basketball rivalries ever.

1993-94 Skybox Hoops Certified Dual Auto (The Original & Classic Card from the 90′s!)

2006-07 Topps Luxury Box Dual Auto Jersey /79

2008-09 UD Exquisite Dual Auto /25

2010 UD Ultimate Collection Dual Auto /25

and one of the most incredible looking cards Upper Deck has ever released (thus making it VERY expensive)…

2007-08 UD Chronology Dual Auto /10

There once was a time when the NBA had a young successor to Michael Jordan and everyone loved him.  He had his team, his city, and the league in his pocket, with the ability to do no wrong.

Then, we had “the decision” and everything changed in one fell swoop. Lebron James went from the NBA’s favorite superstar to exiled, hated, and fan divided overnight.

Usually, when a player joins a star studded team in a bigger market, they are looked in a positive light.  Their cards see an uptick on the market and people stash them away for a big return on investment.  In this case, collectors were severely divided and the market showed this almost immediately.  Cards that were usually the hottest sellers, instantly took a hit.

The card pictured above usually should have sold for at least $700, and possibly would have gone even higher.  Instead, it sells for a low price of $300.  It’s quite amazing how much of a difference a new market and the public’s perception can have on a player. Even cards his top rookie card, 2003-04 UD Exquisite has dropped to the $6k range, which is unheard of for such a monumental rookie.

It’s unclear if he will ever return to the same hobby stardom again, but it’s safe to say that no player is a safe investment.  Even all the people crowning Kevin Durant as the next “do-no-wrong” player should remember the Lebron James market collapse.

For a change of pace, we bring it back to the old school days of USA cardboard – 1994 Skybox (aka Dream Team #2).  After Dream Team #1 was completely dominant, the marketing of the team was viewed as a hobby money maker.  The major companies back then included Fleer/Skybox and they were the makers of the USA basketball products.

When they made the 1994 set, they also took time to make a gold ink parallel version (on-card autographs!) of the base cards for a select few player.  The actual autographed set was only seven names, which are listed below.

Larry Johnson
Dan Majerle
Tim Hardway
Joe Dumars
Isiah Thomas
Shawn Kemp
Dominique Wilkins

You can see that the cards were inserted by Skybox into the product, due to a embossed stamp on the card itself.  It’s very similar to the Donruss buyback autographs from the earlier 2000′s in baseball.

The Isiah Thomas was listed and sold for some pretty good money, given he is not a sought after autograph on the market.

Makes you wonder where all the rest are these days and what the actual print run was…

These exquisite basketball hot boxes have been something of intrigue to me, as I think they are an interesting concept.  Not only does it bring in the harcore player collector into the “must-have” mindset, but it creates another chase element of the high-end product.  Granted, we no longer have Upper Deck Exquisite basketball, but they still seem to sell for some really good money.

I showed the Durant auction last week, which is still listed for $10K with Best Offer.  Now, two of them actually sold and they are just as awesome.  I am trying to find a full checklist if players and will show any more sales as I come across them.

Larry Bird Player Box #’d 2/5 (Cards inside #’d /33)

Lebron James Player Box #’d 10/23 (Cards inside are #’d /23)

(Seems like a steal for 4 different Lebron Autographs)