The Most Valuable Kobe Bryant Cards of All Time

First on our list of most valuable Kobe Bryant cards is this Emerald PMG! Since its inception, the Precious Metal Gems (PMG) insert has been a favorite of many modern basketball collectors. This 1997 Kobe Bryant Emerald is the pinnacle of that PMG fandom. A BGS 8.5 grade, the copy is numbered /10 and sold for $2,000,000 privately this year. That marks the highest sale for any Kobe Bryant card or any Precious Metal Gem, and it will be interesting to see how the PMG market grows in the future.

This Kobe refractor rookie is cherished for its remarkable condition. The BGS “Black Label” 10 grade is the most difficult and distinguished grade to receive in the entire hobby. It’s no surprise that this stunner reached a seven-figure sale price in 2021.

The 1996 Topps Chrome basketball set is notorious for “hulking,” which is when the players on the card develop a greenish tint over time. Chromium technology was still relatively new, so leaving these cards exposed to harmful rays would cause them to fade. Fortunately, this marvel remains in perfect shape over 22 years later.

If you ask for a top 10 list from a basketball fan, it’s likely that all three of these players will be on it.  The card above is the only triple logoman of Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron to ever hit an auction, and it is a stunner.  While many were chasing the infamous LeBron Triple Logoman, it seemed as if this one flew under the radar.  This trio hasn’t appeared on cardboard together since the 2000s, and rare memorabilia like this almost never surfaces.

Nevertheless, this PSA-graded copy sold during an August auction at Goldin for $1.68 million.  All three logoman patches are game-worn, and it is unlikely that a card like this will be made ever again.

Next, we have the first-ever Kobe Bryant logoman. The 2002-03 NBA Logo Mania set featured premium patch autographs of Bryant, Air Jordan, and many other superstars. When you think about the crazy LeBron Logoman chase from last year’s Flawless, it’s easy to say that this set was appropriately named.

This is also one of the few Kobe logoman cards that came from a #8 jersey, which he wore until the 2006-07 season.

Bryant and Durant definitely stem from different eras, but the latter has named Kobe as one of his favorite players. Yet, they both had the ability to take over a game offensively at any point. 

This 2007 Exquisite dual logoman autograph is a rookie for KD, who is shown in his Seattle Supersonics uniform. It contains dual on-card autographs and game-worn patches, so it doesn’t get much better than that.

This is one of those cards that you just have to see in person. 1996 E-X2000 was incredibly innovative; it utilized bright colors and an acetate finish to really make the players pop out. The sleek design did make them tough for grading, however, so seeing the “Credentials” parallel in a PSA 10 is truly outstanding.

At seven we have a classic patch auto of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.  This is the first set where the pair have dual autographs, so it is still widely collected to this day.  For us, it symbolizes a passing-of-the-torch for two of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history. 

The card contains two game-worn patches and on-card autos of Air Jordan and The Black Mamba.  It last sold at a Heritage auction for $516,000 in 2021.

This rookie is special because it’s in the coveted BGS 10 grade, but it is also limited to 150 copies. Furthermore, of those 150 copies, this stunner is #008 in the set, which was (one of) Bryant’s jersey numbers.  The impeccable grade and jersey number give this card an additional premium; it sold for over $430,000 in 2021.

While the aforementioned green PMG may be rarer, you cannot go wrong with the sheer eye appeal of the red parallel.  The colors are sharp, and they contrast against every player’s uniform perfectly.  Additionally, this copy is the only autographed Kobe PMG to ever sell at auction.

These Precious Metal Gems only come up for sale about once a year, so there is typically a good premium paid by avid collectors.  Case in point, this beautiful PSA Authentic/Auto 9 copy sold for over $400,000 earlier this year.

Much like the triple logoman of these three, this card is also not one you see very often.  And even if they all are on an autographed card together, it probably won’t be accompanied by a BGS 10 grade.  Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron are woven into the fabric of basketball’s lore.  Each has inspired millions, and we’ve all spent hours trying to emulate their moves in the driveway.  This incredible gem last sold for $387,600 during a Goldin auction.

We will die on this hill: there is not a better-looking autograph set than the 2003 Exquisite Limited Logos. The design, the jumbo patches, the on-card signature – it’s just perfect.  Plus, this card is printed on thicker cardstock, so achieving a PSA 10 grade is nearly unheard of.  

#12 features the first Kobe card from the 2010s, and it’s his last 1/1 Prizm from his playing years.  In the Mamba’s last season, he put up 17.6 PPG. This included a 60-point masterpiece against the Utah Jazz in his last-ever game. While they still produced Kobe Prizms in 2018 and 2019, this card has kept its premium.

Another triple auto of Jordan, Bryant, and James is featured above. While it doesn’t have a BGS 10 grade like the one we saw early, it is still a grail card for just about anyone reading this list. It features clean signatures from three players who dominated their respective eras.

Topps Chrome basketball was known for utilizing amazing photography, and this may be the best example. We see the veteran Kobe get to back down young LeBron before one of his patented fadeaways. At the same time, the entire backdrop is filled with awestruck fans. A card like this could hang up at the Louvre.

Our final triple auto of this trio may contain the best signatures of them all. Each of these players delivered a strong, bolded John Hancock, so this would probably be a lot higher on the list if it received a higher grade.

This is one of Kobe’s earliest pack-issued patch autographs, and the numbering was hand-drawn by the Black Mamba himself. The action shot encapsulates Bryant as he goes up for the finish against Reggie Miller. It received a BGS 9 grade and sold for $288,000 last year.

Number 17 is yet another Logoman, but it certainly isn’t as pricey as the others on this list of most valuable Kobe Bryant cards. This gorgeous patch auto comes from 2013 National Treasures, a set that featured high-dollar rookies of Giannis Antetokounmpo. But if you pulled this from an NT box, we’d guess that you’d be feeling pretty good about how it turned out.

While this may not be a Logoman patch, the “2” in Bryant’s jersey isn’t so bad either. We also see Kobe’s signature along the jersey, and the card itself is a 1/1. This is a grail for any Kobe collector.

This 1/1 Prizm is another modern Kobe card that you don’t see every day. 2014 Prizm does a great job of cutting off the background and letting the players be the center of the card. We think that it is one of the better designs to date, and this $200,000 card is a very strong reminder.

Finally, we have another sought-after rookie card from Bryant’s ‘96 campaign, the Topps Finest gold refractor. There are so many commendable parts of this card. The yellow border matches well with that Lakers gold. The background makes it seem like Kobe is floating in the air. 

However, the best part of this card is seeing a young phenom from Lower Merion High School who was about to make his mark on the world and change basketball forever.