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Analyzing The Latest Panini Prizm Gold NBA Sales

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Jason Koeppel // ONE37pm

When it comes to identifying and recognizing the key rookie cards of a modern NBA player, Prizm Gold is almost always in the conversation. Prizm Gold variations are numbered to just 10 copies in a set, and while there are a few other variations with shorter print, they are very rare, popular, and command significant price tags for the top rookies of a class. 

In this analysis, we’ll look at Prizm Gold sales of top NBA players over the past few months. Many of these sales occurred on the Goldin Auctions platform, which caters to a higher-end audience that is seeking these types of rare cards. 

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

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The Giannis Antetokounmpo Gold Prizm PSA 10 sold on Goldin Auctions on May 23rd for $420,000: 

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Giannis most notably won back-to-back MVP awards, but he does not have a championship ring. He is, however, the 27th ranked all-time NBA player according to ESPN

His Gold rookie parallel sold for 15.85x of the most comparable Prizm Silver PSA sale:

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There are just 2 copies of the Prizm Gold while there are 75 copies of the Prizm Silver card. 

The Prizm Silver is about 37 times less rare in pure population comparison, which provides some context for the significant price difference in two key rookie cards of a rising star. 

However, Giannis’ gold prizm, despite being in a PSA 10 copy, sold for $90,000 less than a BGS 9.5 copy via Goldin Auctions in early April: 

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This represents a 17% drop, and it’s even more significant considering that a PSA 10 typically commands a premium over BGS 9.5s. 

The Prizm Silver PSA 10 sold for $30,700 on April 21st. The Prizm Silver PSA 10 dropped 13.7% between the April and May sale listed above. The card has further declined in price, with a June sale of $18,100. In just two months, that’s 41% of value lost. 

However, in April of last year, the Prizm Silver sold for around $17,300 in April of 2020 consistently, so year over year, the card is up 4.6%.

And in October of 2019, the Giannis Gold Prizm BGS 9.5 sold for $33,800, which is significantly less than what it would trade for in today’s market. 

2. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

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On May 23rd Joel Embiid’s Gold Prizm PSA 10 sold on Goldin Auctions for $50,400, or about 8x less than Giannis’ Gold Prizm. 

Embiid finished 2nd in MVP voting for the 2020-21 season. 

His Silver Prizm PSA 10 is currently valued at $3,000: 

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The Prizm Silver PSA is valued at 16.8x less than its Prizm Gold counterpart. This multiplier is within the same ballpark as Giannis, which helps us start to understand the price relationship between Prizm Silver and Prizm Gold. 

Embiid’s Prizm Silver PSA 10 has 66 copies, whereas his Gold PSA 10 has 3 copies. Embiid’s Prizm Gold is 22x more rare than the Silver. 

3. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

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On March 7th 2021, during a growth period for the hobby, Anthony Davis’ Prizm Gold PSA 9 sold for $181,200. There are no PSA 10 copies of this card and just 2 copies in PSA 9. 

Davis was ranked the 45th best NBA player of all-time according to ESPN

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In March, Anthony Davis’ Silver Prizm PSA 10 sold for $24,000, which means the Gold variation was sold at a multiplier of 7.55x. While this is about half the multiplier as Embiid and Antetokounmpo, it’s likely due to the fact that there are no PSA 10 copies of this card. 

Davis’ Silver Prizm PSA 10 last sold for $8,600, a 64% decrease in value, so it’s likely a sale of the Gold Prizm today would sell for significantly less.

4. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

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On March 6th, Damian Lillard’s 2012 Prizm Gold in BGS Pristine 10 sold for $87,330, and on May 23rd Lillard’s 2012 Prizm Gold BGS 9.5 sold for $74,400. 

Lillard’s currently ranked the 72nd best player of all-time according to ESPN

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Lillard’s Prizm Silver PSA 10 sold for $5,762 on May 24th, the day after his Gold Prizm BGS 9.5 sold. The Gold Prizm sold for 13.23x of the Prizm Silver PSA 10. 

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The BGS 10 copy of the card sold for $87,330 in March, a 14.5% premium from its BGS 9.5 counterpart, which is expected as it’s in a higher grade. 

There are a total of 12 copies of the Gold Prizm in PSA 10, BGS 9.5, BGS 10, which is 2.2x more rare than the Prizm Silver PSA 10 with 32 copies. 

Lillard’s Prizm Gold BGS 9.5 sold for as low as $1,150 in February of 2017. 

5. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

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On January 31st, the 2018 Luka Doncic Prizm Gold PSA 10 sold for $780,000 on Goldin Auctions and on April 7th, it sold for $645,750. 

Doncic was ranked the #1 NBA Player under the age of 25 by ESPN two years in a row. 

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The pop 3 Gold Prizm PSA 10 has lost 17.2% of it’s value since the January sale. 

On January 31st 2021, Doncic’s Prizm Silver sold for $8,120.71. In this case, the Prizm Gold sold for 96x of the Prizm Silver counterpart, likely due to a higher population of silver Prizms. 

The Prizm Gold PSA 10 is 685 times more rare than the Prizm Silver PSA 10. 

On April 8th, the Prizm Silver PSA 10 sold for $7,700, a 5% decrease from the January 31st sale. 

The Prizm Gold lost 12.2% more value in that time period, but as of June 13th, Doncic’s Silver Prizm is valued at $4,742.50, a 38% loss in value. 

In the last month alone, there have been 20 new copies of the Prizm Silver graded in a PSA 10 copy. 

In July of 2019, the BGS 9.5 Prizm Gold Luka Doncic sold for just $8,500 in a private sale while the current predicted value is $111,920, 1,216% growth in 2 years. 

6. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

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On March 7th, the Trae Young Prizm Gold PSA 10 sold for $111,930 at Goldin Auctions. 

Young finished 6th in All-Star voting for Eastern Conference Guards. 

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Young’s Prizm Silver PSA 10 sold for $1,650 on March 8th. Like Doncic’s Gold Prizm, Young’s Gold sold for 67.8x of the Prizm Silver in a similar time frame. 

The Prizm Silver PSA 10 has a population of 2,061 with 36 new PSA 10 copies issued in the past month. The Gold Prizm is 515 times more rare than the Silver, which is less rare than Doncic’s Prizm Gold and may clue us into why the Gold didn’t sell at a similar multiplier. 

Young’s Silver Prizm PSA 10 has increased in value since the sale in March to $1,673, 1.39% growth. 

7. Lebron James, Los Angeles Lakers

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On April 6th, the 2012 Prizm Gold Lebron James BGS 9.5 sold for $571,200 on Goldin Auctions. 

Lebron James was ranked #2 on ESPN’s All-Time Basketball rankings

While this isn’t a rookie card, 2012 Prizm was the first year the product was introduced for NBA players and carries some historical significance in the hobby. 

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On April 7th, Lebron James’ 2003 Topps Chrome Refractor (Rookie) sold for $147,600. 

That means that the non-rookie, non-PSA 10, Gold Refractor sold for 3.86x the value of a PSA 10 rookie refractor in the same time period. 

The 2003 Topps Chrome Rookie refractor has lost 36% of its value since the March sale, with it’s latest value at $94,470. 

At the current predicted value of the 2012 Prizm Gold BGS 9.5, the card is still worth 1.8x of it’s Topps Chrome rookie refractor counterpart. 

The 2012 Gold Prizm BGS 9.5 is 19x more rare than the Topps Chrome rookie Refractor PSA 10.

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