Zion Williamson Rookie PSA 10s Selling for only $0.99

Perhaps no player represented the "Pandemic Bubble" like Zion Williamson. His rookie card was one of the most anticipated in the hobby in 2020, and it set off a feeding frenzy. Some people invested tens of thousands of dollars in sports cards on the phenom from Duke, betting that he would be the next big thing.

Nov 6, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) smiles before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Confession: Sometime in late 2020, I walked into a card shop without direction, mostly looking to catch up on what was hot. 2019-20 Panini Mosaic was hot, with each pack going for $25. Zion Williamson, whose card was fetching $100 raw, was the biggest pull.

This version of Zion Williamson feels older than it is pic.twitter.com/i6Ac87MLGh

— Hoops © (@HoopMixOnly) July 13, 2023

The Rise and Fall of Zion Williamson and His Collectibles Market

I bought three packs for $70 after the owner gave me a small discount. It was a mistake. My best pull was an unnumbered green parallel of Admiral Schofield. But the allure of getting a Zion Williamson card was too appealing. I had gotten back into the hobby in the early 2010s, but even with some experience, I really felt like I would pull Zion out of one of those packs.  

Victor Wembanyama's Panini Prizm Rookie Card Setting Grading Records

Now, I'm staring at Williamson's Mosaic card in a PSA 9, one I coveted very much, sold on eBay for $1.04 plus $4.37 in shipping not too long ago.

Image Courtesy of eBay

Victor Wembanyama Became the King of PSA Grading in His Rookie Year

But it was even more eye-opening to see that a PSA 10 Panini Hoops rookie card sold for $0.99. It shows how mad the speculative bubble was for a few years after the pandemic. This card was selling for nearly $100 in PSA 10 at one point. Note: A couple of other PSA 10 sales were archived at $0.99, but they did not seem legitimate.

A scan through eBay sales history yields scores of PSA 9s selling for just $0.99 or a dollar and change. There's just so much Williamson in slabs that when the bubble burst, it also came crashing down, and it's not that the player is bad.

Image Courtesy of eBay

Now in his fifth season, Williamson has made two All-Star teams and, when healthy, is one of the best young stars in the league. Given the weighty expectations he had entering the league, it's easy to forget that he's just 24.

But from a card perspective, this is yet another reminder of what can happen when caught up in the exuberance of a flashy rookie. The supply of Williamson cards is outrageous. According to GemRate, Williamson is PSA's fifth-most-graded basketball player ever. The card above, the Hoops Tribute, has been graded 8,102 times, with 5,722 Gem Mint 10s. Heck, his 2019 Panini Prizm has been graded 42,467 times!

Oct 30, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) shoots during the first quarter against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Given that the card prices for Williamson have dropped so much, why not buy one now? It's funny what a drop in the cost of an item can do to one's desire for that item.