Below are 5 of the best Jayson Tatum basketball cards that individuals should look to add to their collection.
Jayson Tatum is one of the best players in the NBA. Alternating between the small forward and power forward positions for the Boston Celtics.
Through 53 games in the 2022-2023 NBA season, he is averaging 30.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 4.5 APG, leading the Celtics to the best record in the NBA.
He is a 4-time All-Star and has been named to both the All-NBA First Team and All-NBA Third Team once so far in his career. Jayson Tatum basketball cards are a hot commodity among collectors. Reaching high prices in both PSA 9 and PSA 10 conditions.
2017-2018 Panini Donruss Rookie Card #198
Estimated PSA 10 Value – $115
Estimated PSA 9 Value – $47.50
The 2017-2018 Panini Donruss rookie card is one of the most popular and affordable rookie cards featuring Tatum according to sportscardspro.com.
The card employs a blue and orange border on its front. Outlining a picture of Tatum holding the ball in a triple-threat position to the right of his waist.
The border itself isn’t a continuous size, but is larger at the top and bottom of the card and changes shape throughout the card’s front.
The top left of the card lists “Rated Rookie” in blue font. While the top right of the card lists the Donruss brand logo in orange font.
Tatum’s name and the Celtics’ team name are listed in white font. Centered near the bottom of the card on the player photo.
The back of the card lists a player summary. Noting that Tatum was the first collegiate player from Duke drafted by the Celtics since 2003. It also notes that he was arguably the most versatile lottery pick player available.
2017-2018 Panini Prizm Mosaic Rookie Card #20
Estimated PSA 10 Value – $325
Estimated PSA 9 Value – $120
For a card containing such a striking frontal design, the 2017-2018 Panini Prizm Mosaic #20 rookie card is quite affordable in both PSA 9 and PSA 10 conditions.
It contains silvery, metallic tiles across its front, with different sections of these tiles displaying different colors. The top half of the card contains a darker, albeit shiny hue, and is part of a picture of an NBA arena crowd.
The player photo of Tatum pictures him driving toward the basket with the basketball under his right shoulder. The four corners and top center portion of the card contain a different type of dark-tiled design, providing a nice contrast with the rest of the card’s front.
The Prizm Mosaic brand name is centered at the top of the card. Tatum’s name and team name are centered at the bottom. And the “RC” graphic identifying the card as a rookie is displayed at the top right section of the player photo.
The back of the card lists Tatum’s collegiate stats and notes that he was one of just 3 Celtics players to record a double-double in their debut.
2017-2018 Panini Prizm Green Rookie Card #16
Estimated PSA 10 Value – $2,750
Estimated PSA 9 Value – $775
For collectors who happen to be Celtics fans, the Panini Prizm Green #16 rookie card is simply a must-have.
Much of the card’s front showcases a beautiful green hue, roughly in the same style as the Celtics’ uniform color. All four corners of the card employ a black-tiled design, whereas two long black strips of this same design run parallel up and down the front of the card.
A player photo of Tatum is centered in the middle of the card, between the two long black strips, picturing him holding the basketball in a triple threat position near his waist.
The Panini Prizm basketball card brand name is centered at the top of the card, also on the black-tiled design. While Tatum’s name and team are centered at the bottom of the card on a silver, metallic strip. An “RC” design graphic is listed just above Tatum’s name, identifying the card as a rookie.
The back of the card lists his collegiate stats and a brief player summary detailing Tatum’s successful NBA Summer League stint in 2017.
2017-2018 Panini Cornerstones Downtown Rookie Card #DT11
Estimated PSA 10 Value – $3,850
Estimated PSA 9 Value – $1,500
The Panini Cornerstones Downtown series incorporates a unique blend of art and creativity in its cards. A nice change from the standard sports card design.
Instead of including an in-game photo of a player on its front, the card includes a computer-generated image. And instead of including the typical background behind the player image such as a crowd shot. The card includes cartoon-style images from downtown Boston.
For the #DT11 card, Tatum is shown shooting a basketball with the Boston skyline in the background. Also pictured are the Charles River, a lobster, a clam, and a bowl of clam chowder.
Most of the card’s background not covered by the artwork has a light green hue, while a large “C” graphic is displayed on the top left of the card. The words “Downtown” along with Tatum’s name and team name are listed at the bottom in white font on green backgrounds.
The card’s back includes a summary noting Tatum was drafted 3rd overall by the Celtics along with some references to Boston culture.
2017-2018 Panini Prizm Blue Ice Rookie Card #16
Estimated PSA 10 Value – $15,000
Estimated PSA 9 Value – $4,500
The 2017-2018 Panini Prizm Blue Ice rookie card is currently the most valuable card featuring Tatum that collectors can obtain.
Although it is rare, with only 99 versions printed in total. Higher-graded versions of this card do show up on occasion.
However, they are incredibly difficult to find in PSA 10 condition, with only one sale on record in 2021 according to sportscardspro.com.
The card itself displays a beautiful frontal design, covered with several different types of blue-shaded crystalline objects.
Other than the background, the card is nearly the same as the other 2017-2018 Panini Prizm rookie cards featuring Tatum.
It displays the black-tiled designs at the same points and includes the same player summary on the back.
The only other difference is that the silver, metallic strip at the bottom of the card’s front that contains Tatum’s name and the Celtics’ team name is shinier.
When I was just starting out with my card collection, I had lots of questions about authenticity, trading, and card conditions. But with not that much information available online, I felt quite alone in my queries. Some questions still haven’t been answered to this day.
This site aims to rectify this, and now, I am passing on my knowledge!
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