Larry Bird Rookie Card Market Guide

As one of basketball’s all-time greats, Larry Bird has a legacy that includes three NBA championships, multiple player and coach of the year honors and lifetime achievement awards. Bird was also a member of the 1992 gold-medal-winning Olympic “Dream Team,” which included the NBA’s most legendary players of the era.

From the Sycamores to the Celtics

Drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird elected to stay in college one more year, leading the Indiana State Sycamores to the NCAA championship, which they lost 75-64 against Michigan State. Despite the loss, Bird won the Naismith College Player of the Year Award.

In 1979, Bird made his professional debut with the Celtics, where he helped the team win 32 more games over the previous year. He ended his rookie season with an average of 21.3 points, 4.5 assists and 10.4 rebounds per game. Due to these numbers, he was named Rookie of the Year and selected for the NBA All-Star Team. Bird had already made his mark on the league, as he quickly became a household name.

Honors and Championships

In 1981, Bird won his first championship with the Celtics against the Houston Rockets. He’d continue to add to his legacy, as the shooter was an integral part of building the Celtics dynasty of the 1980s. During his 13-season career, all of which he played in Boston, he won three NBA championships and was selected for the All-Star team 12 times. He also won the NBA’s MVP award three consecutive seasons. He was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame twice — in 1998 and again in 2010 — as a member of the Olympic “Dream Team." Since his retirement in 1992, Bird has worked as a coach, executive and advisor for the Indiana Pacers.

In 2021, Bird was named one of the 75 greatest basketball players of all time, as part of the NBA’s 75^th Anniversary Team. To date, Bird is still the only NBA player in history to win Rookie of the Year, MVP, All-Star MVP, Finals MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.

Are Larry Bird Rookie Cards Valuable?

Larry Bird cards are considered some of the most desirable among the entire roster of retired NBA players. Bird played during a late-century Golden Age that many consider the NBA’s greatest, as it included legends such as Moses Malone, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan.

To the frustration of many collectors, Bird only has one official rookie card — and he’s not even featured as a solo player. Because demand exceeds supply, this rookie card usually performs quite well on the secondary market. For example, a Gem Mint card sold for $861,000 at Goldin Auctions in 2021, while another Gem Mint card sold for $125,200 in 2018.

Investment Potential for Larry Bird Rookie Cards

Larry Bird played in arguably one of the most popular decades for NBA basketball as the game became more prominent in the 1980s. He also spent his entire career with one of basketball’s most popular teams, the Boston Celtics. Collectors of his cards include Celtics fans, Bird fans and fans who focus their collecting on NBA Golden Age players.

This creates three lucrative markets in the sports memorabilia world. With so much collector interest coupled with Bird’s unique and amazing legacy, demand remains high for his early cards, especially his single rookie card.

Top Larry Bird Rookie Cards

Larry Bird’s official rookie card was issued by Topps, and features a triple image of Bird, Erving and Johnson. Interestingly, in their 1980-81 set, Topps produced five more triple-panel cards featuring Bird with two other players. While the Bird/Erving/Johnson card is considered the “true” rookie card, these other variations are also a popular option for Bird rookie card collectors and are significantly more affordable than the elusive Bird/Erving/Johnson version.

These are the cards to look for, starting with the holy grail official rookie card:

• 1980-81 Topps #34 Larry Bird, #173 Julius Erving, #139 Magic Johnson
• 1980-81 Topps #143 Marques Johnson, #30 Larry Bird, #232 Jack Sikma
• 1980-81 Topps #34 Larry Bird, #164 Bill Cartwright, #23 John Drew
• 1980-81 Topps #47 Scott May, #30 Larry Bird, #232 Jack Sikma
• 1980-81 Topps #228 Fred Brown, #31 Larry Bird, #198 Ron Brewer
• 1980-81 Topps #146 Junior Bridgeman, #31 Larry Bird, #198 Ron Brewer

Here’s how prices for Larry Bird rookie cards are trending on sports card tracking sites like SportsCardsPro, PriceGuide.Cards and Sports Card Investor. The fair market values for these cards are regularly updated, so you can expect to see some price fluctuations from recent sales.

1980 Topps #34 Larry Bird, #174 Julius Erving, #139 Magic Johnson ($30,000)

This iconic three-panel card features three great action shots of Larry Bird, Julius Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers and Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers. Bird’s image is framed in vivid blue with white edging, and the Celtics name is in cursive at the bottom. Erving’s image is framed in lime green, and Johnson’s is in pink. In addition, there’s a basketball logo with “Scoring Leader” above Erving’s image.

The card came in a complete set of 176 cards, with each panel featuring a different player, including greats like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Robert Parish and Sidney Moncrief.

Like all the other three-panel cards in this series, this card is detachable, with perforated edges between each image. Cards that haven’t been detached are the most sought after by collectors and have the greatest monetary value. Detached cards are viewed as damaged and generally listed in “poor” condition. Also, be aware that Topps produced a reprint of this card in 1996, which doesn’t have the same high value as the original.

On PriceGuide.Cards, Ungraded trends at an average price of $569 and a top price of $6,602. Graded trends at an average price of $1,485 and a top price of $30,000.

SportsCardsPro shows Ungraded trending at $100, Grade 7 at $1,556 and Grade 8 at $1,750.

1980 Topps #143 Marques Johnson, #30 Larry Bird, #232 Jack Sikma ($2,500)

Larry Bird is featured in the middle again, flanked by the Milwaukee Bucks’ Marques Johnson and Sonics forward Jack Sikma. Graphics are the same, but this time, the “Scoring Leader” basketball logo is above the images of both Johnson and Bird.

On PriceGuide.Cards, Ungraded trends at an average price of $17 and a top price of $102. Graded trends at an average price of $144 and a top price of $2,500.

1980 Topps #34 Larry Bird, #164 Bill Cartwright, #23 John Drew ($2,075)

This card shows the exact same image of Bird as his official rookie card, plus the same graphics. In this example, however, he’s joined by the New York Knicks’ Bill Cartwright, and Atlanta Hawks forward John Drew. A basketball logo with “Rebounding Leader” is also printed above Bill Cartwright.

On PriceGuide.Cards, Ungraded trends at an average price of $41 and a top price of $227. Graded trends at an average price of $134 and a top price of $2,075 (grades unspecified).

1980 Topps #47 Scott May, #30 Larry Bird, #232 Jack Sikma ($1,864)

This card features Larry Bird in the middle, flanked by Chicago Bulls forward Scott May and Seattle Supersonics forward Jack Sikma. The graphics are all similar to the other cards in the series, but this time with the “Scoring Leader” basketball logo above Larry Bird.

On PriceGuide.Cards, Ungraded trends at an average price of $52 and a top price of $1,864. Graded trends at an average of $82 and a top price of $1,007 (grades unspecified).

1980 Topps #146 Junior Bridgeman, #31 Larry Bird, #198 Ron Brewer ($1,200)

This card features the same middle image of Bird playing defense, as he’s flanked by Milwaukee Bucks forward Junior Bridgeman, and Portland Trailblazers guard Ron Brewer. A “Rebounding Leader” basketball logo is printed above Bird’s image.

On PriceGuide.Cards, Ungraded trends at an average price of $14 and a top price of $149.33. Graded trends at an average price of $52, and a top price of $1,200 (grades unspecified).

1980 Topps #228 Fred Brown, #31 Larry Bird, #198 Ron Brewer ($499.99)

Once again, Larry Bird is featured in the middle of this card, as he’s seen playing defense with a raised arm. He’s flanked by Seattle Supersonics guard Fred Brown and Portland Trailblazers guard Ron Brewer. Above Bird’s head, there’s a basketball logo with the words “Rebounding Leader.”

On PriceGuide.Cards, Ungraded trends at an average price of $23 and a top price of $499. Graded trends at an average price of $52 and a top price of $455 (grades unspecified).

Where Can I Find Larry Bird Rookie Cards?

You can find Larry Bird rookie cards and memorabilia at sports collectibles stores, memorabilia shows and online auctions. Listed below are some of the most popular auction sites for sports cards:

• eBay
• Memory Lane
• Invaluable
• Lelands
• SCP Auctions
• Goldin
• Christie's
• Heritage Auctions
• Sotheby's
• Pristine Auction
• EBTH
• PWCC

In addition, you can find upcoming sports memorabilia shows scheduled for your area by searching Google, social media sites and collectors’ forums.

How Are Larry Bird Rookie Cards Graded?

Professional grading uses a numeric system ranging from Ungraded to Perfect 10. This system is universally recognized by dealers, collectors and appraisers throughout the industry. Here’s how it works:

Perfect 10: A perfect, flawless card, with top Gem Mint grades for edges, surfaces, centering and corners. No flaws are visible, even under 10x magnification.

Gem Mint: Perfect, with sharp corners, correct centering, bright colors and no condition issues or manufacturing flaws.

Grade 9.5: Near Mint, with a minor flaw.

Grade 9: Excellent, with a few minor flaws.

Grades 8 and below: These cards have condition issues or manufacturing flaws and are valued lower than the same cards with higher grades.

Ungraded: These cards have never been graded.

Raw: These are new to the market and have just been removed from their original packaging.

Sports card values are determined by condition, rarity and collector demand. And while condition and rarity can be easily assessed, collector demand is usually the unknown quantity and can be tricky to calculate. Because of collector demand (or the lack of it), rare, flawless cards may stagnate on the market, while lesser-grade cards printed in larger numbers may catapult in price if collectors are clamoring for that card.

Likewise, online auctions sometimes fuel bidding wars that can cause higher prices across the board for certain cards, even if they’re not especially rare. And if a sports figure suddenly makes a comeback or returns to the spotlight in another type of venue, this can increase their popularity and the value of their cards.

True sports legends tend to remain legendary no matter how much time passes. For this reason, their memorabilia usually remain popular, especially rookie cards and early career items in top-notch condition. And when it comes to condition, it’s always a good idea to buy the very best quality that you can afford.

Should I Get My Sports Cards Graded?

Getting your collection graded can be an excellent way to authenticate your cards and help establish their quality. When cards are professionally graded, they’re examined for condition issues and manufacturing flaws by a certified expert. Once their grade has been determined, the information is entered into an international database as a permanent record.

Cards that are graded tend to sell more quickly, and usually at higher prices, than Ungraded cards. If you ever decide to sell your collection, you may have an easier time if your cards are graded. And if you plan on keeping your cards and passing them down to friends or family members, grading can help enhance the quality of your collection. By getting them graded, you can rest assured that your cards will have an established quality that will be recognized for generations to come. For further information on CSG's 10-point Grading Scale and to find out more about our industry-leading services, visit CSGcards.com.

*Any mention of "investment potential" is for entertainment only and should not be construed as investment advice. The Certified Collectibles Group does not provide investment advice and is not liable for any buy, sell or trade decisions made by any parties.