Jeremy Lin: Auction Price for New York Knicks Star's Rookie Card Is Insane

New York Knicks star point guard Jeremy Lin isn't just dominating the NBA right now, he's dominating the sports memorabilia market too, thanks to the popularity over one of his most coveted rookie cards.

Below is a picture of a Lin rookie card that is currently fetching more than $21,000 in an eBay auction.

First of all, this is a fantastic card. The autograph is in spectacular shape with a clear blue signature, and the patch is two-colored. The card also has a phenomenal rating from reputable grading service Beckett, who gave it a 9.5 (gem, mint condition).

Another cool part of this card is it's numbered 17 out of 25, meaning this was the 17th card made out of the 25 that are available. Typically, having the No. 1 of 25 would be the most valuable, but in certain cases that's not the case. Since No. 17 is Lin's jersey number with the Knicks, this card has unique value because this is the only card in this set that is No. 17 like Lin's jersey.

Despite this card being quite amazing, there is no way you should spend over $10,000 on it. It's important to realize that the value of this card is likely going to go way down in the coming weeks and months, especially if the Knicks don't win a playoff series.

As someone who has collected sports cards for over a decade, I can tell you that buying rookie cards of rising stars when they're at the beginning of stardom is a terrible idea. You're guaranteed to overpay.

When LeBron James entered the NBA in 2003, his best SP Authentic (Upper Deck) rookie card was worth as much as $13,000 at one point. Right now that card is worth thousands less despite James having a great career thus far.

It's absolutely insane to pay this much for a rookie card of anyone in any sport, but it just goes to show how popular Lin is in the sports world.

In the card's auction description on eBay, the seller compares this card to the Honus Wagner tobacco baseball card, which is arguably the most cherished sports card on the planet. That is a crazy comparison and anyone who believes that is a fool.

This card is unique, and the buyer will likely gain immediate fame in the form of interview requests from the New York media, but unless you are the kind of person with $20,000 or more to throw away, don't even think of bidding on this.

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