Liquid Auctions Preview
March 6, 2023
Get the details on this week’s Liquid Auctions! Read on for market trends, insights and a sneak peek at some of the investment-grade gems available.
But first, will you be in Dallas or Vegas this month? Stop by our booth where we’ll be ready to assist you with all your vaulting and consignment needs!
3.9 - 3.12 Dallas Card Show | Section C3
Location: The Marriott Dallas Allen Convention Center | 777 Watters Creek Blvd, Allen TX
3.30 - 4.2 The MINT Collective | Table M1 + M2
Location: MGM Grand Las Vegas | 3799 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 891093799 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
NEW Ten-Day Auction!
Start date: Monday, 2/20, 6pm PT / 9pm ET
Close date: Thursday, 3/3, 6pm PT / 9pm ET
Market Trends
Before we take a look at some of the gems available in this week’s auctions, let’s examine a few players making noise in our 30 day market trends.
Jarred Kelenic - 30 Day Trend: Up 27.24%
Baseball prospecting can be a tough game for collectors. For every Julio Rodriguez who blows up right on schedule, there’s one (or more!) players who stumble out of the gate, causing buyers to jump ship. A consensus top five prospect heading into the 2021 season, Jarred Kelenic has spent the last two years shuttling back and forth between AAA (where he’s been good) and Seattle (where he has not). After hitting .181 in 377 at-bats in year one, JK followed that up with just 23 hits in 181 at-bats last year, for a miserable .141 batting average. But after slugging a number of home runs during the first week of Spring Training, Kelenic’s diminished cards are getting swooped up by those hoping for a delayed breakout. Now it’s just a question if it’ll happen, or if JK is kidding them once again.
Kenny Pickett - 30 Day Trend: Up 18.22%
With 2022 NFL product slowly but surely hitting shelves, it’s no surprise that Pickett finds his market on the rise. A rookie QB for one of the NFL’s premier franchises is going to be a hot ticket for collectors, especially with more and more of his rookie cards becoming readily available. The question is about his future. With no can’t miss QB in the current NFL set, Pickett seems to be the arm collectors are going all in on, even if one late-season evaluation called him, “A jittery pocket passer who doesn’t have an obvious superstar trait to build around.” Not a ringing endorsement, but when it comes to the hobby, QB cards are gonna be popular regardless of what the scouts have to say.
Jalen Green - 30 Day Trend: Down 12.05%
Green’s sophomore season has been decent from a statistical perspective, but a major letdown in every other way. He’s 171st in ESPN’s Player Efficiency Rankings, been dealing with injuries, and like last year, the Rockets have the worst record in the league. Sure, Green can pour in the points, and make the occasional highlight dunk, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll be playing in relevant NBA games anytime soon (unless he’s lining up with Victor Wembanyama next fall). Thus, this market dip makes complete sense.
Expert Selections
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2020 Bowman #CPABWJ Bobby Witt Jr. Chrome Prospect Autograph Gold Refractor 45/50 PSA 10 | Alt Value: $14,832
In case you missed out on the BGS 9.5 of this golden gem in our last auction, here’s your chance to get one that’s a little bit greater. There are only nine of these Bobby Witt Jr. 1st Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor autos in circulation in a PSA 10, making this one of future star’s biggest assets to score before the season kicks off. With Witt topping 2023 breakout lists left and right, this card is a solid investment for the upcoming season. Good luck adding it to your lineup.
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2021 Bowman Draft #CDAMM Marcelo Mayer Chrome Autograph Orange Refractor 5/25 PSA 10 | Alt Value: $13,604
If you liked hearing Red Sox fans scream “Nomah!” and “Xandah!,” just wait until they’re yelling “Mahcelo!” at the top of their lungs for years to come. That’s the plan with the #4 pick in the 2021 draft, highly regarded shortstop prospect Marcelo Mayer. Mayer shined in his one full minor league season in 2022 and is already turning heads in Sox camp this spring. Here we have one of his best cards on the market, a PSA 10 Bowman Draft Orange Refractor auto, numbered out of 25 and one of only eight available in this grade. Prospecting can be a tough business, but Mayer plays a premier position for one of the most popular teams in sports. Major potential all around.
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2018 Panini Prizm #3 Luka Doncic Rookie Autograph Silver Prizm PSA 10 | Alt Value $9,030
Looking for a Luka rookie auto? Here’s a perfect option. A gem mint PSA 10/10 Silver Prizm Rookie Signature from 2018. With Luka’s famous autograph in Mavs blue underneath an image of the man himself, this card is a classic that will grow in stature as Luka continues to dominate the league. While many of his Prizm rookie cards are readily available, fewer than 40 of these exist in PSA 10, and it’s sold publicly just five times since the start of 2002. Like Luka himself, the greatness can’t be denied
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2005 Finest #85 LeBron James Gold Refractor 9/39 BGS 9.5 | Alt Value $8,391
You can’t go wrong with scoring a low numbered Topps Finest of an all-time great, and few players are greater than the newly-crowned all-time NBA scoring leader, LeBron James. This 2005 Finest is numbered 9/39 and presented in a BGS 9.5 with only four graded higher. Featuring a soaring LeBron dunking in his original Cavs gear, this is a beautiful piece of 2000s NBA history and a stellar addition to any LBJ collection.
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2017 Bowman #BCP127 Ronald Acuna Jr. Chrome Prospect Orange Refractor 24/25 PSA 10 | Alt Value $5,108
Still just 25 years old, Ronald Acuna heads into his sixth MLB season with major expectations. Between the shortened 2020 and an ACL tear that knocked him out for a chunk of the last two years, Acuna hasn’t played a full season since 2019, when he led the NL in runs and stolen bases and was three steals away from being just the fifth player in MLB history to have a 40/40 season. With MVP predictions buzzing, now’s the time to stock up on one of MLB’s best, and here’s a low numbered 1st Bowman in a PSA 10, one of just five of these Orange Chrome Refractors to reach that plateau. Score it while you can.
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2009 National Treasures #1 Kobe Bryant Timeline Materials Custom Team Nicknames Prime Signature 10/10 BGS 9 | Alt Value $5,044
This classic hails from the 2009-10 season, commemorating Kobe’s fifth and final NBA Championship season and the second of his NBA Finals MVP awards. Add that to the fact that it’s part of the first ever National Treasures set, and you’re looking at your rare chance to own a true NBA grail. With only three BGS 9.5s on the market, this 9 is a great buy for any Kobe collector, and with only one public sale since 2018, now’s the time to add it it your portfolio.
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2005 Upper Deck #201 Sidney Crosby PSA 10 | Alt Value $2,965
Here’s Sid the Kid, presented as simple as it gets in a PSA 10 Upper Deck Young Guns rookie card from 2005, one of the most legendary hockey cards of this or any other century. Now in his 18th season with the Penguins, Crosby is in the midst of an impressive feat as he’s in the top 15 NHL scoring leaders this season, and the all-time list. This card may sell frequently, but there’s never a bad time to score one.
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1955 Topps #123 Sandy Koufax PSA 6 | Alt Value $2,887
The 1955 Topps set remains one of the most iconic trading card sets of all-time, featuring a full-color profile shot, action pose, team logo, printed signature, and team info in a lengthwise design. Part of the legacy has to do with it being home to a number of rookie cards from the biggest names in baseball history, including one Sanford “Sandy” Koufax. Offered in a PSA 6, this card may be pushing 70, but it remains one of the most beautiful assets in hobby history. Hoping to land a Hall of Famer with your prospecting budget? Try the sure thing instead.
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