Celtics Return to Hobby Prominence

Ysponder

Jun 18 2008 10:00AM

http://www.beckett.com/estore/news/?A=9635

It's been a painful two-plus decades for the Boston Celtics. The NBA's most storied franchise last won a title in 1986 during the heyday of basketball, then watched as the sun set on the careers of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. Then they endured the tragedy of Len Bias—widely regarded as a savior and the future of Celtics' hoops.

What followed was 22 years of despair and bitterness, as one of the NBA's cornerstone franchise was nearly rendered obsolete.

The Celtics wiped the slate clean last night and made a much-anticipated return to prominence by wrapping up their NBA-record 17th title.

A season that began with the disappointment of only receiving the #5 pick in the lottery forced the hand of Boston's management to do something drastic…and boy did they.

In two blockbuster deals, the Celts traded away nearly every prospect and future building block they had on their roster; including Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Delonte West, Jeff Green (the aforementioned #5 lottery pick), and two other draft picks; for perennial all-stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The Garnett trade, a seven-for-one swap, marked an NBA record for most outgoing players for a single player in return.

Contrary to the sentiments of reeling Boston fans prior to the season's start, it would appear the gamble has paid off. What has come to be known as "The Boston Three Party," Garnett, Allen and Paul Pierce, now stand alongside former Celtics champions, which include the likes of Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Larry Bird, and John Havlicek.

The return of the Cetics also marks a turning point for the basketball card hobby. For years, the hobby has been starving for a big-market champion. With teams like the Bulls, Knicks and (previous year's) Lakers hovering around mediocrity (and in the case of the Knicks, downright offensiveness), the basketball market has been stale, to say the least.

But, with a history of big spending, Celtics fans are likely to inject big money into a famished card market at a rate unheard of since the its peak during the 1990s—which is something collectors have been anticipating for almost five years now.

"Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo are the three most likely to benefit. Typically, since Celtics collectors are known to pay premiums for key players, expect moderate to major value jumps on each player's key RCs for the next few days," says Keith Hower, Beckett Senior Market Analyst.

Last week, 1998-99 SP Authentic Paul Pierce RCs could be bought for roughly $20, but are now being offered for $50. The volume of Rajon Rondo cards offered for sale on ebay has nearly doubled overnight.

"Particularly [watch] Rondo's Exquisite Collection RC, an Exquisite Black Rainbow Parallel 1/1 is currently being offered on ebay for $2,250," says Hower.

So, congrats to the 2007-08 NBA Champion Boston Celtics, and stay tuned for future basketball card market updates.