[Article] Best and Worst (April & May 2025)

The monthly best and worst series highlights my most profitable card sale and the card that resulted in the largest dollar loss. I'll attempt to explain why these two cards performed exceptionally well and poorly, respectively.

BEST

2023 Donruss Optic Opti-Graphs Choice Nebula Anthony Edwards AUTO 1/1 PSA 9 MINT

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves have just completed another impressive season, reaching the conference finals for the second consecutive year, but ultimately falling short against the well-rounded Oklahoma City Thunder. Edwards performed exceptionally throughout the year, maintaining his momentum from last season's breakout performance. Meanwhile, Nebula 1/1s have gained popularity over the past year due to their appealing colors, which, in my opinion, stand out more than the true black or other black variations like shimmer, finite, or disco. This Nebula, even in the lower-end Donruss Optic product, includes a rare autograph not found in higher-end products. Although it's a sticker autograph, its uniqueness would still be on any serious Edwards collector radar. I purchased this card for just over $1,900 in late March 2025 and later sold it for a $3,000 profit, effectively 2.5x my outlay.

The nice twist to this story is that the card was purchased by Nat Turner, apparently by mistake not realising its a sticker auto. But I'm sure he won't have any short on takers if he were to put this card back in the market.

WORST

2021 Panini Flawless Emerald Franz Wagner ROOKIE PATCH AUTO DNA 10 /5 PSA 10

While Anthony Edwards did everything right, Franz Wagner's card went sideways in a hurry early on in the season. When Paolo Banchero was ruled out after the 5th game of the season, Franz was balling like an all-star. He did everything right to help his team stay afloat, including the crazy go-ahead game winner against the Lakers. By December last year, his cards were sizzling.

But a freak accident caused his to suffer a similar injury to Banchero, and although he didn't miss as many games, it was enough the throw off his momentum and lost out on his almost assured all-star bid. I picked up this Flawless RPA in late February, anticipating his return and pick up where he left off. Franz was never the same, and although the Orlando Magic somehow limped into the post season, Franz's cards never recovered from its highs early in the season. This Flawless numbered to 5 in a PSA 10/10 to me I think its his best graded rookie card from the set, probably only topped by the logoman. My cost base of $6,000 felt like a great deal at that time in February and this was sold in early April for under $5,000, a nett loss of $1,300 for me after fees. I have lost bigger amounts before on other cards, but not on a card of this high quality within a short period of time.