To own a Larry Bird Rookie Card is to own one of the most famous basketball cards ever produced. But it’s not the only option collectors have, particularly when they don’t have thousands to spend.
Bird’s first cards came at a time when the hoops hobby was struggling. Topps was the only game in town for mainstream releases and even they wouldn’t be around the sport for much longer. The Celtics legend’s cardboard debut came in 1980-81 Topps Basketball, a set of mini cards joined together in panels of three. This meant a variety of combinations, so better than the others. Bird? Well, he’s part of the best, joined by another rookie and future basketball great. Between them? Just someone else who happens to rank among the best to ever step on the court.
Larry Bird Rookie Card Guide and Other Early Basketball Card Highlights
1980-81 Topps 34 Larry Bird Rookie Card / 174 Julius Erving – Scoring Leader / 139 Magic Johnson Rookie Card
Usualy one person dominates a multi-player rookie card. Not here. Bird is paired with his longtime rival and basketball legend Magic Johnson on this three-card panel. Between them is another great, Julius Erving. Put it all together and you’ve got one of the most famous — and valuable — basketball cards of all-time.
The iconic status of the card is reflected in prices today. Graded Gem Mint copies consistently reach six figures when they come up for auction. The top sale came in August, 2021 when a PSA 10 copy sold for $861,000. A handful have topped $500,000 in the years since.
1980-81 Topps 34 Larry Bird Rookie Card / 164 Bill Cartwright – Rebounding Leader / 23 John Drew
The 1980-81 Topps Larry Bird rookie card makes another appearance, although it’s not nearly as iconic. Rather than running alongside his main rival’s rookie and one of the game’s greatest of all-time, it’s Bill Cartwright and John Drew. But for those who care about the Boston legend and don’t have the budget for his most valuable rookie card, this could prove to be a bargain Bird as it’s a fraction of the price.
1980-81 Topps 47 Scott May/ 30 Larry Bird – Scoring Leader / 232 Jack Sikma
If you’re okay venturing out of traditional rookie card rules and just want a first-year Larry Bird card, 1980-81 Topps Basketball has some options there as well. The Celtics legend has two different subset “Leaders” cards spread across four different combinations. If the Bird/Erving/Johnson is top tier and Bird/Cartwright/Drew second, these represent a distant third level that are much more affordable —and possibly overlooked.
1980-81 Topps 143 Marques Johnson – Scoring Leader / 30 Larry Bird – Scoring Leader / 232 Jack Sikma
Another 1980-81 Topps Bird/Johnson pairing but probably not the one you’re looking for. No offense to Marques Johnson who led the Bucks’ offense in 1979-80 with 21.7 points per game, but he’s no Magic Johnson.
1980-81 Topps 146 Junior Bridgeman / 31 Larry Bird – Rebounding Leader / 198 Ron Brewer
The third Bird on the 1980-81 Topps Basketball checklist is another subset card. This time it commemorates Bird being Boston’s best rebounder from the previous season. Ron Brewer appears alongside this one both times while Junior Bridgeman switches out for Seattle’s Fred Brown.
1980-81 Topps 228 Fred Brown / 31 Larry Bird – Rebounding Leader / 198 Ron Brewer
Subbing in Fred Brown for Junior Bridgeman isn’t much of a needle mover for this card. The same rules apply here as Bird’s other subset cards.
1981-82 Topps Larry Bird #4
Obviously, this isn’t a Larry Bird rookie card. It’s a second-year issue, something that’s typically forgotten. But with Bird’s cards first taking flight on multi-card panels, this marks his debut solo appearance in a major set. It’s also from the last Topps Basketball set for more than a decade as the NBA license fell by the wayside.
Bird has two other 1981-82 Topps Basketball cards, #45 Celtics Team Leaders with Nate Archibald and #East 101 Super Action.
