Basketball cards: Is Denver Nuggets Bol Bol rookie card worth collecting?

For collectors of basketball cards — Is a Denver Nuggets Bol Bol rookie card worth collecting?

This season has been a long one for all Denver Nuggets and NBA fans. Extending nearly an entire calendar year due to a major pause in play brought on by the pandemic, it’s stretched out the news cycle and elongated other aspects of the fandom such as card collecting.

Since it’s been many months since new basketball cards have come out for collectors to get their hands on, hobbyists have spent the last few months focusing on some fringe collectibles to beef up their collections heading into the next season.

As a result, some players are getting some shine and might be worth collecting right now that otherwise may have gone by the wayside. Peak bubble performance helped some players as well.

Bol Bol of the Denver Nuggets fits that bill.

Note: Card collecting is a fun, entertaining hobby. We aren’t advising the financial investment of any amount into any particular card here. For the sake of transparency, the author of this article is an avid Bol Bol fan and has a small collection of Bol Bol cards that he is not currently offloading. 

The Denver Nuggets Bol Bol rookie card might be one for basketball card collectors to eye

Bol Bol is, in my opinion, a great card for collectors to eye from what’s left of the 2019 rookies. I’d stay away from Zion Williamson and Ja Morant right now. They’ve been hyped all year and the price you pay is going to be pretty steep. Similarly, players like Tyler Herro are surging at the moment and it’s likely that there will be a better time to collect his cards.

Bol is one of the more underrated and potentially high-reward rookies left out there. Though there’s potential he’s never anything more than a fringe bench player, his versatile fit, lengthy build, and ball-handling/shooting ability conjure up an image that is hard to look away from and not see something in the vein of potential there. He’s a potential X-Factor, that’s for sure.

I mean, come on, remember his bubble performances?

Also, Bol is a lovable personality. He caught the heart of all millennial NBA fans by talking about his SpongeBob tattoo before the season started. At his heart he’s still just a kid.

The downside to Bol cards is you may have to look for raw cards. The rated versions of his premium parallels are a bit tricky to find sometimes.

When I went into my local sports memorabilia shop recently, one of the first cards that caught my eye was a Bol Bol DonRuss Rated Rookie Hologram card. It was PSA Graded and rated “9 – Mint”. I had to have it.

For those who may be unfamiliar with the hologram parallels, they have an absolutely stunning metallic foil border that likens to a hologram.

It’s one of eight Rated Rookie Holos that have been graded by PSA. I paid about $50 for it, and others have sold for $80 (PSA-9) and a 10 sold for $200.

As of late, though, I’ve seen plenty of Prizm PSA graded Bol Bols go for under $30. Keep in mind, the cost of grading a card is often $20 alone, so I’d consider that to be a steal.

The harsh reality is this card may plummet in value over time. Remember, this is a hobby and there is an inherent risk in making purchases from the mindset of trying to turn a profit. For me, Bol is the perfect example of why we collect. He’s fun, lovable, and he just might turn into a special player someday. But even if he doesn’t, you’ll be able to look at his card(s) in your collection and remember the glimmer of positivity he brought every time you saw him play or speak.