Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images/Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Tim Duncan spent 19 NBA seasons quietly destroying teams while seemingly doing everything possible to avoid attracting attention, so naturally one of his rookie cards just picked a fight with the loudest collectibles market in basketball. A rare 1997 SkyBox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Emerald Duncan sold for $330,645.62, topping the $225,700 recently paid for a high-end Victor Wembanyama card.
The result established a new auction record for a Duncan card and created a pretty great San Antonio generational crossover. According to the San Antonio Express-News, the Wembanyama card it surpassed was a one-of-one 2024 Panini One and One Platinum Encased Logoman that sold for $225,700.
Tim Duncan’s Rookie Card Is A 1990s Cardboard Unicorn
This is not the Duncan card you would find sitting in a shoebox next to 14 Damon Stoudamire inserts.
The Heritage listing identifies it as card No. 004/100 from the iconic Precious Metal Gems set, graded BGS 8.
That serial number is especially important.
Although PMGs were technically numbered to 100, only the first 10 copies received the Emerald finish. The other 90 were red, making Duncan’s green rookie effectively one of just 10 produced.
Basically, somebody in 1997 decided a normal rookie card needed to be significantly harder to find, significantly easier to damage and, three decades later, significantly more expensive than a Lamborghini.
PMG cards are notoriously condition-sensitive because of their foil surfaces, which makes a BGS 8 example even more attractive. Duncan’s card received a 9.5 for centering, 8.5 for corners, 8 for edges and 7.5 for surface.
Apparently those decimals add up to a third of a million dollars.
Wembanyama’s Overall Card Market Is Still Completely Insane
The result does not mean Duncan has suddenly overtaken Wembanyama in the broader collectibles market.
Not even close.
A one-of-one Wembanyama 2023-24 Panini Prizm Black rookie graded PSA 10 sold privately for $5.11 million in May through Fanatics Collect, making it one of the most expensive basketball cards ever.
But that is what makes this particular comparison fun.
Wembanyama is 22 years old, still building his career and already operating inside a modern card market specifically designed around one-of-ones, Logoman patches, and microscopic print runs. Duncan played his rookie season when people were still connecting to the internet through noises that sounded like a fax machine having a medical emergency.
And yet his best rookie cards remain absolute monsters.
The $330,645.62 sale also surpassed Duncan’s previous solo-card high of $228,000 for another Emerald PMG, while a one-of-one triple Logoman featuring Duncan, LeBron James and Wembanyama had reached $286,819.
Twenty-nine years after Duncan entered the NBA, his cardboard is still setting personal records.
Wemby may own the future in San Antonio.
The Big Fundamental apparently still owns a few expensive pieces of the past.