Bill Russell Celtics rookie card sells for record-setting $660,000 at auction
It's now the most expensive Russell trading card and the third-most expensive pre-1980s basketball card of all time
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A 1957 Topps Bill Russell rookie card sold for $660,000 on Thursday in PWCC Marketplace's May Vintage Premier Auction. The card was graded to a PSA 8.5 and awarded a PWCC-A Eye Appeal designation.
This marks a new all-time high for a public sale of a Russell trading card. The previous record was set at $630,000 in August 2021, and the one before that was $390,000 from a sale in April 2021.
"It's worth looking beyond the sales price and taking a moment to appreciate the quality of this card from a historical perspective," PWCC Marketplace vice president of sales Jesse Craig said in a statement.
"There are no PSA 10 copies of this card and just three PSA 9 copies in existence. None of those 9s have ever surfaced at public auction. There are two copies of the card graded to a PSA 8.5 and this copy holds above average eye appeal according to our experts. When you take all of that into consideration it is possible that this is the best looking copy of the card to exist in the world. What isn't debatable is that we're in the museum-quality range with this card. We're looking at a true artifact celebrating one of the all-time greats."
The Russell rookie card is also the third-highest public sale in terms of vintage (pre-1980s) basketball cards. The only other cards that top it are a 1948 Bowman George Mikan rookie card (graded to a PSA 9) sold for $800,000 in March 2022, and a 1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain rookie card (graded to a PSA 9 and awarded a PWCC-S designation) sold for $670,000 via a confirmed private sale in June 2022.
Russell, a Boston Celtics legend who led the team to 11 NBA championships, died at the age of 88 on July 31, 2022. However, Russell's legacy as one of the most important figures in NBA history as a player and coach will not be forgotten. No other NBA figure has won more championships than him. During his time in the league as a player from 1956 until 1969, he was a 12-time All-Star and a five-time MVP.
On April 16, 1966, Russell became the first Black head coach in NBA history following Red Auerbach's retirement. Two of Russell's championship rings were as a player-coach, and he is still the only person in league history to have multiple rings wearing those two hats. Weeks after his death, the NBA announced that Russell's No. 6 jersey was set to be retired across the league.
