A lucky collector in China pulled the 1-of-1 Panini National Treasures Zion Williamson rookie patch autograph card. Let’s talk about why this set is so significant and what’s going to happen next.
The 1-of-1 Zion Williamson National Treasures Logoman finally hit in China over the Thanksgiving holiday.
It’s the most sought-after card for the 2019-20 NBA rookie class out of Panini’s National Treasures set, and the hype around it was so massive that Blowout Cards set a $500,000 bounty for anyone that hit the card.
Why is the Logoman important to the hobby?
Since its introduction, the Logoman has been an iconic card and the record-setting listings support that statement. The Logoman started in Upper Deck, most notably Exquisite. They were true 1/1 autographed memorabilia cards with a game-worn NBA logoman patch. Having this card of any player is a status symbol in the hobby.
Back in February 2021, the Luka Doncic Logoman was sold for a record-breaking $4.6 million price to collector Nick Fiorello. It was the second-highest-sold card of all-time and the highest-sold basketball card of all-time. Reports say the seller originally purchased the Luka Doncic-card for only $400,000.
What does this mean for LaMelo Ball’s Logoman?
That’s the projected million-dollar-plus question. Bounties for the NT Logoman Zion were half a million and rumor has it that the owner already turned down a $1.7 million offer. If we had to take a guess, the owner will wait until Zion returns from injury to sell the card. The inevitable sale of this card will determine the state of the market.
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To our knowledge, the 2020-21 National Treasures LaMelo Ball Logoman has yet to be hit. Depending on what the Zion NT Logoman sells for, that could send ripples through the hobby and ultimately affect prices of not only LaMelo’s Logoman but others as well. Let’s take a look at both scenarios.
The worst-case scenario would be if the card sells for under the initial offer of $1.7 million or below the Blowout Cards $500K bounty. That would mean the hobby has cooled off almost completely from the heights of 2020 and 2021. Fortunately, we don’t think this will be the case.
The best-case scenario will depend on when Zion returns to the court and how he performs. Let’s say the card sells for more than the Luka Logoman. That would be huge for the hobby and would mean the hobby is still as popular as ever. This would result in increased values for all Logoman cards, especially the Luka Doncic and Upper Deck Exquisites.
“Logoman cards continue to set the bar for price in the modern basketball card market as they are truly pieces of fine art,” said Jesse Craig, Director of Business Development at PWCC. “Demand for Logoman assets, in general, is at an all-time high. That said, the Zion 1/1 rookie Logoman is a bit difficult to price. Whoever owns it isn’t going to let it go for cheap, as they shouldn’t. I think the card would be a $1.5 to $2 million card if it went to a premier auction.”
Craig also compared Zion to Joel Embiid, a superstar with a similar trajectory. Embiid was injured at the beginning of his career but became a top player in the NBA.
“Zion does have some concerns around him with injury and game readiness, but he’s still one of the most exciting players in the NBA,” he said. “He remains a player that investors see tremendous upside in. His sales haven’t seen a huge decrease that would be typical of a player injured early in their career.”
Upcoming in January 2022, another 1-of-1 Zion Williamson autograph from National Treasures will be available through PWCC’s Premier Auction.
“With all the excitement around the Zion rookie Logoman finally being pulled, you are going to see increased awareness around Zion assets, and especially 1/1 assets,” Craig said. “A 1/1 rookie Zion from the same National Treasures set going to the auction block in PWCC’s January Premier Auction. While not the same value as the Logoman, it is still a card that is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye and will see a lot of interest. It will be an interesting indicator of where the market stands.”
We’ll keep an eye on the Zion Williamson Logoman. We’re sure it’ll make waves once it hits an auction house or at the National Card show this summer.
