James Harden Rookie Cards: Best Sets and Parallels

Since being drafted third overall in 2009, James Harden has transformed his game a number of times in a number of different jerseys. As we dive into some of the 3-time NBA scoring title holder’s cards, it is important to keep in mind Harden’s current positioning. As of June 28th, Harden has picked up his $35.6M option in hopes to explore new trade destinations. 

Let’s take a look at some key cards from his rookie season:

VALUE ROOKIES:

The Value Tier includes cards with high print runs or lower-quality cardstock. A good fit for new collectors or those on a limited budget.

2009 Upper Deck #227 Base: With an average sale of $62, Harden’s Upper Deck #227 is another solid value buy. It’s not sold frequently, as it shows Harden in his Arizona State college uniform. While he has struggled to fit with a number of organizations, a trade to a serious contender in need of a playmaking shot creator could create some serious upside at a moderately low cost as he continues to seek his first elusive ring.

2009 Prestige Base #153: With similar pricing to the Upper Deck Base, this card features Harden in his first Oklahoma City Thunder regular season jersey. With an average sale of around $60 in PSA 10, you can look to this Prestige card to round off your portfolio of value Harden rookie cards.

2009 Prestige Base #203: This Prestige Base is an appetizing entry-level card for those looking to get in on Harden at an affordable price. Being Harden’s only rookie card where he is sporting the Oklahoma City Thunder Summer League jersey also adds a bit of flair and differentiation from other cards in the price range. Nearly 70 of these cards have been sold in the last year, ranging anywhere from $23 to $100, with an average cost of just $51 for PSA 10 examples. We should note that this card can certainly double dip into our popular rookie cards category below. Not only has this card been traded 64 times in the last year, but it also is one of just three Harden PSA 10 cards that has seen an increase in trading volumes during the past year, with a 39% bump.

POPULAR ROOKIES:

This tier includes cards from the most popular sets across both retail and hobby formats. Typically easy to buy or sell when needed.

2009 Panini Base #303: With Harden getting drafted the same year that the NBA switched licensed rights to Panini to manufacture basketball cards, this Base #303 from the Italian group becomes an intriguing purchase. Overall, Harden rookies trade at a relatively low rate, but this card graded in PSA 10 has sold over 40 times in the last 365 days with an average price of $82.

2009 Topps #319 Base: The most recent sale of this card on June 18 in PSA 10 is $300, which may be high for some. But the reality is that this card is down 57% over the last 365 days. 

For those looking to buy, the current volatility is extremely low as all sales in the last month have been within $300-$356, meaning you should have no trouble getting several at a consistent price.

2009 Panini Base #353: With only a handful of PSA 10 Harden rookie cards available, uniqueness gets a bit tricky, so we’re going to use metric and appearance outliers for our prize pick in this category. The 2009 Panini #353 is one of just two PSA 10 Harden rookie cards in circulation that show him wearing his rookie jersey with OKC.

2009 Bowman ‘48 Base: This Bowman card offers a relatively-achievable price point while still showing strong demand. This card’s pricing has dropped by an average of $122 across the board while maintaining decent volume drops relative to other Harden cards at this point in NBA cyclicality. Its popularity stems from a design nod to the classic 1948 Bowman Baseball set featuring close up portrait shots of each athlete.

MORE UNIQUE ROOKIES:

This tier includes cards with lower print runs, unique designs, or cards from hobby-only products. Usually higher-quality cards than the Value or Popular tiers, though not necessarily more popular or easier to buy or sell.

2009 Bowman ‘48 Blue: The blue variation of the Bowman ‘48 goes for about $100 more than its base version in PSA 10, making it extremely achievable, but a bit harder to find due to a shorter print run. 

2009 Topps #319 Gold: The #319 Gold comes in with nearly the same appearance of the Chrome variant. You can enter the unique Harden world with this card at right around $1,500, and with just two trades in the past year, we’re on the verge of true rarity.

2009 Topps #99 Chrome – Refractor /500:  At the tipping point of uniqueness and rarity, this Chrome Topps card is the tip of the iceberg in terms of a solid mix of desirability and liquidity.

Coming in with a minimum sale of $2,430, you can spend up to $5,600 on a card that has increased in trading volume more than any other card — at 450% over the last year, which offers some peace of mind for demand to those who make the leap on this card.

RAREST AND MOST EXCLUSIVE:

This category may be out of reach for most collectors due to price. Don’t worry if this tier is too pricey as there’s a host of options in other categories that could be perfect for your collection.

2009 Topps #319 Black /50: Not the most expensive Harden card, but given that there’s only 50 of them, it makes sense to slot it in this category. Part of the reason it doesn’t sell for as much as the Refractor is because it’s paper, but from a design and rarity standpoint, it fits here.

2009 National Treasures #203 Rookie Patch Auto /99: This is his true RPA, featuring an on-card auto and event-worn swatch. It has sold five times in BGS 9.5 since May 1, 2022 for an average of just over $9,000, with the most recent sale being on June 25 for $6,300.

2009 Topps #99 Chrome – Gold Refractor /50: Featuring the same design as the base Chrome version, but with a gold border finish, this card sold in BGS 9.5 for $15,500 in December 2021, and has most recently sold for $6,900 in April 2023.

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Paul Hickey is a regular contributor to Sports Card Investor, the creator of the Sports Card Investment Report at NoOffseason.com, and the host of the Sports Card Strategy Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. He can be found on Instagram at @sportscardstrategy and on Twitter @nooffseasoncard.