As of December 2022, the value of the most recent Bird Magic Rookies on eBay have sold for:
- $1,846.05 HGA 8 on 12/23
- $1,063 PSA 7 on 12/22
- $830 PSA 6 on 12/22
- $1,525 Raw on 12/22
- $2,099 BVG 8 on 12/22
- $1,326 PSA 7 on 12/21
- $713 PSA 5 on 12/22
(Not including shipping.)
As of December 2022, the lowest-priced Bird Magic Rookies are available on eBay for:
- $600: 1980-81 Topps #6 Larry Bird/Julius Erving/Magic Johnson SGC 2
- $650: 1980-81 Topps Larry Bird Julius Erving Magic Johnson BVG 5 Rookie RC HOF
- $650: 1980 Topps Scoring Leader Larry Bird/Erving/Magic Johnson Rookie PSA 4
(That is, lowest-priced, graded by a major company, not separated Buy It Now options with an image.)
Now, there are conflicting opinions about “shared” rookie cards—or rookie cards that feature more than one player. Think Cal Ripken and 1982 Topps or Nolan Ryan and 1968 Topps. On one hand, collectors would prefer to own a rookie card that showcased the star only, while others don’t mind as much.
But also, sometimes collectors don’t have a choice, and other times, the other player or players featured carry a ton of value themselves.
Which brings us to the 1980-81 Topps basketball card that not only features a Larry Bird rookie, but also doubles as a Magic Johnson rookie, and wait, also features Julius Erving!
![1980-81 Topps - [Base] #139-174-34 - Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson [PSA 6 EX‑MT] - Courtesy of COMC.com](https://img.comc.com/i/Basketball/1980-81/Topps---Base/139-174-34/Larry-Bird-Julius-Erving-Magic-Johnson.jpg?id=bfd05875-955c-4255-8c99-8648cc7ce727&size=original)
That’s right, the Bird Magic rookie from 1980-81 Topps is technically three cards—numbers 34, 174, and 139, respectively for Larry Bird, Julius Erving, and Magic Johnson. The three mini or panel cards are joined together as one, with perforated seperators.
In fact, a card in PSA 10 Gem Mint condition recently sold for a record $861,000 through Goldin auctions.
With that said, both Bird and Magic rookies can be had as parts of other “cards”—which aren’t nearly as popular as the Bird, Magic, Erving combo.
For instance, according to Cardboard Connection, here are others featuring either Larry Bird or Magic Johnson:
Larry Bird RC / Bill Cartright / John Drew
![1980-81 Topps - [Base] #23-164-34 - Larry Bird, Bill Cartwright, John Drew [PSA 8 NM‑MT] - Courtesy of COMC.com](https://img.comc.com/i/Basketball/1980-81/Topps---Base/23-164-34/Larry-Bird-Bill-Cartwright-John-Drew.jpg?id=bf7bfa38-6ff9-4a36-be77-3e4906f6a8dd&size=original)
Jan Van Breda Kolff / Julius Erving / Magic Johnson RC
![1980-81 Topps - [Base] #139-174-162 - Jan Van Breda Kolff, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson [PSA 8 NM‑MT] - Courtesy of COMC.com](https://img.comc.com/i/Basketball/1980-81/Topps---Base/139-174-162/Jan-Van-Breda-Kolff-Julius-Erving-Magic-Johnson.jpg?id=0331fd22-d1b1-4cb6-a712-de03dc7000cf&size=original)
Marques Johnson / Larry Bird RC / Jack Sikma
![1980-81 Topps - [Base] #232-30-143 - Marques Johnson, Larry Bird, Jack Sikma [PSA 8 NM‑MT] - Courtesy of COMC.com](https://img.comc.com/i/Basketball/1980-81/Topps---Base/232-30-143/Marques-Johnson-Larry-Bird-Jack-Sikma.jpg?id=77602134-f549-4350-9803-0c45f282a649&size=original)
Scott May / Larry Bird RC / Jack Sikma
![1980-81 Topps - [Base] #232-30-47 - Scott May, Larry Bird, Jack Sikma [PSA 7 NM] - Courtesy of COMC.com](https://img.comc.com/i/Basketball/1980-81/Topps---Base/232-30-47/Scott-May-Larry-Bird-Jack-Sikma.jpg?id=06f52228-eb71-4176-baba-393eac056959&size=original)
FAQ:
1980-81 Topps featuring Larry Bird on the left, Julius Erving in the center, and Magic Johnson on the right is Larry Bird’s best rookie card (this is also Magic Johnson’s best rookie card).
Larry Bird is also featured on these 1980-81 Topps cards:
Larry Bird RC / Bill Cartright / John Drew
Marques Johnson / Larry Bird RC / Jack Sikma
Scott May / Larry Bird RC / Jack Sikma
Magic Johnson is also featured on Jan Van Breda Kolff / Julius Erving / Magic Johnson RC
A shared rookie card is when multiple players are featured on the same card as opposed to having their own single standalone rookie card. This 1980-81 Larry Bird is one example in Basketball. A popular shared rookie card in baseball is the 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan, which is shared with Jerry Koosman.
A 1980 Topps Larry Bird/Magic Johnson PSA 10 set an all-time high when it sold for $861,000 in August of 2021 with Goldin Auctions. This card was a pop 25 at the time.
