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Ranking five most collectible tickets from NCAA men's basketball finals

It's one shining ticket: We rank the five best ever from the men's title game

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The titanic clash between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the 1979 final remains a landmark event in college basketball history.

It’s time for “One Shining Moment" as the NCAA men's basketball tournament comes to a close Monday night.

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird met for the first time in 1979, starting one of the most storied rivalries in basketball history. (Credit: Getty Images)
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird met for the first time in 1979, starting one of the most storied rivalries in basketball history. (Credit: Getty Images)

The ball tipping for the final time in 2024 got us thinking about what we consider to be the most important NCAA men’s basketball finals tickets to collect.

Here's cllct's top five:

1. Michigan State vs. Indiana State, 1979

This one is too easy. Magic. Larry. “The Game That Changed College Basketball.”

Plus, we love the aesthetics of the ticket and with Larry and Magic doing private signings like crazy, it’s easy to get both of them on it. More than half the population (16) is autographed by Larry, Magic or both.

PSA population: Two fulls, 26 stubs.

Current stub price: Unsigned ($6,000), Dual signed ($12,000)

In the 1966 NCAA men's final, Texas Western became the first team to win the championship with an all-black starting five, beating Kentucky in the title game.
In the 1966 NCAA men's final, Texas Western became the first team to win the championship with an all-black starting five, beating Kentucky in the title game.

2. Texas Western vs. Kentucky, 1966

Some will say I have this too high, but I’m a history junkie, and this story is too good. It’s the basketball version of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The all-black starting from Texas Western five beat Adoph Rupp's Kentucky and its all-white starting five, a story made famous by the book and movie “Glory Road.”

PSA population: 14 stubs.

Current stub market price: $3,000

NC State's upset of Akeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and mighty Houston ranks as one of the biggest stunners in NCAA history.
NC State's upset of Akeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and mighty Houston ranks as one of the biggest stunners in NCAA history.

3. NC State vs. Houston, 1983

Lorenzo Charles to Dereck Whittenberg for the dunk that beat Phi Slama Jamma at the last second. Jim Valvano running around on the court as the No. 6 seed conquered one of the great teams of all time. What’s not to love?

And for collectors, they like that it’s more rare than others on the list.

PSA population: Four full, 18 stubs, three panels (Final Four & Champ Game attached)

Current stub market price: $4,000 for a stub

4. North Carolina vs. Georgetown, 1982

Michael Jordan’s shot as a true freshman, winning the title for UNC is iconic. MJ's jumper is still talked about 42 years later, because it was a ballsy shot, and it was MJ taking it. The good thing about this ticket is, many were saved (and the Superdome had more than 60,000 fans in attendance), so if it’s very attainable.

PSA population: 78 Fulls, 91 Stubs. Yellow version most common, blue is rarest.

Current stub market price: As cheap as $300

There's just something about the Superdome, where Keith Smart's 1987 shot lifted Indiana over Syracuse.
There's just something about the Superdome, where Keith Smart's 1987 shot lifted Indiana over Syracuse.

T5. Indiana vs. Syracuse (1987) Indiana vs. Michigan (1976)

I can’t decide on number five, but I know it’s gonna be a Hoosiers ticket. Keith Smart’s shot in 1987 stands out because of how memorable it was, and the 1976 game is what it is because it is, of course, the last undefeated season for a men's team.

Given that it is the Hoosiers, the low population on both of these is surprising, though I suspect there are plenty of ungraded 1987s lying around.

PSA population (1987): 7 Fulls, 13 Stubs PSA population (1976): 5 Fulls, 16 Stubs

Current stub market price (1987): $100 Current stub market price (1976): $300

Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectible market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.