As the sports world mourned the loss of Bill Walton, who died of cancer Monday at the age of 71, collectors flocked to buy Walton items, most notably his 1974 Topps rookie card.
A Basketball Hall of Famer who won NBA titles with the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics after winning two national championships at UCLA, Walton became a beloved broadcaster following his retirement from the NBA in 1988.
More than 100 Walton rookie cards were bought Memorial Day on eBay. The highest price paid for one, a PSA 9, which has a population of 105, was $2,999, the 10th-highest price ever paid and the biggest purchase in a year ($3,120 on May 26, 2023, PWCC).
That card still sold for less than a quarter of what the all-time high price was a Walton: $12,325 during the pandemic boom April 18, 2021).
The Walton card is the most graded card of the 1974 Topps set by a wide margin. PSA has graded 1,996 Walton rookies, which makes up more than 6 percent of the entire population graded. The next closest are George Gervin (1,864 graded), Wilt Chamberlain (1,773) and Julius Erving (1,201).
Signed Walton rookies were also a popular buy, as 24 were sold on eBay Monday.
The most expensive were ones with inscriptions. One with a “HOF 93” inscription sold for $600, while two cards with the inscriptions “Keep Truckin’” and the nickname “Grateful Red” sold for $750 each.
Only Gervin (154) has more PSA graded signed cards in the 1974 set than Walton (149).
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.