Is the 1957-58 Cousy RC the most undervalued card out there?

11235813 · July 1, 2008 2:24AM

1) One of the greatest basketball players ever...
2) Only 30 examples graded PSA 8 or higher...
3) Only $900 in PSA 8...

As a point of comparison, look at some of the RC's in other sports from 1957 (PSA 8 prices):

Drysdale - $825 (pop. 138)
F.Robinson - $775 (pop. 226)
B.Robinson - $715 (pop. 284)
Unitas - $1000 (pop. 150)
Starr - $1650 (pop. 72)
Hornung - $1250 (pop. 69)
Russell - $5250 (pop. 49)

What I don't get is the price disparity between the Russell and the Cousy. Yes, the Russell is an SP, but the Cousy is actually scarcer in high grade. Yet a Cousy goes for roughly a fifth of what a Russell goes for. Go figure...

Dand52261 · July 1, 2008 2:29AM

I have an 8 and I think it would be worth around 1200-1500. Not sure why so less compared to Russell. Russell and Cousy both changed the way the game was played. Maybe Russell dominance of the defensive side of things puts him over the top.

VitoCo1972 · July 1, 2008 2:32AM

If I'm not mistaken, I believe Russell is a single print and Cousy is a double print. I have a 6.5 and I love it. He's a good TTM signer too as long as you're willing to donate $20 per signature to the Boys and Girls Club of Worcester.

larryallen73 · July 1, 2008 2:37AM

No.

It's value is what it is. Supply, demand, yada, yada, yada....

CDsNuts · July 1, 2008 2:39AM

Russell is a top 5 all time player and Cousy is in the 20s. It would be like comparing a PSA 8 Pete Rose RC to a Willie Stargell RC.

Goodsport40 · July 1, 2008 2:41AM

Very undervalued IMO. I hope to pick one up at some point in the future for my collection.

A complex personality as well. Purchased a a biography about him at the NBA store in NYC last year by Bill Reynolds. A great read. He was the NBA for many years.

Vito, if you get a chance I'm sure we would all like to see a scan of your 6.5. Thanks.

Robert

CDsNuts · July 1, 2008 2:43AM

I agree that the set as a whole is undervalued, but I don't agree that Cousy is undervalued compared to Russell.

Dand52261 · July 1, 2008 2:48AM

Can anybody report any auction sales on the Cousy card in an 8. There was A BIN up for a while . I think he wanted around 2k. I have not seen an 8 on ebay in several years.

Goodsport40 · July 1, 2008 2:50AM

Lee, agreed that it isn't undervalued compared to Russell. However, it is undervalued overall. I sure would like to own both!

Robert

Goodsport40 · July 1, 2008 2:55AM

BGS 8 sold for $986.33 on 10/3/07 on Ebay according to VCP. No PSA 8's listed.

A PSA 7 sold for $611 last month.

Robert

Dand52261 · July 1, 2008 3:03AM

Thank you . With few of these high grade cards being auctioned off it makes it difficult to gauge the demand. This issue is littered with centering issues and focus/registration type issues. High grade is very rare. I remember a find about 7-8 years ago where a dealer had some unopened wax and the cards came out in 7-8 shape with all of the centering issues.

11235813 · July 1, 2008 3:22AM

<< I believe Russell is a single print and Cousy is a double print. >>

You are correct, but surprisingly the Cousy is actually scarcer in high grade than the Russell. Cousy has only 27 PSA 8's, whereas Russell has 45 PSA 8's. Both have three PSA 9's. So why does the market value the Russell at five times the Cousy?

<< Russell is a top 5 all time player and Cousy is in the 20s. >>

Lee, I gotta disagree with that. Most people would consider Cousy to be just as important to the Celtics' success as Russell, with both in the top 10-15 fifteen players overall.

VitoCo1972 · July 1, 2008 3:22AM

<< Thank you . With few of these high grade cards being auctioned off it makes it difficult to gauge the demand. This issue is littered with centering issues and focus/registration type issues. High grade is very rare. I remember a find about 7-8 years ago where a dealer had some unopened wax and the cards came out in 7-8 shape with all of the centering issues. >>

This is why 57/61 Basketball are the best sets ever. Finding clean centered copies is impossible...so when you do you feel a real sense of accomplishment.

baseballfan · July 1, 2008 3:26AM

cousy and russell are tough and undervalued, i would love to have both even in mid grade

Allen · July 1, 2008 3:51AM

<< Lee, I gotta disagree with that. Most people would consider Cousy to be just as important to the Celtics' success as Russell, with both in the top 10-15 fifteen players overall. >>

Cousy was important to the Celtics, but you are comparing Batman and Robin.

CDsNuts · July 1, 2008 3:59AM

Russell frequently is mentioned in the "best player ever" arguments, usually behind Jordan and Wilt. When you've entered in that argument you are automatically placed on a higher plane than everybody else. Cousy isn't considered by most in the top 3 point guards of all time- Magic, Stockton, Robertson, are ranked higher on just about everybody's board.

Personally, I would have Russell at #3 all time and Cousy at around 30 or so. He was absolutely an important player on the greatest NBA dynasty, but I'm not sure they don't still win a lot of those championships without him. Take Russell off the team and they might not win any of them, but they continued to win titles after Cousy left in 1964 and K.C. Jones (very underrated) took over the point. In fact, they stopped winning titles immediately after Russell retired in '69.

gameusedhoop · July 1, 2008 4:10AM

The bigger question is...Is the 1957 card Cousy's real rookie, or is it the 1951 Berk Ross? He is pictured in his Holy Cross uniform, but he had already played in the NBA for a year upon the issue of the cards. His rookie year with the green was 50-51.

Sorry I couldn't find a better scan, or the full panel, but they are tough to find.

larryallen73 · July 1, 2008 4:11AM

Even most very casual basketball fans know who Russell is. Some kids today do not know who Cousy is. Not saying who was better, more important, etc... but they aren't even close in terms of modern fandom. Russell mentioned above THE best ever and Cousy is NOT mentioned there. Supply, demand, apples, oranges, etc....

VitoCo1972 · July 1, 2008 4:22AM

<< Russell frequently is mentioned in the "best player ever" arguments, usually behind Jordan and Wilt. When you've entered in that argument you are automatically placed on a higher plane than everybody else. Cousy isn't considered by most in the top 3 point guards of all time- Magic, Stockton, Robertson, are ranked higher on just about everybody's board.

Personally, I would have Russell at #3 all time and Cousy at around 30 or so. He was absolutely an important player on the greatest NBA dynasty, but I'm not sure they don't still win a lot of those championships without him. Take Russell off the team and they might not win any of them, but they continued to win titles after Cousy left in 1964 and K.C. Jones (very underrated) took over the point. In fact, they stopped winning titles immediately after Russell retired in '69. >>

K.C. Jones was a defensive demon. I think depending on where you're from and what era you lived in you can place Russell, Wilt and Jordan in any order and not be looked at cross-eyed. I think it's very easy to lump Oscar Robertson in with those three as well. And Lee, they continued to win titles because the 62-63 team had 9 Hall of Famers on it (the best basketball team ever assembled in the NBA - not counting All Star or Olympic teams). They didn't just replace Cousy, they replaced Bill Sharman and then Frank Ramsey with Sam Jones, K.C. Jones and John Havlicek. That's replacing three Hall of Famers with three more! Then they added Don Nelson and Tom Sanders.

I would certainly rank Cousy in the top 5 point guards and head and shoulders over the best of his time, but the game has evolved so much that there really is no comparison to Magic and Stockton. It's like trying to compare "Home Run" Baker to Babe Ruth. Baker was by far the best HR hitter of his time but the game changed so much that he was largely forgotten.

fkw · July 1, 2008 5:13AM

Obviously the value is what it is for a reason. Nothing is really undervalued, its just some things gain interest at times and jump a bit.

To many vintage collectors the Berk Ross is his rookie (like the other post noted), and that will affect the value of the first Topps cards that came out many years later.
I, along with many others believe the rookie is the oldest card (first card), and could care less if its nationally distributed or in a major league uniform.

30 in PSA-8+ is alot to some collectors.

I think its about right myself........... its basketball, and there are only so many basketball card collectors out there, far less than baseball.

gameusedhoop · July 1, 2008 5:29AM

I guess we were just about two years too late on this bandwagon!
Check out this price progression for PSA 7:
6/19/08 eBay...............$611.00
2/19/07 eBay...............$419.99
10/29/06 Heritage.......$191.20

spazzy · July 1, 2008 10:44AM

Im just a 1948 George Mikan Bowman fan. I just love that card!!!!!!!!

BobaFett72 · July 1, 2008 1:55PM

I think its undervalued, but Russel is a God, Cousy a demi-god. Both are the very definition of NBA Legends, masters of their craft and position and changed how the game was played.

hofautos · July 1, 2008 4:27PM

<< its basketball, and there are only so many basketball card collectors out there, far less than baseball. >>

what's basketball?

...jus' kiddin'
I have been tempted a few times to buy just a couple "key cards" of other sports, but know if I start that, i will open up a whole new can
of worms, i can't control the limited addiction i have already (LOL)....

Is the 1957-58 Cousy RC the most undervalued card out there?

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