Moses Malone
Date of Birth: 3/23/1955
Rookie Card Year: 1975-76
Investment Rating: 6.5
Despite being one of the most decorated players in NBA history, collecting interest for Moses Malone does not approach that of other top names from his era of basketball. Nevertheless, Moses Malone is one of the best basketball players of all-time and his cards remain very affordable.
While NBA teams drafting players straight from high school was common in the 1990s and 2000s before being prohibited, Moses Malone was the first player to jump directly from high school to the professional ranks. After starting his career with the Utah Stars of the ABA in 1974, Malone eventually made his way to the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA. It was during this ten-year period that Moses Malone enjoyed his best years, notching three league MVPs, one Finals MVP and one NBA title. Malone also added 12 straight All-Star selections from 1977-78 to 1988-89 and played for ten ABA/NBA teams during his 21-year career.
Given his long career, Moses Malone has a good amount of cards from his active playing days. Starting with 1975-76, collectors can chase Malone's cards from three different decades. The earliest autographs came in in the 1990s, not long after his retirement. Although he signed regularly after that, his autograph cards appear to have stopped after 2011-12 products. The first Moses Malone memorabilia cards came in the 2000s.
Moses Malone Rookie Cards
1975-76 Topps Moses Malone #254 RC
Simple with a captivating action image of Moses Malone, the 1975-76 Topps rookie card still manages to feature enough other elements to give the card an appealing vintage look. Despite being one of the most affordable vintage rookie cards among Hall of Fame players, the card does command high values in Mint or Gem Mint grade. A PSA 10 sold for $2,153 in March of 2015.
1975-76 Topps League Leaders Moses Malone, Bobby Jones, Artis Gilmore #222
Two different Topps subsets offer additional rookie-year card for Moses Malone. The first subset card honors the top field goal percentage in the ABA during the 1974-75 season. Malone is featured along with Artis Gilmore and Bobby Jones.
1975-76 Topps Team Leaders Moses Malone, Ron Boone, Al Smith #286
Moses Malone is also available on a Team Leaders card that pairs him with teammates Ron Boone (twice) and Al Smith. Malone led the team in rebounds during 1974-75.
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