Vince Carter
Date of Birth: 1/26/1977
Rookie Card Year: 1998-99
Investment Rating: 8.0
Overview
In his prime, Vince Carter was one of the most dynamic players in the NBA. One of several players touted as the next Michael Jordan, Vince Carter provided a lengthy highlight reel filled with thrilling dunks and three-point shooting. Based on his elite play and exciting style, Vince Carter became known as "Vinsanity." Like most, he did not live up to the Jordan comparisons and could never make that transition from star to superstar. Now retired, Vince Carter cards and memorabilia still maintain strong interest from collectors.
The spotlight followed Vince Carter from an early age and he was named a McDonald's High School All-American. After playing college basketball with the University of North Carolina, Carter was selected 5th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 1998 NBA Draft. He was immediately dealt to Toronto in exchange for the number four pick, fellow Tar Heel, Antwan Jamison. After a stellar inaugural campaign, Carter was named the 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year.
Vince Carter has spent time with several NBA teams over his impressive career. In addition to Toronto, the eight-time NBA All-Star played for the New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and currently for the Dallas Mavericks.
Although the late 1990s were a blockbuster time for inserts and parallels, most rookie cards did not enjoy the same values. Because of this, the majority of Vince Carter cards from his rookie season fall in the budget and mid-range values. The highest values can be found among the many rookie parallels. Two Vince Carter cards stand out because they are the only serial numbered base rookie card options.
While there are no autographed rookie cards for Vince Carter, there are plenty of autographed cards available from throughout his career. Also, his authentic autographed memorabilia is reasonably priced.
Top Vince Carter Rookie Cards
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1998-99 SP Authentic Vince Carter RC #100 #/3500
Despite the high numbering, Vince Carter's SP Authentic is among the top base rookie cards for "Air Canada." A varied assortment of text usage does make the design a little busy, but the shaded area does a great job of centering the attention squarely on Carter.
1998-99 SPx Finite Vince Carter RC #/2500
If you have many leather-bound books and your apartment smells of rich mahogany, this might be the Vince Carter card for you. Oozing with class, this bold rookie card is numbered to 2,500. The forest green and gold foil do seem to clash with the purple background. Radiance (#/1,500) and Spectrum (#/25) parallels offer additional options.
Rookie Cards
Vince Carter Rookie Card Checklist
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Budget Rookie Cards
- 1998-99 Fleer Brilliants #105
- 1998-99 SkyBox Molten Metal #134
- 1998-99 Stadium Club #105
- 1998-99 Topps #199
- 1998-99 Ultra #106
- 1998-99 Upper Deck Ionix #65
Mid-Range Rookie Cards
- 1998-99 Black Diamond #120
- 1998-99 Bowman's Best #105
- 1998-99 E-X Century #89
- 1998-99 Finest #230
- 1998-99 Flair Showcase #25
- 1998-99 SkyBox Premium #234
- 1998-99 Topps Chrome #199
- 1998-99 Upper Deck #316
- 1998-99 Upper Deck Encore #118
- 1998-99 Upper Deck Ovation #75
Premium Rookie Cards
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Autograph Guide
Vince Carter Autographed Memorabilia Buying Guide
Below you will find an example of what Vince Carter's authentic signature looks like. This can be used as a first point of reference for determining the legitimacy of autograph memorabilia, but is not a substitute for having your items authenticated by a well respected professional autograph authentication company. Reputable authentication companies include JSA, PSA, Panini Authentic and Mounted Memories to name a few.
Vince Carter Cut Signature Exemplar
Vince Carter Key Signature Attributes: An authentic Vince Carter signature autograph will exhibit several distinguishing characteristics, depending on when in his career the item was signed. Other characteristics that play into his signature style are the particular item and venue. Look for the following signature features:
- A dynamic and stylish signature, written on an even horizontal plane with just a slight lean of the letters to the right
- The letter "V" is discernible with the upstroke of the second line being longer than the down-stroke of the first - no other letters of the first name are present
- The letter "C" is tall and narrow with a significant hook at the top, the pen stays on the paper to flow into the other letters
- The next several letters are largely illegible
- Defining the signature is a large swooping horizontal oval shape that is made by an extending line back across the signature to the left and comes back across to the right leaving a long trailing tail
Vince Carter Signed Basketball Pricing
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Vince Carter Signed Jersey Pricing
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Vince Carter Signed Photograph Pricing
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Ervin Bird
What about Vince’s Flair Showcase Class of ’98 card? It’s serial numbered, it looks incredible, and it’s really hard to track down.
Trey Treutel
It’s a great insert. This guide covers his base rookies.