Beckett Game Notes: NBA Finals, Collector Dmitri Young and AFL ArenaBowl

With the NBA Finals tipping off tonight, Beckett pricing analyst Bill Sutherland broke down the series position-by-position based on trading card performance. Here's how the series looks:

Center
Ben Wallace vs. Nazr Mohammed

Ben Wallace
Cool Rookie Card: 1996-97 Ultra #263 ($5)
Cool Memorabilia Card: 2004-05 Upper Deck UD Game Jerseys #BW ($10)
Cool Autograph Card: 2004-05 SP Authentic Fabrics Autographs #BW ($50)
Total # of cards: 912

Nazr Mohammed
Cool Rookie Card: 1998-99 SP Authentic #117 ($8)
Cool Memorabilia Card: 2004-05 Topps Pristine Fantasy Favorites #NM ($8)
Cool Autograph Card: 1998 Press Pass Authentics Autographs ($5)
Total # of cards: 160

Winner: Ben Wallace

Point Guard
Chauncey Billups vs. Tony Parker

Chauncey Billups
Cool Rookie Card: 1997-98 Topps Chrome #181 ($4)
Cool Memorabilia Card: 2004-05 Flair Courting Greatness Jerseys #CB ($10)
Cool Autograph Card: 2002-03 UD Glass Auto Focus #CB ($15)
Total # of cards: 767

Tony Parker
Cool Rookie Card: 2001-02 SP Authentic #138 ($60)
Cool Memorabilia Card: 2004-05 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Swatches #TP ($8)
Cool Autograph Card: 2003-04 SP Authentic Signatures Dual w/Ginobili #PGA ($50)
Total # of cards: 845

Winner: Tony Parker

Shooting Guard
Rip Hamilton vs. Bruce Bowen

Rip Hamilton
Cool Rookie Card: 1999-00 Finest #254 ($20)
Cool Memorabilia Card: 2002-03 Upper Deck Air Apparel #RHAA ($15)
Cool Autograph Card: 1999 Press Pass SE Autographs ($8)
Total # of cards: 1024

Bruce Bowen
Cool Rookie Card: 1998-99 Upper Deck #194 ($.25)
Cool Memorabilia Card: n/a
Cool Autograph Card: 2003-04 Topps Pristine Personal Endorsements #BB ($15)
Total # of cards: 74

Winner: Rip Hamilton

Small Forward
Tayshaun Price vs. Manu Ginobili

Tayshaun Prince
Cool Rookie Card: 2002-03 Bowman Signature Edition #SETP ($25)
Cool Memorabilia Card: 2003-04 Fleer Mystique Awe Pairs Dual Jerseys 250 w/Ben Wallace #TPBW ($20)
Cool Autograph Card: 2003-04 Topps Rookie Matrix Mini Autographs #TP ($12)
Total # of cards: 414

Manu Ginobili
Cool Rookie Card: 2002-03 SP Authentic #172 ($60)
Cool Memorabilia Card: 2004-05 E-XL ConnEXions Jerseys w/Tony Parker (n/a)
Cool Autograph Card: 2003-04 Black Diamond 24 Karat Signatures #GI ($40)
Total # of cards: 582

Winner: Manu Ginobili

Power Forward
Tim Duncan vs. Rasheed Wallace

Tim Duncan
Cool Rookie Card: 1997-98 E-X2001 #75 ($12)
Cool Memorabilia Card: 2003-04 Topps Bazooka Piece of Americana #TD ($15)
Cool Autograph Card: 1998-99 Bowman's Best Autographs #A2 ($120)
Total # of cards: 2139

Rasheed Wallace
Cool Rookie Card: 1995-96 SP #167 ($2.50)
Cool Memorabilia Card: 2000-01 Topps Reserve Game Jerseys #TAS19 ($15)
Cool Autograph Card: 1997-98 SkyBox Premium Autographics #108 ($300)
Total # of cards: 1148

Winner: Tim Duncan

Dmitri Young Ponies Up

According to the July issue of Beckett Baseball, a 1974 Topps Dave Winfield recently sold for $4,000. The card (Winfield's Rookie Card) was graded a PSA 10. Of the 2,218 '74 Winfield cards submitted to PSA for grading, this is the only one to be scored so high. The buyer? Tigers outfielder Dmitri Young, who outbid all comers in an online auction.

On Paper, Georgia the Favorite to Win ArenaBowl XIX, 71-65

The Georgia Force has a slight advantage over the Colorado Crush in Sunday's ArenaBowl XIX (which will be televised Live on NBC) -- at least as it relates to the prices of their cards. According to Beckett Football, the combined value of Force cards (gold version) featured in Upper Deck's 2005 AFL trading card set is $71 (headlined by quarterback Matt Nagy's $25 card). Crush cards (also gold version) check in with a combined value of $65 (with Damian Harrell's $15 card leading the way).

Here's the breakdown:

Georgia Force ($71)
Matt Nagy, QB -- $25
Jim Kubiak, QB -- $10
Chris Jackson, OS -- $10
Troy Bergeron, OS -- $10
Robert Thomas, FB/LB -- $8
Kevin Gaines, DS -- $8

Colorado Crush ($65)
Damian Harrell, OS -- $15
John Dutton, QB -- $10
Rich Young, FB/LB -- $8
Andy McCullough, WR/LB -- $8
Willis Marshall, WR/DB -- $8
Rashad Floyd, DS -- $8
Kevin McKenzie, WR/DB -- $8

About Beckett Media
Based in Dallas, Beckett Media LP, an Apprise Media company, is the leading publisher of sports and specialty market collectible products in the U.S. Beckett operates Beckett.com (www.beckett.com), the leading online destination for sports collectible enthusiasts, and is the premier publisher of monthly sports collectibles magazines. Beckett, considered the world's most trusted source in collecting, currently publishes 14 magazines. Its flagship title is the popular Beckett Baseball magazine. The company also operates Beckett Grading Services, the award-winning third-party professional sports card grading service. The company was founded in 1984 by Dr. James Beckett.

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