How to Build a Cool Anthony Edwards Trading Card Collection For Under $100

When Anthony Edwards signed an exclusive trading card deal with Topps earlier this year, there was a collective sigh of relief from collectors who wondered why he did not have autographs during the first run of product when they got the NBA license back. As one of the league’s most popular players, it would have been disappointing to see a lack of Edwards signatures on Topps product, especially as the Minnesota Timberwolves trade for LaMelo Ball has already produced highlights and shenanigans in the short time they’ve been teammates. While Ant-Man’s recent knee will keep him out of action for at least two months, the potential for the Wolves to become a top team in the tough Western Conference again will prop up his card values to even higher levels.

With his magnetic personality and high-energy play style that collectors enjoy and pay top dollar for, there’s no wonder why Anthony Edwards is often talked about by talking heads and internet commentators as being the (American) face of the NBA. Edwards might scoff at the title, probably because he doesn’t want the stuff that goes along with it that doesn’t have to do with basketball, but as long as he keeps producing and winning and throwing it down on big fellas every few months, the chatter will persist. At least until he finally accepts it or someone like Cooper Flagg or AJ Dybantsa takes the title that he never wanted.

Despite only playing six full seasons in the NBA so far, the total number of unique Anthony Edwards cards that have ever been made is a little over 12,000, which is over 3,000 more than Ball and only a few hundred short of NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade. It’s still 10,000 short of LeBron James’ total, but there are plenty of cards to sort through and build a great collection out of without having to spend more than a pair of adidas Sambas.

Rookie Card: 2020-21 Panini Prizm #258

Average Price: $9.99

To give you an idea of how much the sports card world has changed since what many would consider the golden era of the late 90s, Anthony Edwards’ Prizm rookie card (ungraded) can be had for less than 10 dollars. Kobe Bryant’s 1996 equivalent*, 1996-97 Topps Finest #74 (ungraded with coating), is $175. Part of it is obviously the delta between Ant-Man and Kobe in terms of popularity and accomplishments, but the number of rookie card options for Edwards collectors to chase, coupled with higher print runs, far outnumbers Kobe’s. Edwards’ Prizm base rookie will probably never cross the $100 mark, but Prizm’s reputation as Panini’s flagship brand will keep it in the consciousness of the public far longer than sets that only existed for a few years or premium brands that are priced out of most people’s budgets.

*I didn’t use Kobe 1996-97’s Topps Chrome rookie because the price difference is only laughable (as in thousands of dollars laughable), but also Chrome, the shiny update to the base Topps set, equivalent is Donruss Optic, the shiny update to the base Donruss set.

Base Cards: Anything past 2021

Average Price: 10 cards at $1 per card ($19.99)

In what will be a recurring theme of this series when we cover current players who were active during the Panini era, it is very easy to find affordable base cards of superstars to fill out a collection. Head to any local card shop or convention that doesn’t just have Pokémon cards, and it will be loaded with 3,200-count storage boxes filled with base cards that are being sold for a dollar a pop or 15 for $10. Edwards was not only in every base set, but also themed sets and inserts with easy odds to pull. Topps is heading down a similar path, as even Edwards Chrome base cards can be had for anywhere between 75 cents and a dollar.

Insert: 2022-23 Donruss Elite Spellbound

Average Price: $10 each letter ($24.99)

Insert cards that actually encourage collectors to go after a complete set are surprisingly scarce in today’s hobby. One of those examples is the Spellbound set from Donruss Elite that rotates into circulation every few years so as not to diminish the hunt. Featured on each card is a letter from the player’s first and/or last name. In Edwards’ case, he was included in the 2020-01 edition (rookie year) and in 2022-23 (third year), which is way more affordable. Priced around $10 per letter, getting a complete Edwards set won’t break the bank. However, it will require some patience, as not all of the letters are listed on reselling platforms at the same time, and there might be some competition from other collectors who are trying to complete their own chase.

Parallel: 2025-26 Topps Chrome Update Pink Raywave Refractor #151 (numbered to 299)

Average Price: $15 ($39.99)

Anthony Edwards parallel cards with high serial number runs are relatively easy to find and can be had for a price that would make you think Ant-Man was merely an occasional All-Star and not one of the faces of the league. Between Panini and Topps' first year back, you can find cards of Edwards parallels numbered as low as 49 for around $20. While a lower-numbered card is almost always the way to go because they are technically rarer, the card also needs to have some eye appeal and a unique hook so that it has some staying power beyond the week it came out.

A relatively high-numbered card that checks those boxes is the 2025-26 Topps Chrome Update base card that features Edwards wearing the Prince-themed Minnesota Timberwolves Nike City Edition jersey as he finished throwing a vicious dunk. The photo is top-notch, the jersey is one of the few from Nike’s checkered history of City Edition jerseys that has stood out, and the card absolutely pops in pink.

The Magenta parallel that’s numbered to 399 is also a fine alternative, as Topps made them in a similar shade to the Pink Raywave and can be had for a similar price. And then there’s the one-of-one Paparadschia parallel from Chrome Update Sapphire that will never make an appearance in these articles, no matter how deep the rabbit hole of NBA players we go.

Relic: 2025-26 Topps Flagship Real Ones Jersey #FRO-AE

Average Price: $35 ($84.99)

It’s all in the literature. Unlike a majority of Panini sports cards, where they can’t even guarantee if the piece of fabric on the card was worn by the player pictured, Topps gives us the closest to a guarantee that Anthony Edwards wore the piece of fabric embedded on the card in an NBA game. There are caveats in the legalese - they can’t say if the relic is from a jersey or shorts or a warm-up, or if it was during a regular-season, playoff, or preseason game - but you have assurances from Topps that Edwards did wear it in an NBA game. It’s a very low bar that Topps has to clear and also very frustrating because both Topps and Panini can be very specific on rare occasions about the whereabouts of their memorabilia.

Underrated: 2020-21 Panini Select Concourse Silver Prizm #61

Average Price: $10 ($94.99)

Just as there is no shortage of Panini Prizm Anthony Edwards rookie cards, there’s zero challenge in finding its most iconic parallel, the Silver Prizm. While the 2020-21 Panini Prizm Silver Prizm* Anthony Edwards card is a little out of the price range for this exercise, there are a handful of Silver Prizms from Panini’s other sets that use chromium paper stock that keep us under the $100 threshold and have the added benefit of being a rookie year release. Panini Flux, Panini Spectra, Panini Mosaic, and Panini Select all have Silver Prizms featuring Edwards and hover around the $10 to $15 price range. We would go with Select because of the name recognition and the unique shot of Edwards wearing the Timberwolves green jersey.

*Panini calling their parallels the same name as their flagship brand is a confusing and frustrating exercise that has gone on for nearly 20 years. It would be like Topps releasing a set called “Topps Refractors,” and the parallels are also called Refractors. Now we know how Pavitr Prabhakar felt when Miles Morales said he’d had chai tea.

Bonus Oddball Card That Takes Us Over $100: 2024 Kakawow MOJO Fest x adidas AE 1

Last Sold: $50 ($144.99)

Edison Chen’s MOJO Fest is one of the biggest collectible shows in Asia, bringing in fans and brands from all over the world. Kakawow is a Chinese trading card brand that, from an American perspective, operates in the same way that a Li-Ning or ANTA does in sneakers, creating trading cards that serve their market and sparking curiosity when familiar faces pop up. During the 2024 edition of MOJO Fest, Kakawow teamed up with adidas to release a card of the Metallic Silver adidas AE 1.

One Card, $100: 2024-25 Panini NBA Hoops Presentations #7 (PSA 9)

Average Price: $90

During the great sports card boom of 2026, one of the biggest surprises was the surge of interest in relatively easy-to-find insert cards from the 90s. As with a lot of things, Michael Jordan was at the center of a lot of the hype. Collectors who have been priced out of his more popular cards were looking for alternatives to pick up and send to PSA for grading, while others turned to other undervalued legends like Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson to search for hidden gems. The market has since started to correct itself as most of these cards that reached unsustainable levels are starting to come back to earth, but there will be a handful, like the 1992-93 Topps Stadium Club Beam Team cards with high cards, that will maintain their prestige status.

All of that is to say, years from now, when people are frustrated with Topps holding the exclusive right to NBA cards and the rose-tinted glasses for the Panini era starts to set in, there will be a rush for the defining cards of that era. The easy targets are the parallels and the autograph cards of players who were rookies during that time frame, but then they will start to turn to the non-serialized, numbered short-printed case hits that often displayed the best work from Panini’s art department.

Unlike most case hits that feature players in action shots on top of an eye-catching background, NBA Hoops Presentations reimagined the league’s best in caricature form. With Japanese-influenced Manga inserts from Panini Prizm and the Anime from Topps/Bowman Chrome topping the charts in creative interpretations of everybody from Edwards to Luka to Wemby, the Presentations inserts - especially in graded form - might be next in line to receive a bump as collectors look for alternatives and just a really nice-looking set to complete for the price of one Edwards Panini Manga card.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. His current hot take is that people are really underrating the Psyduck trading card market. Email: juan@soleretriever.com Instagram | Twitter | Bluesky | Threads : @ezyville