Topps Printed 211,627 LeBrons. Collectors Couldn't Get Enough.

Topps sold LeBron James's first Philadelphia 76ers card for three days in July 2026 at $12 a copy. Collectors ordered 211,627 of them. That's the most ever for an NBA Topps NOW card and the fifth-largest Topps NOW release in any sport.¹

LeBron plays his first game for the Sixers on Tuesday, Oct. 20, against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. It's a good week to decide which version of the card is worth owning, because the base already sells for less than Topps charged for it.

Every OS03 order was a chance at a parallel

OS03 sold with a chase built in. Any order could come back as a foil parallel in place of the base. Once the order count passed 50,000 and then 100,000, Topps unlocked Chrome parallels numbered to 99, 50, 25, 10 and 5 plus a one-of-one SuperFractor, along with a separate one-of-one autograph redemption.²

A collector who ordered ten copies was buying ten shots at the autograph or a low-numbered parallel as much as ten base LeBrons. That's why the base has been selling for around $7 since mid-September, well under the $12 Topps charged.³

A $7 copy of LeBron's first Sixers card is a fine card for the binder. But with 211,627 copies out there, the base isn't going to get scarce.

LeBron's last two big Topps NOW runs split the same way

His 50,000 career points card from 2025 sold 157,982 copies.⁴ The base has been going for about $4 in October. Back in 2025, two Orange Foil copies numbered to 25 sold for $290 and $365.⁵

The 2024 Olympic card of LeBron, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant ran even bigger at 588,030 copies.⁶ Raw copies sold for around $9 in October. The PSA 10s are what moved, going from about $174 in August to about $250 this month. GemRate counted 3,867 PSA 10 copies on Oct. 18. The unsigned Gold one-of-one sold for more than $50,000 in September 2024.⁷

50,000 points, 2025. 157,982 copies.

Olympic trio, 2024. 588,030 copies.

Both runs ended the same way. The base became a cheap souvenir of the moment while the numbered and graded copies are the ones collectors keep paying up for.

Only 282 numbered OS03 cards exist

Leave out the base and the numbered supply is small. The foil family runs Gold /50, Orange /25, Black /10, Red /5 and a FoilFractor 1/1. The Chrome family runs /99, /50, /25, /10, /5 and a SuperFractor 1/1. Count the autograph redemption too and there are 282 numbered cards.²

That works out to about one numbered OS03 for every 750 copies ordered. A Chrome /99 turns up about once per 2,138 orders, while a /5 turns up about once per 42,325.

Where I'd spend on OS03 before Tuesday

I'd buy the Chrome /99 or /50. They carry the same first-Sixers-card story as the /10s, /5s and one-of-ones without the trophy price. The one Green /99 on eBay right now is listed at $499.

Why OS03 can hold up as his first Sixers card

Most Topps NOW cards mark a moment, but OS03 marks LeBron joining his fourth franchise. Topps will keep making milestone cards of him, from scoring records to games with Bronny, but there will only be one first official 76ers card.

The card also says YEAR 24 on the front. If Philadelphia is his last team, OS03 marks the start of his final chapter. If he wins a fifth title there, the card gets better.

The risk is that Topps makes plenty of other LeBron Sixers cards, including Flagship and Chrome cards with bigger names than Topps NOW. OS03 has to stay the card collectors connect with the move for the parallels to hold their prices.

What I'm watching after Tuesday's game

Watch the base after Tuesday. If a strong start pushes it back above the $12 Topps charged, I'd expect the parallels to follow. If it keeps selling around $7, I'd still buy a Chrome /99 under $500 and leave the base in the binder.