May Hot/Cold List

Growing up I learned to love the mailbox due to the arrival of Nintendo Power, SI for Kids, and most importantly, Beckett. A new Beckett meant hours of poring over articles and prices. The first thing I always turned to without fail was the hot list. Even as a kid I’ve loved lists and figuring out how many of the hobby’s hottest cards I had was always exciting.

So, all that’s to say, yes, this is a rip-off of the old Beckett hot/cold lists, really an homage but lots of different ways to say tomato and all that. This list will highlight some of the hottest cards in the market, but it’s not all about price increases. It is also about the buzz being generated. For each player, I’ve chosen one card to highlight. Players also only get one entry. A hot list with 10 Luka Doncic cards might be more accurate, but probably not fun to read.

May Hot List

5. 2024 Leoday Taveras Topps Heritage Mini #407- Why is Leoday Taveras on a hot list? This card is selling for over $200 that’s why. Topps Heritage Mini hasn’t set the world on fire with one big exception, card 407. Why is card 407 coveted? It’s an SP that gets overlooked as the SPs run from 1-100 with the exception of card 82 which has a normal print run. Card 407 is the SP instead. Many collectors have overlooked and the Mini print run is small to begin with so set collectors have gone bonkers. This is one to remember and look for in bargain boxes at shows for years to come.

4. 2021 Panini Prizm Silver Jalen Green #206- Folks are looking for the next Ant already and Green looks to be one of the frontrunners. His cards shot up almost 70% on the Card Ladder Player Index despite him not being in the playoffs. He’s been the subject of numerous trade rumors so a lot of the increase is due to folks imagining him in greener pastures. Green is a great scorer, but he might not be much else. Getting traded to a team that only needs points from him like the Magic, could set him on a path to superstardom. Personally, I’m bigger on his current teammate, Amen Thompson. Collectors don’t agree and Green’s Silver Prizm shot from $130 to $200 in PSA 10 grade last month.

3. 2024 Bowman 1955 Manga Shohei Ohtani BA-2- Ohtani might have a permanent spot on this list. No pitching, no problem. He just evolved into one of the games top five hitters. Ohtani is hot. Water is wet. The Bowman Anime set was very well-received and is the best-selling of Topps recent case hit inserts. A lot of those have fallen flat and you can pick up some superstars’ less popular case hits for $5. You can’t do that with Anime with the Ohtani selling briskly over $200. Be careful for listings with digital copies of this one.

2. 2020 Panini Prizm Silver Anthony Edwards #258- Edwards’ cards have settled massively but his market went on quite the ride with Silver Prizms going from $750 in PSA 10 grade to $1600 and then back down to $900. His cheaper cards have seen an even bigger drop which is surprising given the lovefest for Ant in the media currently. There’s a lot to love about Ant and while I hate FOMO in the hobby, I’m going to be targeting his cards this offseason as I’m worried they’ll never be this cheap again. I’d suggest doing the opposite as any time I buy cards with that thought I lose big.

1. 2018 Panini Prizm Luka Doncic #280- This card is one of the ones tied to the crazy spike in card prices topping out over $2000 in PSA 10 grade. It cratered hard and had settled in the $200 range. It is still resisting that $300 threshold, but a championship will see that ceiling shattered. I was convinced this card was doomed to slide down to the $100 range so this has been a nice surprise. I, like many collectors, had written off the Mavs chances. Those who had faith in Doncic are reaping their rewards now.

Cold List

I never liked the cold list, but it’s part of the game so I’ll keep it brief. The third spot I’m going to reserve for overlooked veterans and keep the top two for players that have dropped in price this month. No need to keep Wander Franco at number one indefinitely.

3. J.J. Watt- Watt was at one point the most recognizable defensive player in the NFL winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards. Folks have forgotten the dominance though and his Topps rookie can be found for under $40 in PSA 10 grade with some patience.

2. Paul Goldschmidt- The future HOF inductee looks like he might be finished and that’s a shame, but it happens to all players eventually. His PSA 10 2011 Topps rookie has dropped all the way down to $60. It traded multiple times over $120 just a month and a half ago. I’m guessing we have to be close to the floor for Goldschmidt prices hopefully.

1. Vintage Basketball- This was a surprise to me, but the list of biggest droppers this month on the Card Ladder Index include names such as Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson, and a long list of others NBA greats. The drops are substantial Larry Legend having a shocking 20% drop in May. I’m guessing many collectors figured like I did that basketball would be hot during the Playoffs and so are avoiding basketball purchases. If so, this could be the perfect time to snag some of your favorites of yesteryear.

Wrap Up

There you have it, our first hot/cold list. Let me know who is on your list in the comments below.