Bargain Bin Finds: Tim Duncan Essential Credentials Now (Missing Number)

This year at the National Convention, I spent a good amount of time searching the bargain bins for hidden treasure. And, in my opinion, I believe that I struck gold with this card.

I was looking through boxes of stuff at one of the most disorganized tables found at the show. I had already purchased some cool things for a couple of bucks apiece, when I saw that this dealer had a four dollar box. Normally there isn’t a good profit margin on four dollar cards, but I looked anyhow. And, I am so glad I did! There in the box was a BGS 9 2003-04 E-X Essential Credentials Now of Tim Duncan. The Beckett slab had seen better days, but the card was beautiful. Under closer inspection, I noticed that the BGS tag had a note that the card was missing its serial number. This excited me further, because I immediately knew that this was a bankruptcy card. I quickly double checked the back and sure enough there was no serial number. So with no hesitation, I bought the card.

For those of you who don’t know, bankruptcy cards are sports cards that are made up by card manufacturers for a few different reasons. The most common theories include that they exist as promo cards or they serve some QA purpose. Regardless, the cards are not intended for packs and they usually sit in a warehouse/factory “vault” never to see collectors' hands. So, how do these cards get out? In most cases the card company goes out of business and the cards that are stored are liquidated. Hence the name “Bankruptcy Cards.” Whether or not this is the history of this card is unknown. The reality is that this card could have an entirely different story, but what is for certain is that this is a rare collectible. It may be the only copy in existence. Price wise, this could be a $20.00 card or it could be a $200.00 card, it is tough to say. A similar LeBron James Essential Credentials Now (no serial number) rookie card sold at auction for $179.50. Granted this card is no LeBron rookie, but Tim Duncan does have a large player following.