Curry 2009 Topps Chrome Refractor RC BGS 9.5 Sale

2009-10 Topps Chrome Refractor #101 Stephen Curry Rookie Card (#071/500) - BGS GEM MINT 9.5 Sells for $53,680

On December 7, 2025, Goldin sold a 2009-10 Topps Chrome Refractor #101 Stephen Curry Rookie Card, serial numbered #071/500 and graded BGS GEM MINT 9.5, for $53,680. For collectors tracking key Curry rookies and chromium refractors in general, this is a meaningful datapoint in a market that has been adjusting after several volatile years.

In this breakdown, we’ll look at what this card is, why it matters, and how this $53k+ result fits into recent sales data.

Card overview: what exactly sold?

Player: Stephen Curry
Team: Golden State Warriors
Season: 2009-10
Set: 2009-10 Topps Chrome Basketball
Card number: #101
Parallel: Refractor (serial numbered to 500 copies)
Rookie status: Recognized chrome rookie card (RC)
Serial number: #071/500
Grading company: Beckett Grading Services (BGS)
Grade: BGS 9.5 GEM MINT

This card is the Refractor parallel of Curry’s Topps Chrome rookie. Refractors are printed with a chrome finish that reflects light and are generally more limited than the standard base chrome cards. Here, the print run is capped at 500 copies, clearly stamped on the card.

A BGS 9.5 GEM MINT grade typically indicates a high-end copy with strong centering, sharp corners, clean edges, and a clean surface. For many chromium-era collectors, BGS 9.5 and PSA 10 are the two benchmark “investment-grade” levels of condition.

There is no autograph or memorabilia patch on this card; its importance comes from being a low-numbered refractor of one of the most important modern players in a historically popular chromium set.

Why this card matters to collectors

1. One of Curry’s key chromium rookies

For Stephen Curry, collectors tend to focus on a handful of core rookie issues:

2009-10 Topps Chrome base and Refractors
2009-10 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Autos (RPAs)
2009-10 Playoff Contenders and other on-card autos

Within that ecosystem, Topps Chrome Refractors occupy an important lane: they combine a recognizable chromium brand, a defined serial number, and strong visual appeal. For many collectors, this is the more accessible (and visually iconic) alternative to ultra-high-end RPAs.

2. A key parallel in a historically important set

2009-10 Topps Chrome is the last Topps Chrome NBA release before Panini took over exclusive NBA licensing. That gives the set added significance: it’s effectively the final chapter of the Topps Chrome era for basketball.

Refractors from this set are a direct continuation of the 1990s and early-2000s chromium tradition. For collectors who grew up with Topps Chrome and Bowman Chrome, Curry’s refractors feel like a modern extension of that timeline.

3. Modern era, controlled print run

This is an ultra-modern card (late 2000s), but the serial numbering to 500 creates a clear ceiling on supply. Unlike some later ultra-modern releases with large parallel checklists and high output, early Curry refractors still feel relatively simple: base, refractor, and a handful of other colors.

That combination—iconic player, key rookie year, low but not impossible serial numbering—makes this card a recurring reference point when people talk about Curry’s market.

Market context and recent sales

In hobby conversations, you’ll often hear “comps” referenced—short for comparables, meaning recent sales of the same or very similar cards used to get a sense of current market levels.

For 2009-10 Topps Chrome Stephen Curry rookies, relevant comps include:

The same Refractor /500 in different grades (BGS 9, BGS 9.5, PSA 9, PSA 10)
The base Topps Chrome RC in top grades
Higher-tier parallels from the same set (e.g., Gold Refractors)

Based on recent public auction data leading into late 2025, here’s the general pattern collectors have been watching:

Topps Chrome Curry base PSA 10 / BGS 9.5: commonly trade below the refractors, with prices influenced heavily by population reports and broader market swings.
Topps Chrome Refractor /500 PSA 10: commands a noticeable premium to BGS 9.5, reflecting the PSA 10 “ceiling” and often lower population.
Topps Chrome Refractor /500 BGS 9.5: typically sits in a mid-to-upper tier for Curry rookies—more expensive than base chromes, generally below premium RPAs and ultra-low-numbered parallels.

Exact figures move with the broader basketball market and Curry-specific sentiment (playoff runs, awards, injuries, etc.), but the sale at $53,680 places this copy firmly in the high-end territory for non-auto, non-patch Curry rookies.

Within the context of recent sales:

The result is strong but not inexplicable for a BGS 9.5 copy of a /500 refractor of a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
PSA 10 examples have historically set the top-end benchmarks for this card, while BGS 9.5 prices form a useful reference band just below those peaks.

As always, it’s worth remembering that the market has been working through a post-boom adjustment. Prices for many modern stars have come down from their 2020–2021 highs, but marquee, low-pop, and low-serial Curry rookies like this still attract deep bidding, especially at major houses like Goldin.

Grading, scarcity, and condition sensitivity

Understanding the grade

BGS 9.5 GEM MINT is a composite grade; each subgrade (centering, corners, edges, surface) is scored from 1 to 10, and the overall 9.5 indicates a card that is essentially near-perfect to the eye. Many collectors view BGS 9.5 as a true high-end condition tier, even if PSA 10 carries a stronger premium in today’s market.

For chromium cards like Topps Chrome, common condition issues include:

Surface scratches or print lines
Edge chipping
Corner wear from handling or packing

Securing a 9.5 on a serial-numbered refractor reduces the available supply of “elite condition” copies well below the raw print run of 500.

Population and perceived scarcity

A “pop report” (population report) is a grading company’s count of how many copies of a card exist in each grade. Even without exact numbers in front of you, the pattern on cards like this is clear:

Not all 500 copies have been graded.
Of those graded, only a portion land in GEM MINT tiers (BGS 9.5 or PSA 10).

Collectors typically treat BGS 9.5 and PSA 10 copies as a smaller, more desirable subpopulation of an already limited print run.

Why this $53,680 sale matters

1. A clean datapoint at a major auction house

Sales at large platforms like Goldin tend to be used as reference points because:

They attract broad bidding pools.
They are publicly documented and easy to reference later.
They often feature vetted, high-end examples.

This December 7, 2025 result becomes a new anchor comp for anyone evaluating similar cards—especially other BGS 9.5 copies of the 2009-10 Topps Chrome Refractor Curry.

2. Ongoing interest in established modern stars

Even as attention shifts toward new draft classes and ultra-modern parallel-heavy sets, this sale underscores continuing demand for established modern legends with clear Hall of Fame trajectories.

Curry’s resume—multiple championships, MVPs, and a transformational impact on how the game is played—helps stabilize interest in his key rookies relative to more speculative players.

3. A reference point for small sellers and returning collectors

For small sellers and returning collectors trying to understand what they have, this sale offers a couple of practical takeaways:

Condition and grading matter: A raw or lower-grade copy of this card will sit in a very different range than a BGS 9.5 or PSA 10.
Serial numbering sets a ceiling on supply: Out of 500 total refractors, only a fraction will ever reach gem grades.
Auction house venue can influence visibility: High-end cards often surface at houses like Goldin, PWCC, and others, where competition can drive strong realized prices.

None of this guarantees future outcomes, but it does help frame why certain copies command premiums over others.

Takeaways for collectors

If you’re a newcomer, returning collector, or small seller, here’s how to contextualize this sale:

The 2009-10 Topps Chrome Refractor #101 Stephen Curry RC /500 is a key modern rookie parallel, not a fringe issue.
A BGS 9.5 GEM MINT example selling for $53,680 at Goldin on December 7, 2025 reflects ongoing demand for high-grade, low-serial Curry rookies.
When looking up comps, compare the exact card and grade (same set, parallel, serial numbering, and grading company) rather than loosely similar Curry cards.
Use this sale as context, not a promise: markets evolve, but high-visibility results like this help map the current landscape.

For those tracking the intersection of iconic players and chromium-era design, this Curry refractor remains a central piece of the story.