An “expensive” card is relative. $40-50 for Topps, relative to SPx and Flair Showcase and Bowman's Best and UD3 and Finest, and even mid brands like Z-Force and Skybox Premium and Metal and SP...is expensive. Relative to its actual card relatives, other flagship products like Hoops and Fleer and Upper Deck, it's basically a full blown anomaly. It’s not signed, it’s not a refractor either.. it’s just a regular #138. I think the newer generation of collectors tricked themselves into thinking it's nicer than it is due to the popularity of Topps Chrome. At release it was one of his lowest-end, least desirable RCs. The fact that it sells for more than Metal and Ultra combined, that it's even remotely close in value to Finest or Bowman's Best, can be seen as absolute insanity. In some folks’ opinion, it's one of the most overvalued cards in the hobby. To me, however, it’s a nice rookie. Jordan.. Lebron .. Kobe rookies.. you can’t miss. They’ve secured their legacies as the three GOATs of basketball, and if you like it -then purchase one. They’re not rare, it’s a flagship rookie and the price has swung many times over the years. The fact that it’s relatively affordable is not a bad thing.. Oh, and unlike the refractor version? You won’t have to worry about greening that happens on the foil versions of these cards!