Disclaimer: This post reflects my personal experiences and opinions on trading sports cards. I am not affiliated with or sponsored by Arena Club, and this is not financial advice. Always do your own research before making any trades or purchases.

Trading is one of the most exciting aspects of the hobby, and I recently made a deal that I’m pretty happy with. On Arena Club, I traded $70 and an Ethan Salas 1st Bowman Arena Club 9.5 for a 2020 Anthony Edwards Panini Prizm PSA 10. Here’s my thought process behind the deal and why I believe it was a strong trade.

Why Anthony Edwards?

I’ve been interested in collecting Anthony Edwards for a while now. His talent and superstar potential make him one of the most exciting young players in the NBA. While he already commands strong hobby interest, if he performs well in the playoffs, I see potential for his card prices to rise.

Given Prizm’s status as Panini’s flagship basketball set, a PSA 10 from his rookie year is a reasonably priced entry card that should appreciate if Edwards continues to trend upwards. Whether I decide to hold onto it long-term or flip it during the playoffs, I felt like this was a nice pickup.

Evaluating the Trade Value

Recent comps for the Anthony Edwards PSA 10 Prizm have been hovering between $95-$100, making it a solid target at the right price. On my side of the trade, I gave up:

• $70 in cash
• Ethan Salas 1st Bowman (Arena Club 9.5)

Based on recent sales, the Salas is probably in the range of $10-20, making my total offer somewhere in the $80-$90 range. While technically below comps, the trade was accepted immediately without negotiation. This reinforces a valuable lesson: sometimes offering a combination of cash and a card can create more perceived value (especially if it’s hard to get an exact comp on the card), making a deal more likely to be accepted.

Was This a Good Trade?

From my perspective, this deal was a win for several reasons:

✔ Upgraded to a PSA 10 – While Arena Club grades are fine, PSA is the most recognized grading company, and their 10s hold more market value.

✔ Better long-term potential – Edwards has a much clearer path to being a star in the NBA than Salas does in baseball (especially since Salas is a catcher, which historically limits hobby interest).

✔ Flexibility to hold or flip – If Edwards performs well in the playoffs and his price jumps, I could sell it for a solid profit. If not, I’m comfortable holding onto it for the long haul.

Final Thoughts: Will I Keep Using Trades?

I think this trade showed the value of combining cash with a card to create a compelling offer. If I had just offered cash, I might have needed to go higher to make the deal happen. Instead, by adding a card that was harder to value precisely, I was able to make the trade more appealing.

Going forward, I’ll definitely consider using trades more often—especially when I have cards I’m looking to move. Each situation is different, but this deal worked out well, and I’ll be keeping an eye on how Edwards performs for potential selling opportunities.

What do you think of the trade? Would you have made this deal? Let me know in the comments!