[TBarn291]

IMO, there is a market, big or small for every player. I would never pay $300 for Bill Russell, I would never pay $500 for a Penny auto, but I know NOBODY else but me would spend $100 on an Olowokandi, or $200 on Bill Walton. It really shouldn't surprise you to see a Penny go so high, he had a huge fan base in his day and it would be expected that some of those collectors are still around, add the fact that the card is an elusive, sought after 90's card and that market gets bigger..... in a world where common player PMGs can fetch a grand, this isn't that amazing.....

[user_3n5kp]

Penny was a serious player in the mid-late 90s(although I strongly disagree with the "right there with MJ" comment above) and the collectors that grew up in that era are the guys that are getting some disposable income and finding their way back into the hobby.

Penny still has the 2nd most iconic signature shoe around after MJ and his fan base is surprisingly deep. As someone pointed out above, its supply and demand. There are way more Penny guys out there than you think and some of his higher end inserts fetch nice coin. For whatever reason, he does have a nice cult following, as do guys like Hill and Iverson (both did have longer, better careers tho).