Whether it’s physical sports cards, NBA Top Shot Moments, or NFTs, each asset has a serial number attached to it. Even if a card or Moment is the same as another in appearance, they each have a serial number that makes it unique — this is what differentiates each non-fungible token (NFT) from the next.
For example: this LeBron James 3-pointer, each of the 15,000 represent the same NBA highlight. But the #1, #23, or #13,659 are each distinctly different. This prompts the question: what precisely is a serial number?
A serial number indicates the sequential order in which each parent Moment was minted in. Meaning, if you own this rare Harrison Barnes Moment #7 — which Barnes owns himself — it was the seventh Moment created on the Flow blockchain out of 499.
Then another question arises. What makes lower serial numbers more expensive than higher numbers if they are all identical Moments?
What’s the value of a serial number?
The reason lower serial numbers are generally more expensive than higher ones is not that complicated to understand. One-digit serial numbers are the rarest because only nine are minted; next is a two-digit serial, with only 90 minted; three-digit has only 900 minted; and so on and so forth.
As serial numbers go lower, they continually get more scarce. Thus, the price generally increases. However, the price of these serial numbers are purely dictated by a free-flowing market of buyers and sellers.
The crown jewels for serial numbers on Top Shot are:
- The #1 serial number, or the first Moment minted
- Jersey match, or the same serial number as the player’s jersey number.
- Perfect score or last mint, which is the final serial number (such as 299/299)
That’s why when you look back at the marketplace and the most expensive previous sales in the history of the site, almost all Moments have a substantially low serial number or a mint correlating to the jersey number.
Using MomentHQ from MomentRanks, you can quickly find the estimated value of any serial number for any Moment. Just select the Moment, go to the serial number estimator, and you’ll get your estimated value for that specific serial number based on the current market.
Let’s analyze two examples of when Moments sold for a substantial amount higher due to their low serial numbers.
Steph Curry
Steph Curry is one of the most entertaining NBA players ever and might be the most revolutionary to the game of basketball, too. In Curry’s debut Top Shot Moment, which also comes as a Rare and two Legendary Moments, all of the outlier purchases stem because they have lower serial numbers. The top two purchases are #9 and #12, where they sold for $24,999 and $22,500.
You can also see how the number one serial and matching jersey number are evaluated significantly more than any other serial according to the MomentRanks Moment Valuation model. Additionally, the last Moment minted, or the last mint, is worth considerably more than the floor price as it’s the final time that particular Moment will ever be minted.
As the serial number decreases, the opposite happens with the price; this is until you hit the jersey number or get the last Moment minted because those have more meaning.
Despite the top sales of serial numbers #9 and #12, #1 was only bought for $4,000. That’s because it was purchased on January 12, 2021, compared to February 22 and March 16 for the others. This shows that if you can predict what a Moment’s worth will be long-term before others, you can still get a bargain. This collector saw the worth in this Moment before the late January and February peak, and now that Moment has built significant value.
Joel Embiid
Here we’ll examine one of this season’s MVP candidates, Joel Embiid, and his debut Top Shot Moment. So far, for Embiid’s Moment, the #1 serial hasn’t been sold, and the collector has held onto that Moment ever since it was packed. The same can’t be said for the #2 serial number.
Out of the top seven sales of this Embiid Moment, the #2 comes in at the highest two sales for $7,676 and $6,995 and the seventh-highest sale for $2,450 as it’s been flipped multiple times to different collectors.
Now, it seems the Moment has found a temporary permanent home in dingaling’s account. The #2 serial has been sold on four different occasions: in October 2020 for $150, in January 2021 for $2,450, and then the most two recent sales on March 30, for $7,676, and then two days later for $6,995.
Another lesson can be learned here. Diamond hands often pay off. Meaning: if you’re willing to hold onto your Moment, especially lower-liquid low-serial Moments, there’s a good chance for the Moment to appreciate over time. As you can see above, the collector who purchased the Moment on March 30 to sell it only two days later lost $681, and that’s before Dapper fees.
Long term, this Moment may continue to appreciate. If it does, that collector will regret selling their Moment, especially for a loss.
Takeaways about Serial Numbers on NBA Top Shot
Serial numbers dictate the value of every Top Shot Moment, and these five pointers to keep in mind when discerning that value:
- A serial number is dervied from the sequential order Moments are minted in
- Lower serials, especially #1 and serial numbers that match a player’s jersey number, are the most valuable.
- Scarcity drives the value of lower serial numbers.
- There are still bargains to be had if you can pinpoint a Moment that will retain value in the long run.
- Holding Moments pays off.
Serial numbers can significantly alter the market value of a Moment, and you should always check the serial number attached to it. If you don’t, you might be listing your Moment severely under market value. Serial numbers are crucial, because it’s the only way we can distinguish Moments from one another.
As always, you should check the MomentRanks serial estimator in MomentHQ to evaluate what each Moment is truly worth by factoring in its serial number — so you get the most value out of every Moment in your collection. Additionally, before buying or selling any Moment, use our guide to help make smart decisions on the Top Shot marketplace.