Lottery picks do not normally sneak up on the NBA or basketball card collectors, but Michael Carter-Williams was definitely under-the-radar at the onset of the 2013-14 season. However, Carter-Williams made it clear from the beginning of his rookie season that he was a considerable talent. Everyone has taken notice of the young guard and Michael Carter-Williams rookie cards are in high demand.
MCW played college basketball at Syracuse, logging significant minutes as a starter during his Sophomore season. After being named an AP All-American (honorable mention) and All-Big East Second Team in 2013, Carter-Williams declared for the 2013 NBA Draft. The Philadelphia 76ers took MCW with the 11th overall pick and also obtained the 6th overall pick, Nerlens Noel, in a trade for Jrue Holiday.
Michael Carter-Williams got off to a fast NBA start and immediately became the favorite for Rookie of the Year. MCW was recognized as the NBA Player of the Week award in his first week, the first rookie to do so since Shaquille O'Neal, and later added several Rookie of the Month Awards. Although he had his ups and downs during his debut season, including a historic 76ers' losing streak, Carter-Williams is a player to keep an eye on and one of the hottest rookies in the 2013-14 class. After his impressive season, Michael Carter-Williams was named the 2013-14 NBA Rookie of the Year, beating out Trey Burke and Victor Oladipo.
The following list features all Michael Carter-Williams rookie cards that are currently available.
Michael Carter-Williams Rookie Card Guide
Please note that this list will be updated as new 2013-14 NBA products are released. Click on the card name to shop for singles on eBay.
2013-14 Panini Michael Carter-Williams RC #196
They don't get more simple than this. The large action image offers one of the better budget cards for MCW. Also, the text box feels a little crowded, but the foil and color add a splash of personality.
2013-14 Panini Court Kings Michael Carter-Williams RC #114, #139 #/225, #164 #/125, #189 #/49
Court Kings takes an artistic look at the rookie class with four different cards for each rookie in the base set. Progressively more rare, the first two cards (#114 & #139) for Michael Carter-Williams feature a similar look, while card #164 has a more abstract background. The final card is the rarest and completely removes the art and color and instead focuses solely on a black-and-white image of MCW.
2013-14 Panini Crusade Michael Carter-Williams RC #144
The ornate background is a little busy, but the look of the this 2013-14 Panini Crusade rookie card for Michael Carter-Williams is certainly not boring. Despite this, collectors have shown more interest in the shiny Crusade inserts and we are left to wonder why those cards are not used for the base card design.
2013-14 Panini Elite Michael Carter-Williams RC #223 #/999
Going with a more classic look, Elite offers a nice budget Michael Carter-Williams rookie card. The higher print run of 999 does not add much, but bumps it over other low-end options. The cards are very condition sensitive.
2013-14 Panini Gold Standard Michael Carter-Williams #232 Autographed Jersey
Originally released as a redemptions, MCW's 2013-14 Gold Standard might be one of the best overall values for collectors. Although not numbered, the on-card autograph and jersey piece rivals nearly any other rookie card from the low- and mid-level products.
2013-14 Panini Hoops Michael Carter-Williams RC #271
The very first Michael Carter-Williams rookie cards available to collectors, 2013-14 Hoops is a great budget option. As the only major card option for the first few weeks of the NBA season, values were pushed higher than normal. Collectors have also shown special attention to the rookie autograph for MCW. Rookie autographs in Hoops are considerably less common than previous seasons, resulting in huge autograph sales for this low-end product.
2013-14 Panini National Treasures Michael Carter-Williams RC #199 Autographed Jersey #/99
No longer the only premium product for basketball, 2013-14Â National Treasures is still the benchmark for most rookie collectors. This high-end rookie card for Carter-Williams is numbered to just 99 and includes a large patch piece and on-card signature.
2013-14 Panini Pinnacle Michael Carter-Williams RC #42
Despite the Pinnacle reputation built on nostalgia and innovation, the rookie design is largely plain. MCW is shown with a heavily-blurred background and all text on a an angle to accommodate the large triangle boarders in the corners. While this budget rookie will not among the favorites, the many various parallels add more excitement and appeal.
2013-14 Panini Preferred Michael Carter-Williams RC Autographs #103,254,286,369
Featuring only relic booklets and autographed cards, 2013-14 Preferred does not have a main rookie card like other products. Mixing multiple brands and themes, there are actually four "base" Michael Carter-Williams cards included in the main set for collectors to chase. Most were issued as redemptions, but a few live cards have surfaced.
2013-14 Panini Prestige Michael Carter-Williams RC #171
Another staple of the the Panini lineup, 2013-14 Prestige offers collects a budget rookie card for Michael Carter-Williams. A multitude of Bonus Shot parallels offers more rookie card depth. Again, an autograph insert is the top option for Michael Carter-Williams collectors in this early product.
2013-14 Panini Prizm Michael Carter-Williams RC #265
With a textured design, metallic look and many colorful Prizm Refractors, 2013-14 Prizm includes some of the most Michael Carter-Williams cards in any one product. Given the popularity of the inaugural Prizm release last year, it is safe to assume that this will be on the top low-end Michael Carter-Williams rookie cards.
2013-14 Panini Select Michael Carter-Williams RC #190
Although it might have the look of an insert or parallel from Prizm, 2013-14 Select applies most of the same elements plus a rich background color. Like the base Prizm set, the Refractors, also named Prizms, command a premium.
2013-14 Panini Stickers Michael Carter-Williams RC
The layout is a little more forced than previous years, with two pictures of MCW pushed onto the same card. However, the target audience remains the same, appealing to budget collectors and youth collectors.
2013-14 Panini Signatures Michael Carter-Williams RC #301-310 #/15 (10 different cards)
Most products would opt for one rookie card, numbered to 150. 2013-14 Signatures goes the opposite direction, with ten different base rookie cards, each numbered to 15. A nightmare for set collectors, this seems even more odd for a product named Panini Signatures.
2013-14 Panini Spectra Michael Carter-Williams RC #121 Autographed Jersey
Another product from Panini that delves into the chromium world, 2013-14 Spectra is in that awkward place where the product is more mid-level, but the price is high-end. Given the price point, the sticker signature is not ideal and the base version is not even numbered. Also, green is normally more a parallel color that the main component of a base design.
2013-14 Panini Timeless Treasures Michael Carter-Williams RC #131 Autographed JerseyÂ
Autographs drive sales and are usually the preferred option for rookie collectors. 2013-14 Timeless Treasures included the first official Michael Carter-Williams autographed rookie card. Although the base version is not numbered, Prime (#/49) and Prime Ruby (#/25) parallels feature limited print runs.
2013-14 Panini Titanium (Retail) Michael Carter-Williams RC #111 #/149
2013-14 Panini Titanium utilizes an offbeat system for the rookie cards. The most plentiful card is the retail-exclusive rookie, numbered to 149. Collectors looking at hobby boxes have MCW rookie options, but they are much more rare. These include 22 (#/22), which is in honor of the atomic number for Titanium, as well as Draft Year (#/13), Draft Position (#/11), Blue (#/5), Platinum (1/1) and a Jersey Number card (1/1).
2013-14 Panini Totally Certified Michael Carter-Williams RC #240
Like Prizm, 2013-14 Totally Certified  brings collectors a shiny, mid-level card for a budget price. Parallels, especially Totally Gold (#/25) and Totally Green (#/5) have proven to be very popular.
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