Basketball · REFERENCE ENTRY
Allen Iverson
1996 · Topps Basketball · #171
Iverson’s regular Topps #171 rookie belongs to the 1996 basketball set.
- Sport
- Basketball
- Year / season
- 1996
- Set
- Topps Basketball
- Number
- #171
- Format
- Card
- Issue status
- Rookie card
About this card
Allen Iverson’s 1996 Topps Basketball card is number 171 in that release. This is Topps’ paper-stock flagship basketball set, from the years when Topps made NBA cards each season.
The catalog labels this a rookie card, based on the source cited below.
How to identify it
Paper base cards like this were printed in large numbers, so condition and the exact edition matter most. Other versions of the same player from the same year usually carry different numbers, so confirm the brand printed on the card.
In Allen Iverson’s run
This is the only Allen Iverson entry in the catalog so far.
In the 1996 checklist
The catalog’s selected checklist for the 1996 Topps Basketball release also includes Kobe Bryant. It is a partial checklist of cataloged cards, not the full release.
What to know about this issue
- The set uses white borders around action photographs and gold player-name lettering.
- This record identifies regular Topps, rather than the separate Topps Chrome issue.
Inspect the source
Source reviewed 2026-10-07. The source describes this issue; it does not verify any item offered by a third party.
No assigned grade, market value or verified offer is supplied by this reference entry.
Read the basketball collecting guideRaw or graded. Inspect the actual copy.
The issue stays 1996 · Topps Basketball. These are research checks, not a condition assessment of a specimen.
Raw / ungraded
- Match the issue
- Match the full year or season, release, number and named edition to this reference. Ask for readable images of the actual item’s front and back.
- Record visible condition
- Inspect corners, edges, centering and surface in suitable photographs or in person. Record damage or unanswered questions without assigning a predicted professional grade.
- Keep authentication separate
- Ungraded does not establish authenticity or mean “never authenticated.” A protective case alone does not establish a professional condition grade.
Professionally graded
- Read the complete label
- Record the grading company, exact issue, card grade and any qualifiers or designation. Keep an autograph grade separate from the card’s condition grade. An authentication-only designation may have no numeric condition grade.
- Compare the certification record
- Use the company’s official lookup and compare its issue details and available images with the actual item, label and holder. A matching certification number alone does not establish that an offered item is genuine.
- Compare within the stated scale
- Retain the company’s exact grade name and number. Different companies and grade designations are not automatically equivalent; a numeric label does not establish a current price.
A source-linked reference or historical scan does not authenticate the card you are considering. CardRoster supplies no assigned grade, certification or price for it.