---
title: "1996-97 Topps Chrome Basketball Kobe Bryant #138: Base vs Refractor Price & How to Tell | CardVolume"
url: https://cardvolume.com/sports/basketball/1996-topps-chrome-kobe-bryant-138/versions/
as_of: 2026-09-29
source: CardVolume (https://cardvolume.com)
---

> At PSA 10, the Refractor sells for $152,500 (median of the last 5 sales), the Base sells for $9,780 (median of the last 3 sales). The Refractor costs about 15.6× the Base at the same grade. How to tell each version apart, with every verified sale linked.

Kobe Bryant Topps Chrome RC

1996-97 Topps Chrome Basketball · #138

Image not licensed

Sports2 versions

# Kobe Bryant Topps Chrome RC: Base vs Refractor

1996-97 Topps Chrome Basketball · #138 · 1996

## Answer

-   At PSA 10, the Refractor sells for $152,500 (median of the last 5 sales), the Base sells for $9,780 (median of the last 3 sales). The Refractor costs about 15.6× the Base at the same grade.

As of Sep 29, 2026 · Verified and cross-checked sales only · [How we verify](https://cardvolume.com/methodology/)

Base

14

verified sales · record $10,600

Refractor

11

verified sales · record $500,000

[Full sales history and population](https://cardvolume.com/sports/basketball/1996-topps-chrome-kobe-bryant-138/)

## How to tell the versions apart

Version

How to identify it

Verified sales

Last sale

**Base**

Standard 1996 Topps Chrome #138 Kobe Bryant with no Refractor finish.

14

$3,500 · Sep 25, 2026

**Refractor**

Refractor parallel of the same #138 card; PSA catalogs it separately from the base Topps Chrome card.

11

$152,500 · Jun 29, 2026

**Identity note:** Seed identity was accurate; keep base Topps Chrome and Refractor separate, and do not merge with paper Topps #138.

## Price by version and grade

Grade

Base

Refractor

PSA 10

**$9,780**  
3 sales

**$152,500**  
7 sales

PSA 9

[**$4,200**](https://cardvolume.com/sports/basketball/1996-topps-chrome-kobe-bryant-138/base-psa-9/)  
8 sales

**$74,090**  
2 sales

PSA 8

**$1,471**  
2 sales

**$33,156**  
1 sale

PSA 7

**$1,600**  
1 sale

**$30,000**  
1 sale

Price we quote: the 90-day market price where one exists (median of at least 5 sales), otherwise the median of the last 5 verified sales. Linked prices open that grade's full sales list.