Would you pay nearly $1,000 for an empty box? Someone did late Wednesday night.
It wasn’t just any old box, though. This one was a bit of a collector’s item. The rare container held boxes of 1986-87 Fleer basketball cards. The winning bidder shelled out $922 at Goldin Auctions, which also sold seven full boxes of the product that contains what’s considered Michael Jordan’s rookie card.
Those seven boxes—part of a recent storage unit find in Ohio—sold for a combined $660,510—an average of $94,358 per box.
Six of the boxes were sold in two lots of three, with each group realizing $371,200. The single box sold for a record-setting $119,310.
A PSA 10 Jordan rookie in the auction sold for a record price of $99,630.
The sales are the latest in a string of big money sales of Jordan cards and Fleer boxes in the wake of The Last Dance documentary and a generally explosive market for basketball cards.
The auction also included several other six-figure items, topped by the $922,500 sale of a 2009 Mike Trout Bowman Chrome Red Refractor Autograph numbered to 5.
Other basketball cards sold included a 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Number Pieces Jordan (#17/23). Graded 9 by Beckett with a 10 autograph grade, it netted $187,730.
Another Jordan autographed card from the same set, with the same grades and numbered 14/15 went for $150,060 as did an Exquisite LeBron James autographed rookie patch (#1/99). Rated BGS 8, it’s the first Exquisite card from James’ NBA career.
A 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractor Kobe Bryant graded BGS 10 also crossed the six-figure mark, settling at $113,160.
A 1997-98 Tim Duncan rookie card from the rare Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green series, numbered 2 of 100 and graded 6 by PSA went for $81,180.
Two iconic baseball cards drew a crowd of eager bidders. One of nine PSA 9-rated 1933 Goudey Nap Lajoie cards soared to $196,800 while a 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie card graded 8 sold for $125,460.
Memorabilia sold in the first night of the twice-delayed auction included a road jersey worn by LeBron in his rookie season. The only known photo-matched rookie season Cavs shirt with matches to the first few weeks of his NBA career, it rocketed to $371,200.
A 2000 Lakers championship ring gifted by Bryant to his mother Pam netted $206,080.
The auction was slated to conclude Thursday and Saturday night, with several hundred other lots closing and extended bidding open only to those who had bid prior to the website’s crash last weekend.
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