There were Michael Jordan cards. A Kobe Bryant jersey. A couple of 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle cards, too. The biggest seller in Goldin’s September Elite Auction, though, was a one-of-a-kind rookie card from a quarterback who hadn’t yet started his third NFL season when the auction came to a close.
A 2020 Panini National Treasures Platinum NFL Shield Justin Herbert Signed NFL Shield rookie card—topped all bidding with a realized price of $1.8 million. Not surprisingly, it’s a record price for a card featuring the L.A. Chargers young quarterback. Thirty-one bids were made for the card, which was one of the big prizes in the popular high-end product.
There was no shortage of high-end material and no shortage of collectors willing to spend big to acquire some of it.
One bidder will pay $450,000 for a game-worn Kobe Bryant jersey dating to the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship season of 2009.
The gold mesh jersey was photo-matched by the MeiGray Group and Sports Investors Authentication to a combined 20 regular season games and 5 playoff games.
Bryant won the NBA Finals MVP award that season.
It’s rare that items used in competition by Tiger Woods make their way to auction…rarer still when they come from signature moments in his career. Goldin offered the Nike golf bag used by Woods during all four major championships in 2005, including his memorable wins at the Masters and British Open. The bag, signed by Woods, sold for $391,800 after a lengthy back and forth into extended bidding late Saturday night.
Measuring just short of three feet tall, the bag included a copy of a Letter of Provenance from Buick Golf signed by Woods.
Woods’ famous chip in on the 16th hole at Augusta is one of the most memorable moments of his career and the bag is visible in video from that Sunday afternoon.
PSA’s recent move to once again start authenticating and grading 1984-85 Star Company Basketball cards resulted in a 9 grade for one of them and it sold for $444,000—a record price for a Star Company Jordan rookie. So far, it’s the only mint 9 copy graded by PSA, with no 10s.
The 1/1 2020 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Autographs Red Joe Burrow, graded PSA NM-MT 8, with a 10 autograph rating rocketed to $336,000 on the eve of the NFL’s 2022 regular season.
In all, more than two dozen lots sold for six-figure prices.
A 2003-04 Topps Chrome Gold Refractor #111 LeBron James Rookie Card (#25/50) graded BGS 9 sold for $270,000 while a 2017 National Treasures Rookie Patch Autograph Black Patrick Mahomes card (#2/5) sold for $216,000.
That figure was matched by a pair of Michael Jordan cards—a PSA 10 1986-87 Fleer rookie and a 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Limited Logos (#8/75).
Vintage collectors chased the fourth best 1975 Topps Baseball set on PSA’s Set Registry before it landed at $132,000. All but 29 cards are graded Gem Mint 10 or Mint 9.
In all, the auction generated over $14 million in sales.
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