Five trading cards, three featuring NBA superstars, sold for over $1 million each on the first night of Goldin Auctions’ latest major catalog sale.
A 2006-07 Topps Chrome Kobe Bryant Refractor rookie card graded BGS 10 (black label) netted $1,795,000, a record price for any Bryant card sold at public auction. It’s one of only two ever rated at that level by Beckett.
A pair of LeBron James cards sold for over $2.8 million combined. A 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Rookie Patch Autograph graded BGS 8.5 set a record for the grade at over $1.5 million while a 2004-05 Upper Deck Ultimate Signature Logos 1/1 hammered at over $1.2 million.
A 2006-07 Exquisite Kevin Durant Rookie Patch Autograph parallel numbered 23/25 set a record for any Durant card ever sold publicly when it closed at $799,500, while a 2018-19 Panini National Treasures Luka Doncic RPA (#83/99) graded PSA 10 sold for a record $584,250.
Not all of the big bucks went for modern era cards, though. The sale of a PSA 9 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente card at over $1.1 million set a record for any Clemente card ever sold while a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle graded PSA 8 also set a record for the grade at $1.35 million.
A 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson graded PSA 9 sold for $984,000, the most ever paid for a ’52 Robinson.
A 1976 Topps Walter Payton rookie card graded PSA 10 soared to $124,230, the most ever paid for any Payton card while a 2019 Panini National Treasures Josh Allen 1/1 NFL Shield graded BGS 9/10 set a record for the most expensive Allen card sold in the young quarterback’s career so far when it changed hands for over $210,000.
A few other record prices for their specific grade included:
- 1948-49 Leaf Jackie Robinson rookie card graded PSA 7 – $402,210
- 1951 Bowman Willie Mays Rookie Card PSA 8 – $346,860
- 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle Rookie Card PSA 8 – $615,000 (tied)
- 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 4 – $148,830
- 1957-58 Topps #77 Bill Russell Rookie Card – PSA 8- $346,860
No record price for a pair of Michael Jordan rookie cards, but PSA 10 copies are continuing to sell for more than a half million dollars when offered. Two in Goldin’s auction netted $615,000 apiece. A 1986-87 Fleer Basketball box, likely containing three or four Jordan rookie cards along with multiple rookie stickers, went for $344,400.
A 2001 Upper Deck SP Authentic Tiger Woods autographed card graded PSA 10 set a record for any golf card sold at public auction when it landed at $344,400.
On the memorabilia side, the bat used by Cal Ripken for his 3,000th career hit, signed and inscribed with a letter of authenticity from him, reached $247,230, the most ever paid for a 3,000 hit bat.
All prices include a 23 percent buyer’s premium tacked on by Goldin. If buyers pay on time and don’t use a credit card, the final prices are reduced by three percent.
The second part of the two-part auction was set to close Sunday night at GoldinAuctions.com.
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