One of 25 Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rookie cards graded Gem Mint 10 by PSA sold for a record setting $861,000 late Saturday night at Goldin Auctions.
The previous auction highs for what is one of the most popular rookie cards ever issued had been just over $500,000–one sold by Goldin in May and the other in July through SCP Auctions. The Scoring Leaders card from the unique 1980-81 Topps set, which featured three small individual images of different players separated by perforations, also includes Julius Erving.
Ten to 12 years ago, PSA 10 examples typically sold for less than $10,000 on the rare occasions they came to auction. The first six-figure sale didn’t come until 2018 and in 2019, one sold for $114,000.
Several cards sold for over $100,000. A 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Emblems of Endorsement Michael Jordan autograph card numbered 8/15 and graded BGS 9.5 rocketed to a record high of $523,980 while a 2007 Upper Deck Black Jordan/LeBron James 1/1 autograph went for $319,800–the same price attained by a PSA 10 Jordan rookie card.
Bidders had plenty of confidence in the long-term prospects of Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, with a 1/1 Panini Prizm Choice Nebula 1/1 graded PSA 10 pushing to $400,980, not surprisingly a record price for any Young card.
The 2020 Panini Flawless Justin Herbert Shield Signatures 1/1 also drew attention from modern card investors, closing at $234,930.
Notable memorabilia sales included a 1940s driver’s license signed by Joe Jackson, which netted $125,460 and a ticket stub from Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game which set a record for any unsigned ticket ar $87,330. Another stub from that March 1962 game in Hershey, PA sold for $12,600 just two years ago.
The second half of the auction was scheduled to close Sunday night, but wound up being postponed.
We are experiencing technical difficulties due to unexpectedly high levels of web traffic. As a result, tonight’s auction will now end tomorrow (August 9) at 10:00PM EST.
Bidding is now open to all users.
Thanks for your patience. ❤️
— Goldin Auctions (@GoldinAuctions) August 9, 2021
