Three rare 1990s Michael Jordan insert cards sold for nearly a half million dollars Thursday night.
A 1997 Metal Universe Championship Precious Metal Gems Jordan numbered to 50 and graded Mint 9 by Beckett topped bidding in the final PWCC Marketplace Premier Auction of 2023.
A 1998 Skybox Premium Star Rubies Jordan numbered to 50 and graded 8 by PSA went for $186,000 while a 1997 Skybox E-X2001 Essential Credentials Future Jordan numbered to 72 and graded PSA 8 realized $120,000.
A 1984-85 Star Company Jordan graded BGS 9 was also offered in the auction. The first NBA licensed card of Jordan dating to his actual rookie season sold for $96,000, a price in line with what other copies in the same grade have been bringing over the past 15 months.
The 1/1 2022 Panini National Treasures Platinum Brock Purdy NFL Shield Rookie Autograph graded PSA 10 also drew a crowd of bidders who sent the winning bid to $186,000.
One of the T206 set’s “big four,” a T206 Eddie Plank graded SGC 1, netted $45,600.
The 2005 The Cup Sidney Crosby Rookie Patch Autograph /99 BGS 8/Auto 10 (pop 8) set an all-time high for the grade when it sold for $44,400.
Complete results can be found here.
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The second of two 1/1 Babe Ruth/Shohei Ohtani cards from 2023 Topps Definitive has been pulled.
Breaker “We The Hobby” landed the card in a break this week. It’s the pitching version with a cut signature of Ruth and an Ohtani scribble. The card is a redemption for now:
The Texas collector who won it was sick with the flu but jumped in the break and grabbed the Angels, Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers and Astros. When it took awhile to sell out, he shut off his phone and went to bed. When the break finally sold out, he turned in to watch the host pull one of the top cards of the year that now belonged to him.
WeTheHobby just topped the BIGGEST HITS OF 2023 LIST ‼️ if you didn’t see this tonight, feast your eyes.#FanaticsLive #ShoheiOhtani #BabeRuth pic.twitter.com/AYVbI8Y7gK
— Fanatics Live (@fanaticslive) December 21, 2023
The hitting version was pulled by Filthbomb Breaks exactly one month earlier.
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Less than two weeks after it was pulled in a break by a Minnesota card shop, the 2023 Bowman Draft 1/1 Tom Brady autographed SuperFractor has been graded a PSA 9.
It’ll be sold in a standalone auction by Goldin starting Friday, Dec. 22.
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Panini America has signed an exclusive, multi-year partnership with Dylan Raiola, a consensus Top 10 recruit and one of the top high school quarterbacks in the class of 2024. Raiola recently announced his commitment to Nebraska next season and Panini represents his first NIL deal.
Panini’s partnership with Raiola includes autographed trading cards and marketing. Expect to see his first trading cards in Panini’s upcoming collegiate products.
“Dylan is both an outstanding player and young man, and he is a natural fit to join the Panini family,” says Jason Howarth, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Athlete Relations. “We are excited about his future as he enters the next phase and transitions to college and to share his Panini products with fans across the country.”
The 6’3” Raiola played his senior season at Buford High School in Buford, Georgia, tossing 34 touchdown passes in leading his team to an 11-2 record. He is the son of former NFL offensive lineman Dominic Raiola, who also played for Nebraska.
“I am really excited to celebrate this next stage of my career by partnering with Panini,” Raiola remarked. “Being on a trading card is a dream, and I am proud to be part of the Panini team.”
Raiola joins the likes of University of Texas quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Rome Odunze, University of Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton, USC wide receiver Zachariah Branch and University of Nebraska volleyball star Lexi Rodriguez, as well as top 2023 NBA Draft Picks Amen and Ausar Thompson, 2024 NBA prospects Matas Buzelis and Ja’Kobe Walter and 2025 NBA prospect Tre Johnson as athletes who have recently signed deals with Panini.
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The first goal puck off the stick of NHL rookie Connor Bedard sold for $3,630 Thursday night.
The shot by the Chicago Blackhawks rookie came from a Nov. 22 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and was the tenth of what is projected to be a long career for the 18-year-old from British Columbia.
Two goal pucks from Sidney Crosby each sold for over $2,500 in the first auction of NHL pucks from the current season.
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