Someone left a Michael Jordan rookie card in a safe deposit box many years ago. Now, it’s about to be auctioned, along with other unclaimed property.
The Iowa State Treasurer’s Office receives 200-300 abandoned boxes each year and when there’s no more room to store them, the boxes are auctioned off. Most have been held for 10-15 years. Only after efforts are made to publicize the abandoned property and contact the original owner does the state move forward with auctioning the unclaimed items.
The Jordan card was in one of those boxes but after learning of the potential value, the state had it authenticated and graded. That was done through PSA earlier this month.
“The card has been sent back to us with a rating of PSA 7, and we’ll be adding the rookie card as a lot in our upcoming auction,” says Iowa State Treasurer Roby Smith.
The auction will take place Sept. 5-20 via a website that deals mostly with abandoned property auctions through state and local governments. PSA 7 Jordan cards have been selling for just over $5,000 in recent days.
Proceeds from the unclaimed property auctions are returned to the office’s budget to support its efforts to find property owners. So far, Iowa says it has returned more than $340 million worth of items. Similar unclaimed property items take place regularly across the country.
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Upper Deck is offering two bonus redemption programs that have autographed Cole Caufield rookie cards as the centerpiece.
Collectors who redeem select cards from 2021-22 Credentials and/or 2021-2022 Stature Hockey will receive a randomly selected card.
Full details can be found here.
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The last 2022-23 Classic Edition LeBron James game jersey—and one of the last he donned while wearing number 6– sold for $55,019 at NBA Auctions Thursday night.
The white Lakers jersey with purple trim includes the Bill Russell number 6 memorial patch.
It’s one of only four Classic Edition James jersey from this past season that were available through MeiGray’s game-worn programs with the NBA and the Lakers Youth Foundation charity.
The 38-year-old future Hall of Famer wore the jersey during the Lakers’ 124-111 victory over the Golden State Warriors on February 23.
James recently announced that he is returning to No. 23 for the 2023-24 season– “out of respect for Bill Russell.”
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The weather cooperated last weekend for what’s believed to be the hobby’s first outdoor sports card show—or at least the first in many years.
The show, held at a middle school in the small oceanside town of Wickford, RI, took place last Saturday.
Temperatures were in the mid-60s as sellers began arriving around 6 AM and climbed to the mid-to-upper 70s by early afternoon. Dealers provided their own tables with the show area set up around shade trees on the property.
“It was the most profitable show I have ever done as it was something unique and special,” stated Derek DeSalvo, a dealer from Charlestown, RI. “Do more than one next summer and I’ll go to all of them. Wickford was a very special choice.”
Promoter Mike Mangasarian, who also runs the non-profit Cranston Card Show twice per year, says collectors began lining up at 7:30 in anticipation of the show’s 8 AM start. Collectors continued streaming onto the grounds until early afternoon.
Some dealers who had attended the massive National Sports Collectors Convention came to the show to buy, looking to replace inventory they had gobbled up by customers there.
Mike Asquino, East Providence, RI told Mangasarian that he met a lot of new customers who were shopping for modern football and Hall of Fame vintage baseball cards and planned to return if the show was held again in 2024.
Mangasarian set up as a dealer for the first time in six years since he took over the promoting responsibilities as his son, Mike Jr., took charge of the event’s responsibilities.
Related Stories:
Cranston Sports Card Show Returns in February
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Two $2 Million Cards in One Auction? It’s Possible
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Fernando Tatis’ 1st Major League Jersey Sells for $212,000
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Notes: eBay Fee Hike; Big Jersey Sale; ’52 Mantle NFT; Historic Score Sheet on Roadshow
