On late Thursday evening, November 17, Matthew Berger will sell a 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite LeBron James Rookie Patch Autograph card numbered to 23 through Heritage Auctions. It's expected to realize more than $2 million. Even if it just comes reasonably close, he'll make out OK. Berger bought the card not long after it came out of a pack back in James' rookie season. … [Read more...] about Youthful Optimism: $5,000 LeBron Rookie Card Investment in 2003 About to Pay Big Dividends
LeBron James rookie card
Mike Trout SuperFractor Becomes Highest Priced Sports Card Ever Sold
The title of world’s most expensive sports trading card changed hands late Saturday night when the 2009 Bowman Chrome SuperFractor Mike Trout card sold for a whopping $3.84 million. The card was sold by Goldin Auctions as part of its first “Elite” auction that included over 200 high-end sports cards and sports memorabilia items. There was no immediate word of the winning … [Read more...] about Mike Trout SuperFractor Becomes Highest Priced Sports Card Ever Sold
Notes: NBC Chicago on Hot Hobby; CT Show; Topps Digicon; Vegas Dave on Trout
Sports card shops in small towns and big cities continue to do a brisk business. The hobby's booming start to the 2020s was the subject of a story on the newscast of the NBC affiliate in Chicago, which stopped by Elite Sports Cards. For the first time in five months, there was a show at the VFW in Plainville (CT) on Saturday. Local card show going on today … [Read more...] about Notes: NBC Chicago on Hot Hobby; CT Show; Topps Digicon; Vegas Dave on Trout
Ex-Postal Worker Sentenced In Theft Of High-End Cards
A Massachusetts dealer-collector finally will be getting his exquisite — and expensive — basketball cards back. And the former postal clerk who stole and tried to sell that dealer’s 23 high end cards through the internet — including a 2003-04 LeBron James Upper Deck Exquisite rookie patch card worth at least $25,000 — was sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation by a … [Read more...] about Ex-Postal Worker Sentenced In Theft Of High-End Cards
Retrieving Cards Stolen By Postal Worker Was Long Process
A Massachusetts dealer-collector thought he had lost something exquisite through the mail, but thanks to patience, persistent detective work and some good luck, some valuable rookie cards soon will be back in his possession. And a former postal clerk is awaiting sentencing for stealing a package that contained sports cards worth at least $68,668. The 37-year-old dealer knows … [Read more...] about Retrieving Cards Stolen By Postal Worker Was Long Process
Notes: Topps Baseball Sales, Ruth Card Hits $80K, CU Revenue, Butler Autograph Deal
This is an important month for sports card shops and online retailers who sell boxes of cards. The release of the first baseball card product of the season can set the tone for the rest of the year and it’s the one time when there is a lot of attention on one product. Several mainstream media outlets reported on Derek Jeter’s farewell card, the First Pitch inserts and … [Read more...] about Notes: Topps Baseball Sales, Ruth Card Hits $80K, CU Revenue, Butler Autograph Deal
Fear the Brow: Anthony Davis Rookie Cards Heat Up
It’s often the late bloomers who become the biggest stars. One look at the hottest Anthony Davis rookie cards and it’s clear the New Orleans Pelicans’ wunderkind is entering the realm of superstar. Interest in his future is off the charts both in the league—and in the hobby. Davis saw an eight-inch growth spurt during an 18-month period in … [Read more...] about Fear the Brow: Anthony Davis Rookie Cards Heat Up
Cheap Basketball Card Sets Past and Present
Card collecting always evolves. Every generation has a different way of determining which cards are the ones to have. In the past, nothing was as exceptional as a complete set. But times have changed, and as collectors focus on rarer inserts it leaves many unwanted common cards. That can provide an opportunity for collectors who aren’t hung up on the … [Read more...] about Cheap Basketball Card Sets Past and Present
NBA Rookie Class Has Potential Star Power
Some basketball card collectors avoided last season’s crop of first year players because they were already knew a bigger, better draft class was coming. With the season just days away and the first in-season products either already on the market or coming soon, it’s a good time to take a look at the players to watch on 2014-15 NBA rookie cards. The strange … [Read more...] about NBA Rookie Class Has Potential Star Power
LeBron’s First Cards as Cav Returnee to Debut in Cleveland
Panini America went to work quickly after LeBron James opted to return to the Cavaliers and now the company is touting the first 2014 cards of LeBron as part of a 2014 National Sports Collectors Convention giveaway…but you’ll have to have good speed—and some luck—to get them. Three LeBron cards are part of a Tools of the Trade Update which will include game-worn … [Read more...] about LeBron’s First Cards as Cav Returnee to Debut in Cleveland