Auctions
Karl-Anthony Towns sparks record sales for LeBron, Shohei Ohtani cards at $20 million Goldin live auction
When New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns is in the house, good things tend to happen.
Towns, the starting center for the NBA champion Knicks, participated in a live box break on eBay Live to cap the $20 million Spring Goldin 100 auction.
The results were record sales for the some of the most iconic cards in the hobby featuring such hobby legends as LeBron James, Shohei Ohtani, Michael Jordan and Mickey Mantle.
Towns participated in the box break with Goldin founder and CEO Ken Goldin, YouTuber Jesser and TV host Kyle Brandt. The event was the first in a series of live, auction-night events for Goldin.
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The live break included two packs of 1980-81 Topps Basketball packs, which produced a Larry Bird/Magic Johnson rookie card.
Other highlights included: a 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite LeBron James Rookie Patch Auto card, which sold for $2.9 million, the highest-selling LeBron card ever at a public auction; a 2018 Topps Chrome Shohei Ohtani Rookie Superfractor for $2.56 million, the highest public sale for any Ohtani rookie card; and the June 18, 1956 Sports Illustrated cover featuring Mickey Mantle, his first magazine cover, which sold for $328,180, the most expensive graded magazine cover ever sold at public auction.
Another cool moment featured an in-person audience member placing a winning bid on a pack of 2015-16 Panini Prizm Karl-Anthony Towns rookie cards and joined KAT on stage with his 3-year-old son. Towns signed both the auctioned card and one the fan already owned and brought on stage.
A 2024 Triple Prism #1/1 card signed by three of the five starters from the NBA Champion Knicks—Towns, Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson—opened at $2,500 and closed at $9,000.
Other public-sale records included:
• A 1984-85 Star #101 Michael Jordan Rookie (PSA 8) for $469,700.
• 1997 Flair Showcase Legacy Collection Row 1 Masterpiece #5 Tim Duncan (1/1): $427,000.
• June 18, 1956 Sports Illustrated Mickey Mantle First Cover (PSA 9.6, Top Pop): $328,180, the most expensive graded magazine cover ever sold at public auction.
• 2026 Topps 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle unused Redemption card (PSA 5.5): $292,800.
• 2018 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs Blue Refractor Shohei Ohtani (BGS): $219,600.
• 1984-85 Star #288 Michael Jordan Rookie (PSA 7): $89,060, a public record for the specific card.
• 1958 Unela Pam Pam World Cup Pelé Rookie: $61,000.
Other notable sales included:
• 1986-87 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan Rookie (PSA 10): $396,500.
• 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle (PSA 6): $319,640.
• 1961-62 Fleer #8 Wilt Chamberlain Rookie (PSA 9, MBA Silver Diamond): $220,820.
• 1948 Bowman #6 Yogi Berra Rookie (SGC 10, Pop 1): $152,500.
• 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee #18 Wayne Gretzky Rookie (PSA 9): $136,640.
