Michael vs. Mickey: Record Jordan/Kobe Logoman card reignites modern-vintage debate
By now most are aware there's a new king of the hill when it comes to sports card sales.
The 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant #1/1 Logoman card, graded PSA 6, sold recently at Heritage Auctions for almost $13 million.
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Imagine if the grade been higher. But with a thicker card stock like that, the buyers are purchasing the card more than the grade. Many obviously know that these thicker cards don't grade as well as their counterparts with thinner stock.
The buyers are a conglomerate led by Kevin O'Leary, aka “Mr. Wonderful” from “Shark Tank.” His two other investors are business partners Paul Warshaw and high-end collector Matt Allen, who is known more for his moniker “Shyne150.” Together they recently formed a high-end collectibles platform called Secure Collectibles.
In a recent interview on CNBC, O'Leary said other investors had been trying to persuade him to get into the sports card hobby even before this acquisition, but he resisted until this purchase. “The people I'm meeting in the hobby are truly crazy,” he said on CNBC.
Welcome to the hobby, Kevin.
Modern cards versus vintage is not a new debate, but the fact that the MJ/Kobe card took the mantle (pun intended) from the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card (SGC 9.5) has ratcheted up that debate.
The modern camp points to this as their “Exhibit A.” Vintage collectors say you won the battle, but we are winning the war and point to the overall history and value of iconic high-grade vintage cards across the board. They’ll also remind you that their scarcity is genuine and not artificially manufactured by a card company's numbering.
I'll weigh in here as a collector and dealer. My PC is heavy on vintage, while my show inventory is 70/30 modern. I love vintage cards in a different way than I love modern. I'm sure that may resonate with some of you reading this.
Frankly, whatever hat you wear, you are partaking in the greatest hobby on the planet. We should all be in the same collecting fraternity. As the hobby has grown, I think both modern and vintage have grown at the same time.
Whether it’s at shows I set up at or shows I attend as a consumer, I've seen more people venturing into vintage, including quite a bit of the younger set breaking that stereotype. For a vintage guy, it's refreshing to see. Growth across the board is important.
While we may not be on the same level financially as O'Leary, he knows he’s venturing into a brave new world.
“My wife thinks I'm nuts, I can tell you that,” he said. “She went to bed saying, ‘This is too crazy.’”
Some of us can relate to that. Enjoy the hobby!
- John Newman is a collector, dealer and the host of the Sports Card Nation podcast. Catch his Hobby Quick Hits on Monday and his guest interviews on Friday on your favorite podcast platform. You can reach him at sportscardnationpc@gmail.com or on Twitter at @sportscardnati1
John Newman is the host of the Sports Card Nation podcast