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LeBron rookie card sets another record at Goldin Auctions
LeBron James has become the Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle of basketball cards during the current sports collectible boom, setting record after record for special cards bearing his image.
Another one fell over the weekend with a 2003-04 "Exquisite Collection" LeBron James signed patch rookie card (graded BGS MINT 9/BGS 10) selling for $2,029,500 at Goldin’s August Card & Memorabilia Auction. The sale was a record for the card in any grade.
Another LeBron card — a 2020-21 Panini Prizm Gold #1 graded PSA NM-MT 8 — sold for $99,630, an all-time record for any 2020-21 Prizm Basketball card.
The auction, which featured more than 1,200 rare items, closed with $12 million in total sales, including record sales for cards of Tom Brady and Giannis Antetokounmpo and soccer cards of Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland.
“The big headline of the night was obviously LeBron. His Exquisite Collection rookie, one of the hobby's flagship cards, broke another record, but we also saw the 2020-21 Panini Prizm Gold sell for nearly $100,000,” said Ken Goldin, Founder and Executive Chairman of Goldin.
The August auction also included several WWE fan experiences and SummerSlam memorabilia, which sold for a total of more than $110,000, including a pair of tickets to WrestleMania 38 and a meet & greet with The Undertaker and a WWE headquarters tour with Triple H.
The auction also featured notable non-sports items, including: two cards featuring and signed by JAY-Z, which went for a total of nearly $20,000; a piece of wing fabric from the Wright Brothers’ aircraft the Wright Flyer” for $7,380; and a collection of 1959 Fleer cards featuring the Three Stooges for a total of $32,595.
Other notable items included:
• A 2000 Playoff Contenders Tom Brady Signed Championship Ticket rookie card, graded BGS NM+ 7.5/BGS 10, for $799,500, an all-time record for the card in this grade.
• A 2019-20 UEFA Champions League Superfractor Erling Haaland rookie card, graded BGS GEM MINT 9.5, for $210,330, an all-time record for a 2019-20 Finest UEFA card and the second most expensive Erling Haaland card of all-time.
• A 2013-14 Panini Prizm Giannis Antetokounmpo rookie card, graded PSA MINT 9, for $270,600, an all-time record for the card in this grade.
• A 2016 Bowman Chrome Red Refractor Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed card, graded BGS GEM MINT 9.5/BGS 10, $186,960, an all-time record for any Guerrero Jr. card.
• A 2016 Bowman Chrome Orange Refractor Fernando Tatis Jr. signed card, graded BGS GEM MINT 9.5/BGS 10, for $82,410.
• The Barb Wire Baseball Bat Ric Flair used in his victory against Mick Foley in an “I Quit” match at WWE SummerSlam 2006 for $19,680.
• A1994 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr./Mickey Mantle Dual Signed Card, graded PSA MINT 9, PSA/DNA Certified, for $55,350, a record for the card.
• A 2003 Upper Deck Manchester United Gold Cristiano Ronaldo Rookie Card, graded PSA NM 7, for $59,040, a record for any Ronaldo card from 2003.
• A 2013 BBM Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Rookie Limited Edition Shohei Ohtani Signed Card, graded PSA NM-MT 8, for $36,900, an all-time record for any BBM card and an all-time record for any 2013 Ohtani card.
• A 2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1 Autographs Red Refractor Lewis Hamilton Signed Card, graded BGS NM-MT 8/BGS 10 for $59,040, an all-time record for any racing card.
