Luka Doncic rookie card sells for $3.12M, setting records for public sales

The Luka Doncic rookie card that sold for a reported $4.6 million during the card boom last year fell short of that number at auction Thursday night, but set another record for a public sale.

The 2018 National Treasures 1/1 Luka Doncic Rookie NBA Logoman Patch Auto card sold for $3.12 million at PWCC Marketplace, setting a record for a basketball card sold in a public auction.

Also See: Jordan, Bird, Magic Triple Logoman up for bid at Goldin 

The same card, graded PSA 9, reportedly sold for $4.6 million in a private sale in March 2021, setting a then-record for basketball cards. That record was broken a month later when a 2003-04 LeBron James Upper Deck Exquisite Gold Rookie Parallel 1/23 sold for $5.2 million in a private sale, setting an all-time sports card record at the time.

The Doncic card hit the public auction block for the first time in PWCC’s November Premier Auction, becoming the highest-selling basketball card this year and the highest of all time in a public auction.

“This is the highest price ever realized for a basketball card sold in a verified public auction,” said Jesse Craig, vice president of sales at PWCC. “When this card went to the block we purposefully avoided speculation on a price because this was an important moment for the market to decide on the value of Luka’s best trading card. The card stood on its own merits and the market placed it where it belongs.

“If you include private sales, Luka now sits between the high sales for LeBron and [Michael] Jordan. The market confirmed Luka is in rare air in terms of collectability with this sale.”

Also See: Aaron Judge record home run ball hits market at Goldin 

Here’s a look at some other stats showing where the iconic Luka card now stands in the pantheon of trading card sales, according to PWCC:

• Highest price ever paid for a basketball card at public auction.

• Tied for seventh most expensive trading card ever sold at a public auction.

• Tied for 14th most expensive trading card ever sold at a public auction or in a reported private sale.

• The most expensive basketball trading card sold this year — public or private.

• The first time ANY Doncic card has ever sold for more than $1 million in a public sale.

• The second highest price ever paid for a Doncic card.

• The third highest price ever paid for a basketball card in either a public auction or reported private sale.

Doncic now holds two of the top three sales records for basketball cards, ranking behind No. 1 LeBron James and ahead of No. 4 Michael Jordan.