Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant Card Breaks Auction Record
A sports collectible card signed by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant reached an astonishing $12.932 million at an auction on Saturday night, setting a new record as the most expensive sports card ever sold.
The card, belonging to the Upper Deck Exquisite collection from the 2007-08 season, features Dual Logoman signatures from Jordan and Bryant, and is a one-of-one edition (1 of 1). This collector’s item surpassed the previous record of the 1952 Mickey Mantle card, which sold for $12.6 million at the end of August 2022.
The sale of the Jordan/Bryant card was managed by Heritage Auctions. The acquisition was made by a partnership composed of Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary, collector Matt Allen (known as Shyne150 on social media), and entrepreneur Paul Warshaw.
This card is positioned as the second most expensive collectible sports item of all time, surpassed only by Babe Ruth’s 1932 World Series jersey, known as the “called shot”, which sold for $24.12 million almost a year ago.
They wanted the best of the best.
Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Auctions at Heritage
Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage, recalled how Upper Deck initially launched Exquisite, priced at $500 for a five-card pack/box in the 2003-04 edition. This series was responsible for the sale of a LeBron James rookie card for $5.2 million, which held the record for the most expensive basketball card until Saturday.
Ivy added that the series took advantage of a niche of collectors who were looking for the exceptional. “They were adding patches and signatures, Logomen; this was one of the first times that logos from the jerseys were used in this way,” she commented.The Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant card from the 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite collection sold for $12.932 million, surpassing the 1952 Mickey Mantle card as the most expensive sports card sold at auction.
In the years that have passed, Panini’s National Treasures and Flawless lines, with prices exceeding $3,000 per box at their launch, have become the benchmark for collectible basketball.
“But Exquisite was the pioneer, Exquisite paved the way,” Ivy stated. “It’s the pinnacle when it comes to modern card collectors, and this is the only time autographed Logomans of Jordan and Kobe exist. You can’t create another one. It has always been considered by modern basketball collectors as a Holy Grail.”
This exclusivity justifies the price, even though the card received a grade of 6 from Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA).
Ivy also pointed out that, following the Brett Lemieux scandal regarding fraudulent memorabilia, the authenticity of Bryant and Jordan’s signatures on this card is “irrefutable.” Lemieux allegedly flooded the market with fraudulent Kobe items after his death in 2020. The assistant chief of police in Westfield, Indiana, indicated that there is no news on the case.
“The scandal makes articles like this a little more desirable: Upper Deck has a contract with Jordan; he’s been with them for decades. Kobe was with Upper Deck until 2009,” Ivy said. “They worked directly with these athletes to get this item signed. It’s guaranteed by them and by PSA. That’s why you see a premium on items that have verified provenance and authentication.”
It has been a remarkable month for Bryant cards. High-end collector Matt Allen, known as Shyne on social media, revealed that he privately invested $4 million in signed 1-of-1 Logoman cards of Bryant from Panini Flawless: one from 2017-18 for $1.7 million and another from 2015-16 for $2.3 million, which was the record paid for a Bryant card until Saturday night’s sale.
Saturday would have been Kobe Bryant’s 47th birthday.
