List of most expensive sports cards

This is a list of the highest known prices paid for sports cards. The current record price is the US$3.936 million paid for the one-of-a-kind Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor Autograph in August 2020.[1]

Mike Trout (left) and LeBron James (right) are the subjects of four of the seven most valuable unique sports cards ever sold.

Background

Sports cards are a variety of trading card, small cards usually made of cardboard, which feature an image of an athlete or athletes along with identifying text. The earliest sports cards were promotional materials usually included with tobacco products and candy and often bearing an advertisement on the reverse.

The first sports card to sell for one million dollars was a T206 Honus Wagner which went for $1,265,000 at auction in 2000 (equivalent to $1,878,067 in 2019).[2] As of May 2020, the industry brings in over one billion dollars annually for manufacturers and retailers.[3]

Eighteen of the 25 most valuable sports cards are baseball cards but two of the five priciest cards are basketball cards.

List of highest prices paid

This list is ordered by consumer price index inflation-adjusted value (in bold) in millions of United States dollars in 2019.[note 1]

This list includes only the highest price paid for a given card and does not include separate entries for individual copies of the same card or multiple sales prices for the same copy of a card. Thus, for example, the T206 Honus Wagner is represented on this list by the Jumbo Wagner's 2016 sale and does not include the same card's 2005 sale for $2.1 million or the Gretzky Wagner and its $2.8 million sale price.

Cards are evaluated by third-party services, most often Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Beckett Grading Services (BGS) and Sportscard Guaranty (SGC), and given a grade on a ten-point scale based on condition.[4]

The images below do not necessarily represent the individual specimen sold but are representative of the given cards.

Adjusted price Original price Player(s) Year Card Population Grade Image Date of sale Auction house Notes
$3,936,000 $3,936,000 Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor Autograph Serial numbered 1/1 BGS MT 9 August 23, 2020 Goldin Auctions The seller, gambling consultant David "Vegas Dave" Oancea, had bought the card for only $400,000 only two years prior.[1]
$3,323,760 $3,120,000 Honus Wagner 1909–11 T206 (the Jumbo Wagner) c. 47[5][6] PSA EX 5 (MC) October 1, 2016 Goldin Auctions Broke the record of $2.8 million set by Ken Kendrick's purchase of the Gretzky Wagner in 2007.[7][8] It is generally believed that only 50 to 200 of the cards were ever produced.[9]
$2,932,287 $2,880,000 Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps c. 2,372[10][11][12] PSA MT 9 April 19, 2018 Heritage Auctions Sold by retired NFL player Evan Mathis. Set a record for a post-war card. In 1953, unsold cards from the set were returned to Topps by retailers and dumped in the Hudson River.[13][14][15][16]
$1,857,300 $1,857,300 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2013–14 Panini National Treasures Logoman Patch Autograph Serial numbered 1/1 BGS MT 9 September 20, 2020 Goldin Auctions Broke the record for a basketball card which had been set only two months and two days earlier.[17][18]
$1,845,000 $1,845,000 LeBron James 2003–04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch Autograph Serial numbered to 23 BGS GM-MT 9.5 July 18, 2020 Goldin Auctions Set a record for a modern-day card and a basketball card. The buyer was Leore Avidar, CEO of a California-based tech company.[19]
$922,500 $922,500 Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Red Refractor Autograph Serial numbered to 5 BGS GM-MT 9.5 May 20, 2020 Goldin Auctions Set a record for a modern-day card. The seller was gambling consultant David "Vegas Dave" Oancea.[20]
$900,000 $900,000 LeBron James / Michael Jordan 2003–04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Logoman Serial numbered 1/1 BGS NM-MT+ 8.5 February 2020 Goldin Auctions Set a record for a modern-day card and a basketball card. The buyer was identified as high-end basketball card collector Nat Turner.[21]
$779,548 $700,000 Eddie Plank 1909–11 T206 c. 110[22][5][6] PSA 7 2012 Private sale Like the T206 Honus Wagner, the reason for the scarcity of T206 Plank cards is unknown.[23][24][25]
$763,826 $717,000 Babe Ruth 1916 M101-5 Sporting News (blank back) c. 48[26][27] PSA NM 7 August 28, 2016 Heritage Auctions Although called the Sporting News set, many other companies advertised on the backs of these cards. The August 28, 2016 card had nothing on the back.[28][29][30]
$763,826 $717,000 Pedro González / Ken McMullen / Pete Rose / Al Weis 1963 Topps c. 6,760[31][32][33] PSA GM-MT 10 August 28, 2016 Heritage Auctions The only recognized rookie card of Pete Rose.[33][34]
$763,616 $750,000 Mickey Mantle 1951 Bowman c. 2,066[35] PSA MT 9 April 20, 2018 Heritage Auctions The 1951 Bowman is the only recognized rookie card of Mickey Mantle who is the most collected figure in the industry.[36][37]
$710,719 $667,149 Shoeless Joe Jackson 1909 American Caramel c. 124[38][39] PSA NM-MT 8 August 21, 2016 SCP Auctions Holds the record for a candy card. Considered a rookie card.[40][41][42]
$671,983 $660,000 Sherry Magee 1909–11 T206 (Error) c. 110[43][44] PSA NM-MT 8 September 21, 2018 Heritage Auctions Magee's name is erroneously spelled as "Magie."[45]
$652,352 $612,359.83 Jerry Koosman / Nolan Ryan 1968 Topps c. 17,425
[46][47][48]		 PSA GM-MT 10 August 26, 2016 Heritage Auctions Nolan Ryan's rookie card[49][50]
$640,343 $575,000 Babe Ruth 1914 Baltimore News c. 8[51][52] PSA Good 2 August 2012 Private sale Features Ruth with the minor league Baltimore Orioles two years before his first Major League card. The seller had bought the card for only $199,750 in 2007.[53]
$600,000 $600,000 Shoeless Joe Jackson 1910 Old Mill c. 17[54] PSA VG+ 3.5 February 2019 Heritage Auctions Features Jackson with the minor league New Orleans Pelicans despite being issued during his Major League career.[54][55][56]
$534,678 $501,900 Lew Alcindor 1969–70 Topps c. 4,433[57][58][59] PSA GM-MT 10 August 26, 2016 Heritage Auctions Set a record for a basketball card. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's only recognized rookie card.[58][60]
$520,323 $488,425 Ty Cobb 1909–11 T206 c. 837[61][5][6] PSA MT 9 August 21, 2016 SCP Auctions One of several Cobb cards from the T206 set. This variant features Cobb holding a bat away from his body on the obverse and an advertisement for Piedmont Cigarettes on the reverse.[62][63]
$509,217 $478,000 Roberto Clemente 1955 Topps c. 6,736[64][65][66] PSA MT 9 February 20, 2016 Heritage Auctions A copy of the card sold by Dmitri Young in 2012 previously held the post-war record.[67][68]
$509,217 $478,000 Willie Mays 1952 Topps c. 3,088[69][11][12] PSA MT 9 May 12, 2016 Heritage Auctions In 1953, unsold cards from the set were returned to Topps by retailers and dumped in the Hudson River.[13][70]
$504,000 $504,000 Ty Cobb 1915 Cracker Jack c. 198[71][72][73] PSA MT 9 April 23, 2019 Heritage Auctions [74]
$495,368 $465,000 Wayne Gretzky 1979–80 O-Pee-Chee c. 10,873
[75][76][77]		 PSA GM-MT 10 August 4, 2016 Goldin Auctions Set a record for hockey cards. Gretzky's rookie card.[78][79]
$461,882 $414,750 Slow Joe Doyle 1909–11 T206 (Error) c. 12[80][6] PSA VG 3 May 12, 2012 Robert Edwards Auctions Doyle, who played for the New York Highlanders in the American League, is erroneously identified as playing for "N. Y. Nat'l."[81]
$439,843 $432,000 Satchel Paige 1948 Leaf c. 230[82][83] PSA NM-MT 8 November 16, 2018 Heritage Auctions Despite a long and storied Negro leagues career, the 1948 Leaf was one of few cards published during his Major League career.[82][84]
$435,399 $403,664 George Mikan 1948 Bowman c. 450[85][86][87] PSA GM-MT 10 December 6, 2015 SCP Auctions At least twice set a record for a basketball card—once on December 6, 2015 and previously on December 13, 2009 when it sold for only $218,5000.[88][89]
$432,000 $432,000 Babe Ruth 1932 U.S. Caramel c. 218[90][91][92] PSA MT 9 April 23, 2019 Heritage Auctions [74][93]
$420,000 $420,000 Michael Jordan 1986–87 Fleer c. 32,965
[94][95][96]		 SGC PRI 10 August 30, 2020 Heritage Auctions Jordan rookie card generally considered the most counterfeited card in the hobby[97][98][99][100]
$415,407 $408,000 Ty Cobb 1909–11 T206 (Red portrait; Ty Cobb back) c. 23[5][6] PSA VG+ 3.5 February 25, 2018 Heritage Auctions T206 red portrait cards advertising Ty Cobb brand tobacco on the reverse were only distributed with Ty Cobb brand tobacco which was less popular than the other brands which make up the majority of T206 backs.[101][102]

See also

Notes
  1. The Wikipedia template uses a yearly average inflation. Using monthly averages gives slightly different numbers, most significantly for paintings sold early or late in a year with significant inflation.

References
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