Tracking the Biggest Card Sales in History

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

Logan Paul’s 1998 Pokémon Japanese Promo Illustrator Holographic Pikachu sold for a record $16,492,000 through Goldin Auctions. The card is graded PSA 10 and is the only known example at that grade level. The sale price more than tripled the $5.275 million Paul paid for the card in 2021. It set a new benchmark for any Pokémon or any trading card sold at auction. Goldin positioned the sale as a milestone for both the Pokémon collecting community and the broader alternative asset market. The auction drew significant worldwide attention from collectors and mainstream media. Venture capitalist A.J. Scaramucci was identified as the winning bidder. His purchase highlights the growing presence of high-net-worth and institutional buyers in the top tier of the card market.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs featuring Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan represents an unparalleled piece in sports collectibles. This one-of-one card holds the distinction of being the sole card ever created that combines authentic autographs from both legends along with genuine NBA Logoman patches from their game-used jerseys. When it sold through Heritage Auctions in August 2025 for $12.932 million, the transaction broke all previous records for sports card sales and set a new benchmark as the highest-priced sports card in public auction history. The card was purchased by a partnership of three buyers: Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary (of “Shark Tank” fame), hobby super-collector Matt Allen (known as “Shyne150” on social media), and entrepreneur Paul Warshaw. This card is now the cornerstone of the “WonderShyne” investment index.

MEDIA: Learn more about this remarkable sale from Kevin O’Leary on CNBC.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, graded SGC 9.5, shattered records when it sold for $12.6 million via Heritage Auctions, becoming the most expensive sports collectible ever auctioned at the time. Hailed as the “finest known example” of its kind (keep in mind, there are three Gem Mint PSA 10s out there), this card represents the ultimate prize in baseball card collecting due to Mantle’s iconic legacy and its remarkable preservation over seven decades. The card originates from the famed 1986 “Rosen Find,” a legendary discovery by dealer Alan “Mr. Mint” Rosen of high-grade 1952 Topps cards. Widely considered the most coveted baseball card of all time, the ’52 Topps Mantle embodies the intersection of baseball’s golden era, Mantle’s legendary career and popularity, and the growth of modern sports card collecting. Spoiler alert, there are multiple copies of this card on this list.

MEDIA: Details on the card directly from Heritage Auctions.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A collector in Florida pulled this redemption for the card from a hobby box of 2026 Topps Chrome at his local card store, Boca Sports Cards in Boca Raton, FL, and it promptly sold for $11 million, according to Fanatics. The card carries two gold MLB logo patches Ohtani wore to commemorate his back-to-back National League MVP seasons in 2024 and 2025, paired with two autographs, one in English and one in Kanji. Buyer Matthew Allen (shyne150), one of three principals of Secure Collectibles alongside Kevin O’Leary and Paul Warshaw, confirmed on Instagram that he paid “over $10 million” for the card. This is now, by a wide margin, the most expensive Ohtani card ever sold, and it lands the WonderShyne group yet another crown jewel for its growing collection of record-setting cards.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The investment group led by Kevin O’Leary has made another huge purchase. Since this was a private sale, not many details have come out beyond the $10 million price tag. Michael Jordan and LeBron James are widely seen as two of the greatest basketball players ever, so this card is thought to be even more significant, and possibly more valuable, than the Kobe Bryant/Michael Jordan card that sold for close to $13 million just weeks earlier (see card #2 above).

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The T206 Honus Wagner card sells for $7.25 million in August 2022 through a private sale handled by Goldin Auctions. Its rarity mostly comes down to the fact that the American Tobacco Company pulled it from production early. The story goes that Wagner objected, either because he didn’t want kids smoking to get his card, or because he wasn’t happy with what he was being paid for the use of his image. Only around 60 copies are believed to have made it into circulation, and that scarcity, combined with the mystery around why it happened, is a big part of why the card holds such legendary status among collectors today.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 1914 Baltimore News card is Babe Ruth’s first appearance on any trading card. It was made when he was just 19 years old and pitching for the Baltimore Orioles. Only 10 to 15 examples are known to exist today in any condition, which makes it rarer than the famous T206 Honus Wagner. The card was printed in red and blue versions. Because it’s Ruth’s rookie card and so few survive, it has become one of the most valuable baseball cards in the hobby. This SGC 3 example sold for $7.2 million in 2021.

UPDATE: This exact card sold for $4.02 million via Heritage Auctions in October 2025.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

In August 2021, Robert Edward Auctions sold a 1909 T206 Sweet Caporal Honus Wagner card graded SGC 3 for $6.6 million. At the time, this set a new record for the highest price ever paid for a sports card. The card is incredibly rare, with an SGC population of just 1 at that grade, with only 2 graded higher. This marks the second appearance of this card on the list, which says a lot about its reputation as the top prize in baseball card collecting, the hobby’s so called “Holy Grail.”

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 2009-10 National Treasures Rookie Logoman Autograph #206 Stephen Curry card sold for a record $5.9 million. It’s graded PSA 8 with a 10 autograph grade. This card is a one-of-one, featuring the NBA Logoman patch along with an on-card signature. Many collectors see it as the most iconic and valuable card from Curry’s rookie year. Alt Fund II made the purchase, and the sale shows just how much the high-end modern sports card market has grown. Collectors and investors value Curry’s game for good reason. His style, built around deep three-point shooting and constant off-ball movement, changed how basketball is played today and influenced a whole generation of players who grew up watching him.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

Logan Paul made headlines in July 2021 when he purchased the world’s only PSA 10-graded 1998 Pokémon Japanese Promo Illustrator Pikachu card for $5.275 million. The card was produced as a prize for winners of illustration contests held by CoroCoro Comics, recognizing their creative contributions to Pokémon card design. It is believed that 39 to 41 copies were produced in total. The transaction involved trading his PSA 9-graded copy of the same card (valued at $1.275 million) plus $4 million in cash. Paul famously wore the card as a necklace during his WWE WrestleMania 38 appearance in April 2022, earning him a Guinness World Record for the highest-priced Pokémon card sale. With recent surges in the Pokémon market, many speculators believe the card’s value may have doubled or tripled since the purchase.

MEDIA: Logan Paul’s WrestleMania appearance.

UPDATE: It was recently announced that Logan Paul will be putting the card up for auction in February 2025 via Goldin.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

In October 2021, a 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch Autograph Parallel LeBron James card, serial numbered 07/23 and graded BGS 9, sold privately for $5.2 million through PWCC Marketplace (now Fanatics Collect). At the time, this tied the record for the highest price ever paid for a sports card, matching the $5.2 million a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 9 had sold for earlier that same year. The card’s subgrades from BGS were a 10 for centering, a 10 for surface, a 9.5 for edges, and an 8.5 for corners.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

In January 2021, a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card graded PSA 9 sold for $5.2 million, making it one of the most expensive sports cards ever sold at that point. Collectors prize the card for its design and its scarcity, and many consider it the top prize among post-war baseball cards. Rob Gough, the entrepreneur who bought it, called it “the Mona Lisa of sports cards,” a nod to how much weight it carries in the hobby.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Aaron Judge Superfractor autograph card just sold in a private sale brokered by Fanatics Collect, setting a new record for the highest price ever paid for a modern baseball card. The card is graded BGS 9.5 with a perfect 10 autograph sub-grade. This card holds serious significance in the hobby. It’s Judge’s first MLB autograph and the top parallel from his very first Bowman Draft release, which makes it the most important early Judge card you can own. The card had already made history once before. It sold at auction back in May 2022 for $324,000, a number that held the record for modern baseball cards until now.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The T206 Honus Wagner card that appeared in Season 3 of Netflix’s King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch has one of the best backstories in the hobby. The Shields family had held onto it for more than a hundred years before consigning it to Goldin Auctions. Their grandfather, Morton Bernstein, originally pulled the card from a pack of 1909 Sweet Caporal cigarettes. The card graded PSA PR-FR 1 and carried a special “Shields Family Collection” designation on the label. It sold for $5,124,000, making it the third most expensive T206 Wagner ever sold and the highest price ever paid for one in PSA 1 grade. That number more than doubled the previous record for a comparable low-grade copy. Two things drove that price. First, the card is just incredibly rare to begin with. Second, buyers paid a real premium because it was fresh to the market and had just been shown to a huge international audience on television.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A Victor Wembanyama rookie card just sold for $5.11 million in a private deal handled by Fanatics Collect. It’s a record price. The card itself is a 2023-24 Panini Prizm 1-of-1 Black parallel, graded Gem Mint PSA 10. When the sale happened, it became the highest price ever paid for a non-autographed NBA card, and the fifth-highest price paid for any NBA card, period. It also blew past the old record for a Wembanyama card, which was $860,100.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

WonderShyne recently bought the 2018-19 Panini Flawless Logoman Autograph #LA-LDC Luka Doncic 1 of 1 card for $4.7 million. This makes it the most expensive Luka Doncic card ever sold and puts it among the most valuable basketball cards in history. The card now sits as another highlight of the WonderShyne Index, a collection of top sports cards, and adds to a string of record-breaking purchases the group has made in 2025.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

In March 2021, a one-of-a-kind Luka Doncic rookie card sold privately for $4.6 million, setting a new record in the collectibles world. The card is a 2018-19 Panini National Treasures #127, and it features both a real NBA Logoman patch and Doncic’s on-card autograph. That makes it the most expensive Doncic card ever sold, and one of the most valuable basketball cards out there period. The sale was a huge moment for modern card collecting and it showed just how much demand there is for Doncic among today’s top hobby names.

UPDATE: this cards has since been crossed over and re-graded by PSA and received a NM 7 grade with a 10 autograph.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

In August 2023, a 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle card graded Mint SGC 9 sold for $4.5 million at Heritage Auctions’ Summer Platinum Night. The card comes from the “Rosen Find.” Only a handful of examples have survived in this condition, which makes it one of the most sought-after Mantle cards in the hobby. It didn’t reach the record set by the Mint+ SGC 9.5 that sold for $12.6 million in 2022, but the sale still shows just how much collectors are willing to pay for top-grade vintage cards.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

In July 2021, LJ’s Card Shop paid $4.3 million for a 2017 Panini National Treasures Platinum Shield Autograph Patrick Mahomes rookie card, card #161. It set the record as the most expensive football card ever sold. The card is graded BGS 8.5 with a perfect 10 autograph grade, and it’s a true 1 of 1. What makes it stand out is the patch, which is cut from an actual NFL Shield off a game-worn jersey, paired with an on-card signature instead of a sticker auto. Between the one-of-one status, the unique patch, and the autograph, most collectors consider it the top Mahomes card in the hobby. The sale itself says a lot about where Mahomes’ career was heading, and about how much money is now moving through the high-end sports card market.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

This card sold for $4.25 million in a private sale through Goldin Auctions in April 2026. That makes it the most expensive solo Michael Jordan card ever sold. The 1997-98 Upper Deck Game Jersey insert set was one of the first to include real game-used memorabilia pieces. This specific card has Jordan’s signature along with a colored jersey swatch from the 1992 NBA All-Star Game. It’s hand-numbered 11 of 23, graded PSA 6, with a 9 autograph grade.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A PSA 9 1933 Goudey #53 Babe Ruth card sold for $4.212 million through Memory Lane in 2021. That set a record and made it the most valuable of the four Ruth cards in the Goudey set, and one of the highest prices ever paid for a sports card at that time. The value comes down to two things: how rare the card is and how hard it is to find one in this kind of condition. Very few copies have ever reached a PSA 9. Collectors love it for the yellow background, the history behind the set, and of course Babe Ruth’s status as one of the biggest names the game has ever seen.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth card is Ruth’s first appearance on any trading card. It was made when he was just 19 years old and pitching for the Baltimore Orioles. Only 10 to 15 copies are known to exist in any condition, making it rarer than the famous T206 Honus Wagner. The card was printed in red and blue versions. Because it’s Ruth’s rookie card and so few copies survive, it’s become one of the most valuable baseball cards in the hobby. This example sold for $4.02 million through Heritage Auctions in October 2025. The same SGC 3 copy had previously sold for $7.2 million back in 2021.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

In August 2020, the 2009 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects Autograph Superfractor Mike Trout 1/1 sold for $3.936 million in a private sale through Goldin Auctions. The card is graded Mint BGS 9 with a perfect 10 autograph. It was sold by Dave Oancea, known in the hobby as “Vegas Dave,” who had bought it back in May 2018 for $400,000. At the time, this was the most expensive sports card sale in history. It showed just how far Trout’s reputation had come, and how fast the modern collectibles market was growing. The Superfractor finish combined with a rookie autograph made this card one of the most sought after pieces for serious modern card collectors. It has since been cross-graded to a Mint PSA 9 with a 10 autograph.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

In March 2021, a PSA 10 Gem Mint 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie card sold for $3.75 million in a private sale arranged by Heritage Auctions. That set a new record for hockey card sales. The card is worth so much because it’s so rare. Only two copies have ever earned a Gem Mint 10 grade. The buyer and seller both stayed anonymous, but the new owner said buying the card fulfilled a long-held family dream.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

In May 2021, a 1909 T206 Sweet Caporal Honus Wagner card graded PSA 2 sold privately for $3.75 million through Mile High Card Company. That set a new record for the card. The PSA 2 grade might sound modest, but this copy looked better than the number suggested. Collectors could see that in person, and it’s part of why the price went so high. The sale became one of the clearest signs of how much vintage card values had grown, and it helped push the wider collectibles market into the boom that followed.

MEDIA: Learn all about this card from Goldin Auctions.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The “Garagiola Wagner” is an SGC Authentic T206 Honus Wagner Sweet Caporal card, and it comes with one of the more memorable backstories in the hobby. Joe Garagiola, the former MLB catcher and longtime broadcaster, didn’t buy the card with cash. He traded for it, giving up his 1954 New York Giants World Series uniform along with other items. That trade says a lot about him. He was a collector who loved the hobby, not someone chasing an investment. The card grades below a 1 because of paper loss and sizing issues, but it still looks decent on the front. Collectors consider it a non-restored copy that holds up well within the hobby. Garagiola kept it stored away in a scrapbook for decades. After he passed away, his family consigned the card to Heritage Auctions. It sold there for the first time in 2021, going for around $2.5 million. The card came back up for sale through Heritage Auctions in early 2026. This time it sold for $3.599 million, the highest price ever paid for an SGC Authentic Wagner.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The WonderShyne investment fund, led by Kevin O’Leary, just added another major piece to its collection. It’s a 2008-09 Upper Deck Black card, and the design really stands out, with white autographs popping against the black background. The card was reportedly owned by WonderShyne partner Matt Allen (Shyne150) before the fund picked it up. It’s one of only two 1-of-1 dual autograph cards out there featuring both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A private sale brokered by Fanatics Collect just set a new record for the most expensive Ohtani card ever sold. The 1-of-1 2018 Bowman Chrome Superfractor Shohei Ohtani (hitting), graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint, went for $3.365 million. That beats the old record of $3 million, set earlier by a 2025 Topps Chrome Gold Logoman Autograph one-of-one. The Superfractor is the most desired parallel in the Topps/Bowman lineup. This is also the fifth time an Ohtani card has crossed the $1 million mark. Another sign of how much weight his name now carries in the hobby.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie card, graded PSA 9, sold for $3,192,000 through Memory Lane Auctions in December 2022. At the time, this made it one of the most valuable Mantle cards ever sold, four times the previous record for this specific card. Only nine PSA 9 examples are known to exist, and that rarity, combined with the card’s classic design, is a big part of why collectors want it so badly. The sale was part of a larger auction featuring a strong collection of Mantle cards, which brought in more than $10 million total.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

There is no denying the influence of Upper Deck’s inaugural Exquisite Collection from 2003-04. This particular card features logoman jersey patches from both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The Jordan logoman comes from a Wizards jersey, making it even more rare. The card sold for $3.172 million via Heritage Auctions and comes from the collection of PSA CEO Nat Turner.

MEDIA: Here are full details of the card from Heritage Auctions.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A historic milestone occurred in June 2021 when a Tom Brady 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Rookie Ticket #144 autograph card achieved a record-breaking $3.1 million sale at Leland’s Auctions. This card, numbered out of only 100 copies and graded BGS 9, established a new benchmark as the highest-priced football card of its era. The unprecedented valuation stemmed from its strong condition in a notoriously condition-sensitive issue, extreme scarcity with just 100 examples produced, and Brady’s unparalleled legacy as a seven-time Super Bowl winner. With its BGS 9 grade and flawless 10-rated signature, this specimen stands among the most exceptional examples of Brady’s most coveted rookie card. The sale represented a watershed moment that positioned football cards alongside elite basketball and baseball collectibles, demonstrating their arrival as premium investment-grade assets.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

One of the most desired cards in all of modern basketball collecting, the 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green #81 Kobe Bryant, ranks among the rarest basketball parallels ever produced. The Green foil version is limited to just 10 copies, serial numbered 1 through 10 out of 100 total PMGs. The remaining 90 cards carry red foil. The foil on these cards is notoriously delicate and prone to chipping. This example, graded PSA 5, numbered 009/100, was purchased by the marketplace ALT for a record $3.15 million in April 2026.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A 1993 Magic: The Gathering Alpha Black Lotus card with a perfect CGC Pristine 10 grade sold privately for $3 million. This makes it the most expensive Magic card ever sold. The transaction took place between seller Adam Cai of Pristine Collectibles and collector “Benjamin.be,” who confirmed the sale’s legitimacy. This record-breaking price reflects the card’s exceptional rarity, condition, and significance. It also demonstrates the extraordinary value the trading card game community places on premium pieces. The Black Lotus is one of the rarest and most powerful cards in all of TCG collecting, both in terms of gameplay and collectibility.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 2003-04 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Logoman Michael Jordan card sold for $2.928 million via Goldin Auctions in June 2024, setting a Jordan-card record at the time. This one-of-one card features a game-used NBA “Logoman” patch from a Bulls Jordan jersey along with his signature, earning an “Authentic” grade for the card and a 10 grade for the autograph from PSA. Considered a “grail” among high-end collectors, it’s the first Jordan Logoman patch autograph. The card’s whereabouts were unknown until PSA graded it in 2022. Its extreme rarity and significance among Jordan collectors drove intense bidding to nearly $3 million.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A LeBron James rookie card made history again. The 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch Autograph, numbered 09/23 and graded BGS 9.5 with a 10 autograph, sold at Goldin Auctions for $2.928 million. That price sets a new record for a LeBron card sold at public auction. Only 23 copies of this parallel exist, and this isn’t the first time one has made headlines. Back in 2020, a copy (numbered 14/23) sold at Goldin for $1.8 million. Then there’s the 7/23 copy, which sold privately through PWCC (now Fanatics Collect) for $5.2 million, a sale that once tied the record for the most expensive sports card ever sold.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A signed Michael Jordan 1986 Fleer rookie card sold privately through Goldin Auctions for a record $2.7 million. PSA graded the card Mint 9 with a perfect 10 for the signature. This marks the highest price ever paid for an aftermarket autographed card. An aftermarket autographed card is a trading card signed after its original release, typically at a public signing or event. These cards require third-party authentication (from PSA, BGS or CGC) to verify the signature’s legitimacy. The sale underscores both the card’s significance to the trading card industry and Jordan’s status as one of the hobby’s most coveted athletes.

MEDIA: Watch as Ken Goldin describes the details of this historic sale.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

This is the 2018 Topps Chrome Superfractor #150, a 1-of-1 parallel of Shohei Ohtani’s flagship rookie card. It shows him pitching during his debut MLB season with the Angels. BGS graded the card a Gem Mint 9.5. The card sold through Goldin Auctions for $2,562,229 in a public sale. Goldin has confirmed this as the highest public sale price ever recorded for any Ohtani rookie-year card. That result makes it the second most valuable Ohtani card in history, behind only the 2025 Topps Chrome MVP Award Gold MLB Logoman Ohtani Patch Auto 1-of-1, which sold for $3,000,000. Beyond that ranking, it now holds three titles at once: Ohtani’s most valuable rookie card, his most valuable graded card, and his most valuable card ever sold without an autograph or patch.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

This autographed 1986-87 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan rookie card sold for $2.5 million at Joopiter, Pharrell Williams’ auction house, in June 2025. This marked Joopiter’s first sports card auction. It also set a record for the highest price paid for a Jordan rookie card, at the time, whether signed or unsigned. The auction was titled “Rising Greatness: 1986-87 Michael Jordan Rookie Card.” It closed on June 26, 2025, with a single bid at $2.5 million, including buyer’s premium. The card was graded PSA Mint 9, and the blue Sharpie autograph received a Gem Mint 10 rating. This is one of only three such dual-graded (condition and autograph grade) examples and the first sold publicly. Jordan signed nine such cards privately in early 2024 at his Florida golf club, The Grove XXIII, with a PSA representative present. This is another example of an aftermarket autographed card.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 1916 M101-4 Sporting News #151 Babe Ruth card sold for $2.4 million at auction (Mile High Card Company). The card is graded PSA 7 and features an MBA Gold Label for superior eye appeal. This blank-back rookie card shows a young Babe Ruth in a pitching pose with the Boston Red Sox. It represents one of his earliest major league cards and one of the few that feature him with the Red Sox. The PSA 7 grade is exceptionally rare, with only two examples at this grade level. PSA data shows just one example graded higher at PSA 8. The sale set a record for the card at the time.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 2020–21 Panini Flawless Triple Logoman 1/1 LeBron James card, graded PSA “Authentic,” sold for $2.4 million at Goldin Auctions on June 25, 2022. The card features NBA Logoman patches from his Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers jerseys. This sale marked one of the most expensive sports cards ever auctioned at the time. The card was consigned to Goldin. The promotion was unprecedented and was dubbed “the most promoted card sale of all time.” It received coverage on ESPN, CBS Sports, and USA Today, and even appeared on a Times Square billboard. Rapper Drake heightened the hype by spending over $200,000 on cases while attempting to pull the card himself.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 2025 Topps Chrome Dual Gold MLB Logo Autograph featuring Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge is a 1-of-1 that captures a memorable moment in both baseball and hobby history. The card features game-worn Gold MLB Logo patches from both players — authenticated and traceable to specific games — along with on-card signatures from each. The patches connected to Ohtani’s historic 2024 season, in which he founded the 50/50 Club with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, and to Judge’s AL MVP campaign of 58 home runs and 144 RBI — two players who also faced each other in the World Series that fall. On March 20th, 2026, this historical piece sold at auction on Fanatics Collect for $2.16 million.

NOTE: the solo 2025 Topps Chrome MVP Award Gold MLB Logo Autograph 1-of-1 of Ohtani (above) sold for $3 million in December 2025.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 1997 Fleer Ultra Michael Jordan Masterpiece (#23P), a 1-of-1 graded NM-MT PSA 8, sold for $2.1045 million at auction on February 28, 2026 through Heritage Auctions. It holds a notable place in trading card history as the first 1-of-1 card ever produced of Jordan. In 1997, Fleer introduced the “Masterpiece” parallel, pioneering the ultimate card scarcity that now defines modern card collecting. The card’s ties to the 1997-98 season — famously documented in The Last Dance — add further historical weight. This was also its first-ever public offering.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

This card was purchased for $2.1 million through Goldin Auctions in May 2021, making it the most expensive Michael Jordan card ever sold at that time. The 1997-98 Game Jersey insert set represented a groundbreaking moment in basketball card collecting as one of the first sets to incorporate authentic game-used memorabilia pieces. This particular card features both Jordan’s signature and a colored jersey swatch taken from his jersey worn during the 1992 NBA All-Star game. As a rare collectible, the card is hand-numbered 21 of 23, indicating it is one of only 23 copies produced. The card was sold as a PSA 8 with a 9 autograph. It has since been regraded by PSA as a 6 with a 10 autograph.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The One Ring card from Magic: The Gathering’s 2023 Lord of the Rings set is a one-of-one card with special artwork and Tengwar script. Collector Brook Trafton pulled it straight from a pack and had it graded Mint PSA 9. He later sold it privately to musician and well-known Magic fan Post Malone for $2 million in August 2023. Between its total exclusivity, the striking design, and the massive popularity of Lord of the Rings, it became one of the most famous and valuable pulls in modern trading card game history.

MEDIA: Here is a CBC feature on the discovery of the card and the sale to Post Malone.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A 1998 Pokémon Illustrator Pikachu sold for $2.09 million USD (14,500,000 RMB) through a recent PokeColor auction. This is the same card that previously changed hands for over $16 million via Goldin Auctions in a sale involving Logan Paul. The wide gap in value is widely attributed to two factors: the relative prominence of the auction platform and the grading company. CGC-graded copies of the same card typically command lower prices than PSA-graded equivalents, regardless of grade. The sale still ranks as the second-highest price ever paid for a CGC-graded card.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 1997–98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems (PMG) Green #81 Kobe Bryant card, graded BGS 8.5, is among the rarest basketball parallels ever produced. The Green (Emerald) foil version is limited to just 10 copies, serial numbered 1-10 out of 100 total PMGs. The remaining 90 cards feature red foil instead. The foil is delicate and prone to chipping. This makes the BGS 8.5 grade particularly significant, as it represents the highest known grade for this card. This example (#004/100) sold privately for a record $2 million in February 2022. PWCC Marketplace (now Fanatics Collect) brokered the transaction. The identities of both the seller and buyer remain undisclosed.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

Fanatics Collect has confirmed a private sale of $1,950,000 for a 2017 Aaron Judge Topps Dynasty 1-of-1 Patch Autograph. The card is one of only two Aaron Judge logoman rookie-year cards in existence, and the sale marks the highest price ever recorded for a Judge patch autograph card. The example grades BGS Gem Mint 9.5, backed by strong subgrades across the board: 9.5 centering, 10 edges, 9.5 corners, and 9.5 surface.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson rookie card is one of the most iconic issues in the hobby. This particular copy stands out even more because it has an on-card autograph in blue ink. It’s graded PSA 1, with the autograph itself graded an 8. PSA has only authenticated five signed copies of this card, which makes it one of the rarest Robinson pieces out there. The back of the card celebrates Robinson for breaking baseball’s color line and winning National League Rookie of the Year in 1947. It also lists his final 1948 stats, since Leaf put this set out after that season had already ended. Put together one of the most important cards in the hobby with one of the most sought-after signatures in sports, this is a real piece of baseball history. The final selling price was $1.86 million after 66 bids.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A Shohei Ohtani 1-of-1 MLB Logo autograph from 2024 Topps Dynasty sold for $1.8 million live on stage at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at the Jacob Javits Center. Investor Kevin O’Leary bought the card alongside his business partner Shyne (hobby collector Matt Allen). The two run the WonderShyne investment index, which already owns several other record cards on this list. The card features a gold MLB Logo patch from Ohtani’s first year with the Dodgers along with his on-card autograph. It’s one more Ohtani card to cross the million-dollar mark, and there are now several of them.

MEDIA: Here’s a look at how the sale went down live.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A rare 1996–97 Topps Chrome Refractor Kobe Bryant, graded BGS 10 Pristine (Black Label), sold for $1,795,800 at Goldin Auctions on March 6, 2021. This flawless card earned perfect 10s in all subgrades: corners, centering, edges, and surface. Only two Black Label examples of this Refractor are known to exist. The sale marked the highest price ever paid for a Kobe Bryant card at the time. It headlined Goldin’s 2021 Winter Auction during the sports card market pandemic boom. The same card had sold for $58,100 on eBay in March 2016.

UPDATE: This same card sold for $795K at Heritage Auctions in August 2022.

MEDIA: Check out the fine details on this spectacular card from Heritage Auctions. The card is currently available for sale at Heritage.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

In 2024, a 1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain rookie card graded SGC 10 sold privately for $1.7 million, setting records as both the highest price ever paid for a Chamberlain card and for vintage basketball cards overall. It’s the only card of its kind to receive the Gem Mint SGC 10 grade. The card had been stored in a Minnesota grocery store closet for over sixty years before being graded and sold through Goldin Auctions. Former SGC President Peter Steinberg called it the best Wilt rookie card in existence.

UPDATE: The card as since been crossed over to PSA and graded a Gem Mint 10.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

In August 2025, the 2017-18 Panini Flawless Logoman Autograph of Kobe Bryant was acquired through a private sale by the group representing the WonderShyne investment index (Kevin O’Leary, Matt Allen, and Paul Warshaw). The card was purchased raw (ungraded) and subsequently earned a PSA Mint 9 grade with a perfect 10 for the autograph. This makes it one of the best-conditioned Kobe Bryant logoman cards in existence. Following the grading, the WonderShyne Index valued the card at $2.8 million. This valuation is featured at SecureCollectibles.com, the home of the WonderShyne Index.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

Alt just brokered a private sale that makes this the most expensive Josh Allen card ever sold, beating the previous record of $1.35 million. The card is graded PSA 8.5 with a 9 autograph grade. It pairs Allen’s on-card autograph with an NFL Shield patch from his rookie season. This is the Platinum NFL Shield version, the true 1-of-1 that sits above the other eleven parallels in the National Treasures rookie patch autograph subset. Alt called it the top version of the National Treasures rookie patch autograph format. The $1.7 million price beat Allen’s old record by $350,000. That record had only stood for about three months. It was set in May by a 1-of-1 2025 Topps Chrome NFL Honors Gold Shield autograph card that sold for $1.35 million. This sale puts Allen in rare company. He’s now one of the few NFL players with a card that has cleared $1.7 million. It also shows how much the market has warmed up to his rookie-era cards now that he’s an MVP and one of the league’s top quarterbacks.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #149 card, known as the “Red” Ruth, sold for a record $1.62 million at Fanatics Collect auction in November 2024. This PSA 8.5 example became the fourth-most expensive Babe Ruth card ever sold publicly, at the time. Only three such high-grade copies are known to exist. The card features a striking red background that distinguishes it from the other Ruth cards in the set (#53, #144, #181). It was family-owned for decades before being privately sold, graded by PSA, and vaulted with Fanatics Collect. Its exceptional eye appeal earned a PWCC-A designation, which contributed to the premium price. The anonymous consignor, a longtime Yankees fan and high-end collector, timed the sale to coincide with World Series-driven Ruth hype.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A 2004-05 Panini Sports Mega Cracks #71 Lionel Messi PSA 10 card sold for $1.5 million through Fanatics Collect’s private sales network, with Acquir representing the seller. The buyer’s identity remains undisclosed. This Spanish release commands extraordinary value as Messi’s most desired rookie card from his debut season at Barcelona. Of 935 total copies graded by PSA, only 20 have achieved the Gem Mint 10 grade. This particular card also carries a Mike Baker Authenticated (MBA) Gold Diamond certification, indicating exceptional condition even among PSA 10 examples. The sale established a new record for soccer cards, eclipsing the previous high of $1.33 million paid for a 1958 Pelé card in 2022 (below).

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 1933 Goudey #181 Babe Ruth card features a green background portrait of Ruth holding a bat. It is one of four Ruth cards from that iconic set. In late February 2026, a PSA 4.5 graded example carrying an after-market autograph grade of NM-MT 8 sold for $1,464,000 at Goldin Auctions. The sale set two records: the highest public sale price ever achieved for a signed Ruth trading card, and the highest for any after-market autograph card issued before 1980. The card was discovered in a 1930s scrapbook alongside other signed Ruth cards and later consigned through Goldin, where it generated significant pre-sale interest. An after-market autograph is a signature added to a card after its original production and issuance — in this case, Ruth signing the card sometime after 1933.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A 2024-25 Panini Revolution Kaboom Vertical Green 1-of-1 of Victor Wembanyama, graded Mint PSA 9, just sold again at auction for $1,443,133. That’s a big jump from the $516,000 it brought on Fanatics Collect this past February. In just five months, the card’s value nearly tripled, making it the most expensive Kaboom card ever sold. Worth noting, this is Wemby’s second-year Kaboom card, not a rookie-year piece. Still, the sale shows just how much confidence collectors have in his long-term place in the hobby.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A Josh Allen redemption card sold for $1.35 million, including buyer’s premium, on May 22, 2026, through Fanatics Collect after 41 bids. The card is a 2025 Topps Chrome Honors MVP Award Gold NFL Shield Patch Auto numbered 1/1. It features a game-worn gold NFL shield patch from Allen’s jersey following his 2024 MVP season and became the first NFL trading card to sell for over $1 million in nearly three years. Worth noting: the auction was for a redemption, meaning the physical card had not yet been produced. The buyer purchased the rights to receive the finished card once Topps manufactures it, fulfilled through a Topps. The sale shattered Allen’s previous record of $288,000, set in 2022, and made him just the fifth player in NFL history to have a trading card cross the seven-figure mark.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

Fanatics Collect brokered a $1,350,000 private sale for a 1-of-1 Cristiano Ronaldo 2018 Panini Kaboom Green card, graded PSA 10, setting the all-time record for the most expensive Ronaldo card ever sold. The Kaboom insert is one of the most recognizable designs in the modern hobby, known for its bold artwork and extremely limited print runs. A true 1-of-1 featuring Ronaldo graded at the highest level is the kind of card that surfaces once and rarely comes back to market. The $1.35 million result also ranks as the second most expensive soccer card ever sold, trailing only a 2004 Panini Mega Cracks Lionel Messi PSA 10 rookie card that fetched $1.5 million in September 2025. Together, the two sales confirm what the market has been signaling for some time. Ronaldo and Messi occupy their own tier, and collectors paying for the best are proving that elite soccer cards can compete with anything the hobby has to offer.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

In 2022, a 1958 Alifabolaget Pelé rookie card graded PSA 9 Mint sold for $1.33 million. That set a record for a soccer collectible at the time. A Swedish candy company made this small card, measuring just 1.25 by 1.85 inches. It shows a 17-year-old Pelé wearing his iconic blue Team Brazil jersey, with a Swedish bio printed on the back. The card was originally bought through the fractional platform Rally for $288,000. Collectors now call it the “T206 Honus Wagner of soccer.” It stands as a reminder of Pelé’s huge impact on the game and how far soccer cards have come as a collecting category.

MEDIA: Twitter post from Rally on the 1958 Pelé buyout sale.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The 1909–11 T206 Joe Doyle “N.Y. Nat’l” error card is one of baseball’s rarest cards. The card features pitcher “Slow Joe” Doyle of the New York Highlanders but mistakenly labels him as playing for the National League’s New York Giants. In summer 2023, an SGC 3.5 example sold for a record $1.323 million at Robert Edward Auctions, breaking the previous public auction record of $1.03 million for a PSA 2 in 2022. The error occurred early in production when the printer likely confused Doyle with Giants star Larry Doyle. They captioned it “N.Y. Nat’l” before quickly correcting the mistake by removing “Nat’l,” leaving most copies labeled simply “N.Y.” Fewer than 10 authentic “N.Y. Nat’l” examples are known to exist. This makes the card many times scarcer than the iconic T206 Honus Wagner.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

World-famous DJ and entrepreneur Steve Aoki, along with his business partner Benjamin.be, now owns the only 1993 Magic: The Gathering Alpha Black Lotus graded PSA 10 with a Christopher Rush autograph graded 10. Aoki describes it as “the grail” TCG card. The card sold privately for $1.3 million. The quality and position of the autograph classify it as a “Generation One” autograph, meaning it is an early autograph from Rush. Generation One autographs of this card are more sought after and rare.

MEDIA: Buyer Steve Aoki and broker Adam Cai of Pristine Collectibles discuss the fine details of this monumental purchase.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

Logan Paul bought this PSA 9 Pikachu Illustrator card in June 2021 for $1.275 million. He purchased it in a private sale from seller Matt Allen, known online as Shyne150. This card is a contest prize, and it’s one of the rarest and most recognizable Pokémon cards in existence. The PSA 9 buy turned out to be a warm-up act. Just a month later, Paul bought the PSA 10 version of the same card for $5.275 million, a sale that still ranks among the top card sales of all time (#9 on the all-time list).

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

In June 2021, a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #181 card sold for $1.272 million at a Memory Lane auction. This is one of four different Ruth cards found in the 1933 Goudey set. What made this particular copy special is its grade: PSA Mint 9, a level reached by only two known examples of this card. Collectors recognize this card by its light green background, showing Ruth glancing back over his shoulder. It stands as one of the highest graded copies ever sold at public auction. The card’s centering, corners, and surfaces were all exceptional, and that quality is what drove the price so high. The sale also blew past earlier benchmarks for the card. Back in 2019, another PSA 9 copy sold for $456,000, meaning this new sale nearly tripled that number.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A 2025-26 Topps Chrome Superfractor Autograph of LeBron James just sold for $1.26 million through Fanatics Collect. That’s the highest price ever paid for a LeBron Chrome auto, and it ranks among the biggest modern basketball card sales on record. The card is a one-of-one, showing James in his Lakers uniform with an on-card autograph, and it took 38 bids before the auction closed. What makes this one a unique piece for modern collectors comes down to a few things: the Superfractor finish, the “King” image in the autograph, and the fact that this is his first ever Topps Chrome Superfractor autograph.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The Paul Skenes 2024 Topps MLB Debut Patch Autograph card comes from the 2024 Topps Chrome Update set, and it’s one of a kind. It has a patch cut from the jersey Skenes wore on May 11, 2024, the night of his major league debut. Both the card and the autograph graded a perfect PSA 10. An 11-year-old boy from California pulled the card from a pack, and it quickly caught the attention of collectors and media across the country. The Pittsburgh Pirates even offered him a 30-year season ticket package worth more than $1 million just to get the card back. In the end, the card sold at a Fanatics Collect auction for $1.11 million, with Dick’s Sporting Goods as the winning bidder.

MEDIA: take a close look at the card after it was freshly graded by PSA.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

The Lewis Hamilton 2020 Topps Chrome F1 Superfractor Auto, numbered 1/1 and graded PSA 8, reportedly sold in a private deal for $1.1 million. As the first-year Topps Chrome F1 Hamilton autograph Superfractor, it had long been considered a true hobby grail. The card gained additional notoriety after being featured on the Netflix series “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch,” and its backstory added to the appeal as it was originally pulled by a young boy in Canada. Before the private deal, it had already sold through Goldin for $900,000, a transaction that helped establish it as one of the most valuable Formula 1 trading cards ever sold.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A 2024 Topps 50/50 Dynasty Black Autographed Relic card of Shohei Ohtani sold for $1,067,500 at Heritage Auctions in March 2025. That price set a new record for an Ohtani card. This is a 1-of-1 card. It has a PSA Mint 9 grade, a gold autograph graded 9, and an authenticated MLB relic patch pulled from game-used pants. The patch ties back to Ohtani’s historic 2024 season, when he hit 50 home runs and stole 50 bases. The card was one of the top lots in Heritage’s spring auction catalog. This sale is now the highest price ever paid for an Ohtani card. It nearly doubled his previous record of $585,600, set by a 2018 Topps Finest Autographs card (#FA-SO, PSA 10, signed in Kanji) sold through Goldin Auctions.

CARD SIGNIFICANCE:

A 2025-26 Topps Chrome Gold Logoman 1/1 Autograph card of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sold for over $1.061 million through Goldin Auctions in June 2026, setting a new record for any SGA card. The card is an unused redemption that will be fulfilled as a true 1/1 featuring an on-card autograph and a game-worn MVP Gold Logoman patch from the 2025-26 NBA season. The card was pulled from a box break by a father and his two sons from Minnesota, who took a shot on a box and landed what many consider the top card in the entire 2025 Topps Chrome product. The auction drew heavy bidding interest before finally crossing the seven-figure mark.