Rare LeBron James signed rookie card expected to sell for over $1 million

[DiggityDaggityDo]

JayVegas, you got one of these cards?

COULD THIS 2003-04 EXQUISITE LEBRON JAMES BE THE FIRST MILLION DOLLAR BASKETBALL CARD?


If pre-auction estimates are correct, a 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite LeBron James rookie autograph patch card could become the first basketball card to top the $1 million mark.

It’s part of Goldin Auctions‘ 2020 Summer Auction that opens on June 22. Bidding runs for almost a month, closing on Saturday, July 18.

It’s a parallel version of James’ most valuable Rookie Card and comes with both an on-card autograph and patch piece.

While the regular RC has 99 copies, this one has just 23 copies (14/23), which matches James’ jersey number. It comes with a Gem Mint BGS 9.5 grade with 9.5 subgrades for centering, surface and edges.

The corners have a grade of 9. Only one other copy of the parallel has a 9.5 grade. None are higher.

“We expect this will surpass the record recently set by the $922,500 Mike Trout card to become the most valuable basketball and most valuable modern card of all time,” said Ken Goldin, Goldin Auctions founder and CEO.

In December, 2019, a regular copy of the 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite LeBron James Rookie Card numbered to 99 went for $193,200. It had a grade of NM-MT BGS 8.

A couple of months earlier in October, another one of the parallel versions (16/23), graded BGS 8.5, closed at $270,600.

The record price for a basketball card was set in February, 2020 with a one-of-one 2003-04 Exquisite dual Logoman patch of James and Michael Jordan. It sold for $900,000 in a private sale facilitated by Goldin Auctions.

[icon]

[Hman]

Only because of the grade

[DiggityDaggityDo]

Only because of the grade

OF course.

Just like the Mike Trout card.

[big joe 1212]

I'd pay maybe $10

[JIBBBY]

Damn I think I had one of those cards back in the day, not signed though. I think I wiped my asss with it and flushed it..

Who would have known it would be worth millions today?? .

[Hman]

OF course.

Just like the Mike Trout card.

I've been collecting since I was about 12yrs old and I've never been a fan of graded cards with jacked up prices

[icon]

Damn I think I had one of those cards back in the day, not signed though. I think I wiped my asss with it and flushed it..

I think everybody else was doing this as well, hence the rarity of the card now.

[DiggityDaggityDo]

Only 23 of these cards were ever made.

Jibby and Icon each wiped their asses with these cards.

30 left. Time to start searching those shoe boxes

[JIBBBY]

Only 23 of these cards were ever made.

Jibby and Icon each wiped their asses with these cards.

30 left. Time to start searching those shoe boxes

Toilet paper valuable today also, who would have ever thought of that Digs???

Oh the irony of it all!!! ...

[Jayvegas420]

Yeah, I had one of these Diggity.
traded it for this amazing Dugay card, so good deal for me in the end.

[k13]

Only because of the grade

Non-graded ones go for a lot too.
This one is probably trimmed and will be schilled.

[DOM-Ganador]

The comic book guy who bought like 5-6 Mcquire/Sosa balls for 5+ million, remember him??
Just read where his entire collection would be worth less than 1 million today.

Collectibles are a fickle friend when it comes to investing.

[DiggityDaggityDo]

The comic book guy who bought like 5-6 Mcquire/Sosa balls for 5+ million, remember him??
Just read where his entire collection would be worth less than 1 million today.

Collectibles are a fickle friend when it comes to investing.

Did Barry Bonds fuk his collection value?

[DiggityDaggityDo]

Yeah, I had one of these Diggity.
traded it for this amazing Dugay card, so good deal for me in the end.

Thank you, Jay.

Was a fair trade.

Hee Hee

You got that autograph though!!! BOOM!!

[Jayvegas420]

Non-graded ones go for a lot too.
This one is probably trimmed and will be schilled.

tha Fukk are you talking about

[jjgold]

I never understood that business

Over weight guys basically

I would not pay $5 for any card

[clockwise1965]

I'd pay maybe $10

$5 is as high as I would go.

[pologq]

The comic book guy who bought like 5-6 Mcquire/Sosa balls for 5+ million, remember him??
Just read where his entire collection would be worth less than 1 million today.

Collectibles are a fickle friend when it comes to investing.

wow that sucks for him. was it bonds breaking the record or the steroid scandal or both that killed the value?

[DiggityDaggityDo]

tha Fukk are you talking about

I'm guessing he thinks Beckett grading wouldn't notice a card that was trimmed.

[DOM-Ganador]

wow that sucks for him. was it bonds breaking the record or the steroid scandal or both that killed the value?

Very simple, basic supply and demand economics.
Unlike precious metals or real estate, even the value of a Faberge Egg or Old Master painting, collectibles have ZERO intrinsic value.
Only market value. At auction, you need two willing bidders to bring the price up. If a major buyer leaves the market, prices drop threw the floor.

What happens when millennials and and gen-zers become the overwhelming buyers force? Antiques and collectibles will be dead.
Nice handmaid oriental rugs can be had for the price of a decent installed carpet. Generations of merchants have disappeared.

[DiggityDaggityDo]

Well shit. I better sell my valuable VHS collection while I still can.

It probably won't be worth much later on when I'm a broke dick fuk and I really need the money.

[rm18]

Well shit. I better sell my valuable VHS collection while I still can.

It probably won't be worth much later on when I'm a broke dick fuk and I really need the money.

I'll pay $3.50

[Bcatswin]

Only because of the grade

Cmon Hman, Lol @ only because of the grade.

[DiggityDaggityDo]

I'll pay $3.50

You better add another zero to that, pal

[Jayvegas420]

Diggity, you have been sitting on the meaning of life all this time and haven't shared it with us, live stream that shitt pal, we all want to know

[ace7550]

Well shit. I better sell my valuable VHS collection while I still can.

It probably won't be worth much later on when I'm a broke dick fuk and I really need the money.

Wild Bunch and Alien my two favorites in that group.

[Jayvegas420]

Video labelling tip: I used to hide my porn VHS tapes in Clear Sight, but I had a secret code so no one would know. It worked like this Diggity:

Paw Patrol
Over the Top
Rick Springfield LIVE
New Jack City

They have to be things that nobody would ever want to watch, but do you see what I did there?

sharp

[Jayvegas420]

..... until one of your nephew's wants to watch Paw Patrol, then maybe it's not such a good idea

[manny24]

yes JayVee World Cup '86 !!!!!!

always great to pop the tape in to see the last place you climaxed

[DiggityDaggityDo]

JayVegas I would have caught you because I would have definitely popped Over The Top into the VCR.

[THE HITMAN]

The top bid for the card here so far is ten bucks. I bid $10.01. Nice plastic..............I can maybe wedge it open and put my cat's picture in there

[Jayvegas420]

I think this says it all when it comes to Kobe's relationship with his father, pretty sad in a way. I'll tell you this though, I will not be bidding one penny over $250,000.01

https://www.tmz.com/2020/06/21/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lakers-championship-ring-joe-jellybean-bryant-goldin-auctions/

[jose21_us]

OF course.

Just like the Mike Trout card.

Trouts a good one. I have pujols rookie card signed.

[Mr KLC]

A 2003-04 LeBron James Upper Deck rookie Patch Parallel card sold at auction for $1.845 million on Sunday at Goldin Auctions to Lob.com CEO Leore Avidar.

The price tag on the rare card sets a record for modern-day cards (recognized as cards produced in 1980 or later) and is the most any basketball card has ever sold for.

"If we were talking about a T206 [Honus] Wagner, or a 1952 [Mickey] Mantle, it probably wouldn't be that much news," said Ken Goldin, founder of Goldin Auctions. "But when you're talking about a card that was literally produced 17 years ago and is for a guy still playing in the NBA, it's just shocking news to a lot of people. It's really where my particular industry has been going for several years."

The record sale surpassed a previous record set in May when the same auction house sold a gem mint Bowman Draft Chrome Red Refractor Mike Trout signed rookie card for $922,500. The Trout card was one of only five produced and the highest graded.

With James wearing No. 23, there were only 23 of this card produced, and since it was graded as a 9.5 mint gem by Beckett grading service, it was one of only two of these particular cards graded that high.

"There are only two of them, one of them is in private hands and the other was up for auction," Goldin said. "So this really was the single best LeBron card that somebody could have hoped to get. It was very active bidding, a lot of bidders, and we're happy with the results."

The market for basketball cards has been steadily rising over the years, with more and more modern card sales taking place.

"At the present time, I would say that basketball in some cases is stronger than baseball and in other cases is neck-and-neck with baseball," Goldin said. "I have a tremendous amount of overseas bidders from China; we've had bidders from the Middle East, bidders from Australia and from Europe. With baseball, it's completely North American; it's 99% from North America. With basketball, it could be as much as 50 to 60% overseas bidding because it's more of a worldwide sport.

"It's growing, and I believe potentially could have more growth than baseball in the collectability aspect of it."