T206 Legends Meet Jordan, Kobe, Tom in Giant Auction
The most recognized vintage baseball card in the world joins some high-end issues from the modern era as Goldin Auctions opens its latest Elite Auction. The voluminous auction opened Sunday night and includes over 6,600 lots.
Graded PSA 2, the Wagner card carried a $1 million opening bid. Within minutes, it had already reached $2 million. A PSA 2 last sold for over $1.3 million in October 2019, but that was prior to the meteoric rise in sports card prices took hold.
The last two sales of PSA 1 Wagners both surpassed $1 million and a PSA 3 sold for $3.25 million in October of last year. Heritage Auctions has a PSA 1.5 Wagner in its current catalog, with bidding already surging past $2 million when factoring in the buyer’s premium and four days left to bid.
The Goldin Elite Auction also includes a 1997 Upper Deck Michael Jordan autographed Game Used Jersey card that soared to $1.36 millioin within the first 12 hours of bidding. It was the ultimate lucky pull, having originally been obtained in a $6 pack over 20 years ago. The card, with a swatch of an All-Star Game jersey, is considered to be one of the most valuable Jordan cards in existence. Auction officials believe it could sell for as much as $2.5 million.
There’s a 100-item “Hall of Fame” section honoring the late Kobe Bryant, which will include his earliest known game-worn rookie jersey and hundreds of additional items related to the 18-time NBA All-Star who will posthumously be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame just days before the auction ends. The earliest photo-matched jersey from Bryant’s rookie season is among the headliners, along with pairs of signed game-worn shoes and key trading cards.
Other top items in the auction include a 2003-04 LeBron James Exquisite Rookie Patch Autograph (# to 99) BGS 8.5; a 1980-81 Topps Larry Bird/Magic Johnson rookie card PSA 10; a 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Rookie Ticket Tom Brady BGS 7.5/10 auto; PSA 8 copies of Mickey Mantle’s 1951 Bowman and 1952 Topps cards; a PSA 3 1925 Exhibit Lou Gehrig rookie card; a 1921 E121 American Caramel Babe Ruth; an all PSA 10 set of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball; a near set of T206 cards (521/524) and multiple singles including a PSA 3 Eddie Plank and PSA 7 Ty Cobb Green Portrait; high grade rookie cards of Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax and other Hall of Famers; a Reggie Jackson game-used and autographed jersey worn for his first career home run and the Heisman Trophy given to Clint Frank of Yale in 1937.
“This is easily the best and most diverse group of collectibles I’ve ever sold at one time, and I’ve been doing this for more than 40 years,” said Goldin Auctions Executive Chairman and Founder Ken Goldin. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we catapulted past $50 million in total sales and once again set the bar and redefined what’s possible in the collectibles industry.”
In recent months, Goldin has conducted three auctions, with each bringing in $33-45 million in sales.
Bidding will close over a two-night period May 22 and 23 at GoldinAuctions.com.
