The Most Expensive Sports Cards of All Time

A basketball card featuring two legends just became the most valuable card of all time.

Baseball cards have long dominated the debate of the most valuable sports cards, particularly the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle and T206 Honus Wagner cards. A new basketball card, however, has overthrown the iconic Mantle for the top spot on the list of most expensive sports cards of all time.

A Record-Breaking $12.9 Million: Kobe Bryant & Michael Jordan Logoman Autographs

A rare Kobe Bryant/Michael Jordan dual Logoman autograph is now the most expensive sports card of all time. The card is from the 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite set and is graded a PSA 6 in excellent-mint condition. The winning bid was a record-breaking $12,932,000 via Heritage Auctions.

On their own, cards from both Bryant and Jordan have sold for seven figures. Bryant’s most valuable card was his 2015-16 Panini Flawless Logoman Autograph that sold for $2.3 million. Jordan’s most expensive card was a Logoman Autograph from 2003-04 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection.

While many of the most expensive sports cards are vintage baseball cards, having the signatures of two of the greatest basketball players of all time, with their Logoman patches, is what helped push this card past the previous record of $12.6 million. This Bryant/Jordan card is now the second-most expensive sports collectible, behind only Babe Ruth’s jersey from the 1932 World Series. The jersey, from the “called shot” game, sold for $24.12 million in 2024.

Most Expensive Sports Cards: Mickey Mantle and Honus Wagner

Although it no longer sits atop the list of most expensive sports cards, the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle is one of the most widely recognized sports cards. An SGC 9.5 copy sold for $12.6 million in 2022, the highest sale for any sports card at the time. Although the 1952 Topps card isn’t Mantle’s rookie card, it’s easily his most popular. The story that Topps literally dumped extra copies of the 1952 Topps set in the ocean only adds to the intrigue and rarity of the card.

The T206 Honus Wagner is next on the list of the most expensive sports cards. A 1909 Sweet Caporal graded an SGC 2 sold for $7.25 million in 2022. Like the Mantle, there’s also a bit of lore with this card. The story goes that Wagner did not want his photo to be included with packs of cigarettes. Whether that be because he didn’t want to encourage kids to smoke or that he wanted compensation from the cigarette company, it depends on who you ask. Either way, the American Tobacco Company halted production on the T206 Wagner cards. Only 50-200 are estimated to exist.

Most Expensive Sports Cards from Other Sports

2009-10 Panini Playoff National Treasures Stephen Curry Rookie Logoman Autograph 1/1: $5.9 million

This Steph Curry card was at the top of the list of most expensive sports cards at the time of its $5.9 million sale in 2021. The 2009 season was the first year of Panini’s basketball license, making this card even more special. Curry’s most valuable rookie card is graded PSA 8 Auto 10.

2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection LeBron James Rookie Patch Autograph: $5.2 million

This LeBron James Rookie Patch Autograph isn’t just any old RPA, it’s an on-card autograph, features a three-colored patch, and is numbered to 23. The copy that sold for $5.2 million in 2021 was graded a BGS 9.

2018-19 Panini National Treasures Luka Doncic Logoman Autograph 1/1: $4.6 million

Luka Doncic’s rookie card is the most expensive ultra-modern sports card ever sold. Like some of the other cards on this list, this Doncic RPA features an on-card autograph and an NBA Logoman patch. The card sold for $4.6 million in 2021.

2017 Panini National Treasures Patrick Mahomes Rookie Patch Autograph NFL Shield 1/1: $4.3 million

The focal point of National Treasures is the coveted Rookie Patch Autographs, and the best card in the 2017 release was this Patrick Mahomes RPA. Along with the on-card autograph, the patch is an NFL Shield from a game-worn jersey. Graded a BGS 8.5, this card sold for $4.3 million in 2021.

1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky: $3.75 million

Gretzky’s O-Pee-Chee rookie card is even more famous than the Topps version. There are only two O-Pee-Chee copies that have earned a perfect PSA 10, one of them being the card that sold for $3.75 million in 2021.

2000 Playoff Contenders Tom Brady Championship Rookie Ticket Autograph: $3.1 million

Limited to just 100 total copies, this Brady rookie card set the record for the most expensive football card in 2021, then broke that same record two months later. A copy graded by Beckett to be an 8.5 with an Auto 9 sold for $2.25 million in April 2021. Two months later, a superior copy graded a BGS 9 Auto 10 sold for more than $3.1 million in June 2021.

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