Trading cards, especially those that are about sports, are a great collector’s item. If you are looking into collecting trading cards, you should know that some of these cards can be worth a lot of money. People who collected cards in the past have been shocked to find out how much their cards are worth. In fact, some cards have sold for millions of dollars. Here are some of the most expensive trading cards ever to be sold.
- 1952 Topps PSA 9 Mickey Mantel
This card is the most iconic card that was ever sold. The card sold originally sold for $2.8 million, and entrepreneur Rob Gough purchased it for $5,200,000. It is known to be the nicest card in existence today and one of the most expensive.
- 2018-19 Panini National Treasures Logoman Luka Doncic
The NBA Logoman cards from the Panini National Treasures sets are the single most sought-after cards in the trading card hobby. This particular card was sold for $4.6 million dollars and was done in a private sale. The new owners of this one of a kind card are Nick Fiorella and Bolillo Lajan.
- 2009 Bowman Chrome Superfractor Auto BGS 9/10 Mike Trout
This card held the record for the most amount of money ever paid for a single sports card and the shortest time to sell. This card was originally owned by social media personality Vegas Dave who originally purchased the card for $400,000. It was sold on August 23, 2020, for $3.9 million dollars.
- 1909 T206 PSA 5 Honus Wagner
The Honus Wagner T206 card is the second most recognized card in the hobby other than the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. This card is known as the Jumbo Wagner because it is larger than most of the cards that were released during this time. It was a miscut, but the final PSA 5 grade put it on the market. It last sold for $3.1 million.
- 2000 Panini Playoff Contenders BGS 8.5/9 Tom Brady
The most expensive football card ever sold is the Tom Brady Playoff Championship Rookie Ticket. It was sold for $2,252,855. Tom Brady made twenty cents apiece to sign these trading cards.
- 2013-14 National Treasures Logoman Patch Auto 1/1 Giannis Antetokounmpo
This card held the distinction for being the most expensive basketball card ever for a few short months. It was sold for $1,857,300. When this card was sold back in 2014, it only sold for $7,000. The buyer of this card then returned it back to the seller because it had a small yellow stain on the back, and they did not think it was going to be worth anything. The seller then released it and was able to sell it for a lot more money.
- 2003 Exquisite Rookie Patch Auto BGS 9.5 Lebron James
This Lebron James Rookie Patch card held the highest sale of a sports card for a short time. This card is also one of the most sought-after rookie cards of the hobby. It has a serial number of 23 and sold for $1.8 million. The owner of the card is Leore Avidar, who is the CEO of Alt. They stated that they wanted to bring something new to the alternatives asset business and collectibles business.
- 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractors BGS PRISTINE/Black Label 10 Kobe Bryant
The BGS Black Label card with a ten grade is the single most difficult card to get in the hobby. It is known to be perfectly conditioned with no sign of any kind of wear and tear. This card is known to be the most expensive Kobe Bryant card sold at this time. It was sold by Goldin Auctions on March 6th, 2021, for $1,752,000. The same card was sold on eBay in 2016 for $58,100.
- 1997 Upper Deck Game Jersey Autograph PSA 7/8 Michael Jordan
In 1992, the NBA All-Star Game was one of the most-watched basketball games. This was due to the fact that Magic Johnson was playing his final game before he went into his early retirement. Michael Jordan also made this game popular. On the 1997 Upper Deck Game Jersey card, this card has a part of that jersey and features Michael Jordan’s autograph. Michael Jordan signed and numbered each one of these cards, and there are only twenty-three that were produced. This card was last sold by Heritage Auctions and sold for $1,444,000.
- 2004-05 Upper Deck Ultimate Signatures Logoman Patch Auto 1.1 PSA/DNA 10 Lebron James
This card was sold by Goldin Auctions for $1.291 million and was sold on March 7th, 2021. This card is the most expensive card that was sold for Lebron James outside of his initial rookie career. This is the third NBA Logoman card to be on the top ten of the most expensive cards sold.
So as you can see, trading cards can sell for a lot of money. While your trading cards may not be worth a lot at first, given some time, they may be worth a lot more than what you expect. This is why so many people get into the hobby. Not only for the joy that card collecting can get, but how they can invest their money and make even more money. If you want to get started with card collecting, you should do your research on where to purchase your cards and learn how to store them. If your collectibles are not stored properly, they can become damaged, which will make the trading cards worthless. The better that you take care of your cards, the more money you will get out of them when you decide to sell them.
