Swoosh! “Perfect” Kobe Bryant Rookie Card Scores Millions

Sports Fans, you could become a millionaire with your old (or not so old) sports cards.

Check your basement, attic and every nook and cranny for old rookie sports cards. It could make you a millionaire, based on the hot trend right now toward record-breaking auction prices for sports cards. A “perfect” Kobe Bryant rookie card just sold for $1.795 million in an online Goldin Auctions sale, making it one of the most expensive basketball cards ever sold. The 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractors #138 Kobe Bryant Rookie Card is just one of two in the world in perfect condition. Bryant, 41, a five-time NBA champion, died on Jan. 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash. His daughter Gianna and seven others also died in the crash.

“The enthusiasm for trading cards and memorabilia has never been higher and as even more people recognize the incredible investment opportunity these assets offer, we anticipate that interest will only continue to grow,” Ken Goldin, founder of Goldin Auctions, told ESPN. 

Other cards that have grabbed million dollar figures recently include: a 2003 LeBron James rookie card that sold for $1.845 million, a 1909 T206 Sweet Caporal Honus Wagner baseball card for $2.52 million, a signed Tom Brady rookie card that brought $1.32 million, a 1997 Upper Deck Game Jersey card signed by Michael Jordan that was sold with a piece of his jersey and brought $1.44 million, and a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card that auctioned for $5.2 million.

 

 

Michael Jordan Card Gets Slam-Dunk, Record-Breaking Price 

Prices for sports cards and comics have exploded in the last year, as collectors view them as fun investments. Now, a rare vintage 1997 Michael Jordan signed card got an MVP price, shattering records and selling for $1.4 million in a February 2021 Heritage Auctions sale. The card is one of only 23 produced and has a signature and a piece of Jordan’s jersey from the 1992 NBA All-Star Game. The card is the most expensive Jordan card ever sold at auction, breaking only a two-month-old record. Previously, the record for a Jordan card was a green-shaded 1997 card that sold for $915,000 in December 2020.  
 
Interest in Chicago Bull superstar Michael Jordan was re-ignited by the release of ESPN’s “The Last Dance,” a 10-part series of the Bulls’ 1997-98 season that also chronicled Jordan’s career. He won six championships with the Chicago Bulls, spent a couple of seasons playing with the Washington Wizards, and now owns his own NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets.