The recently sold 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Exquisite Rookie Patch Autograph LeBron James card has been breaking records all over the place. That price is a record for any piece of sports memorabilia. Fetching a staggering $1.159 million, including the buyer’s premium, the card was sold Saturday evening by Goldin Auctions. Beckett Grading Services rated this card a stellar 9.5! There are only 99 of them, making it one of the most valuable ever produced in the NBA’s highly coveted set.
The 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection is most famous for its rare RPA (Rookie Patch Autographs). These limited edition cards are specially numbered to only 99. This series features jersey numbered parallels, matching the print run to the rookie’s jersey number and a rainbow parallel/1-of-1. LeBron James’ 1-of-1 Upper Deck Exquisite card numbered to 23 made headlines in early 2021 when it sold privately through PWCC Marketplace for $5.2 million. At $5.2 million, this sale became the most expensive basketball card ever sold and that record still stands today.
This latest sale is certainly no small feat! This is the second time in only the last five weeks that a LeBron James RPA from the 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection has exceeded this $1 million milestone at Goldin Auctions. It is a testament to their importance in the sports card collecting community that even decades later, the sustained demand for these cards remains incredibly high.
In yet another historic auction, Caitlin Clark’s 2024 Panini Prizm WNBA Signatures Gold Vinyl Prizm card was the star of the show. It broke records for women’s sports cards! This individual card, 1-of-1 in nature, has been drawing a great deal of attention with its perfect 10 grade and 10 autograph from Professional Sports Authenticator. It was purchased for a stunning $366,000 with the buyer’s premium. The $1.3 million sale shattered the record for a women’s sports card. That mark was surpassed by $266,400 for a 2003 NetPro Serena Williams RPA, which sold in May 2022.
These record-breaking sales are a testament to the increasing demand and appreciation for men’s and women’s sports cards alike. Actors and collectors are clamoring to find the rarest and highest-grade items. That kind of demand will certainly push prices higher, particularly for trailblazing athletes such as LeBron James and superstar newcomers such as Caitlin Clark.
Leave a Reply