With the largest crowd since 1991, The 2022 National Sports Collectors Convention delivered a bullish signal for the sports collectibles market and a continued sign of resurgence for the hobby. Collectors and investors will learn how much of that energy will carry over into the late-summer auction season as Goldin closes their July National Elite Auction.
Key Storylines
Logoman Mania Continues
Is it fair to call this the 'Summer of the Logoman cards'?
In June, Goldin sold a 2020-21 Panini Triple Logoman for $2.4 million. The hammer price fell short of expectations but still managed to reach a million-dollar total and is the most expensive card sold by Goldin this year. This new Goldin auction will deliver a formidable challenge to the previous Logoman price as the auction house is set to sell a 2006-07 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection All NBA Access Triple Logoman featuring Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. Additionally, Goldin will sell a 2020-21 Panini Flawless Triple Logoman (yes, another one of those), but this time, instead of 3 patches featuring 'The King', the card highlights stars from the team most recently crowned kings of the NBA. This unique Logoman includes Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson, the trio of Golden State Warriors that just helped guide the team from the Bay to their fourth title since 2015. The 1/1 card has garnered 3 bids and is priced at $348,000 with less than three days remaining in the auction.
Can the Curry Market Finally Climb?
There are 13 Stephen Curry cards scheduled to sell this week at Goldin and there are at least four that will sell for more than $300,000 and at least one that will close above $1 million. The event itself is clearly top-heavy in favor of Curry, with 3 of the first 7 lots featuring Curry cards. The collection includes the Warriors Logoman in addition to multiple National Treasure RPA's. Curry is not the most represented athlete in the auction as that title belongs to Michael Jordan with 67 items for sale, and the 3-point legend is actually the fourth most represented basketball player, but it is the quality of Curry cards set to change hands that makes this a monumental auction. The headline card is a PSA 9 graded 2009-10 National Treasures RPA Century Platinum /5 that is the only PSA graded example in their census. The only recorded public sale for one of these limited edition gems was for a BGS 9.5 graded copy that sold via Goldin in February 2021 for $960,000. The PSA 9 has already reached $1 million with 12 bids heading into the final days of the event.
Lots to Watch
Lot #1: 2006-07 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection All NBA Access Triple Logoman
Could we have yet another multi-million dollar triple logoman? While the Panini Logoman was wined, dined, and headlined in Times Square, this UD Logoman has flown slightly more under the radar although it could be argued that based on the historic market between the two producers, this Logoman might be even more favorable than the previous one. First and foremost, it is Upper Deck Exquisite versus Panini Flawless which is not even a comparable in terms of appreciation and respect within the collector and investor markets. While Panini's license with the NBA was tumultuous and ultimately ended with the company being bought out by the Fanatics conglomerate, Upper Deck, while not immune to criticism, has established itself on the Mount Rushmore of producers. This card from the iconic Exquisite series features displays Logoman patches from Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James, three of the most influential athletes to ever live. With LeBron still playing, this card carries a trio of players that have combined for 10 league MVP awards, 15 NBA titles, and 50 All-Star Game selections. The 1/1 is graded authentic by PSA and has tallied 12 bids with a high bid of $1.6 million.
Lot #5: Ca. 1966-68 Wilt Chamberlain Game-Used Philadelphia 76ers Home Jersey
With a plethora of unbreakable records and a career that was seemingly mythical, Wilt Chamberlain is a legend that has lived on in the history books of basketball. 'Wilt the Stilt' still holds 68 records by himself ranging from most points in a game (100), most points per game in a season (50.4), most rebounds in a game (55), and highest average rebounds per game in a career (22.9). This week, Goldin is set to sell an impressive piece of sports memorabilia with this 1966-68 Wilt Chamberlain Game Used Philadelphia 76ers Home Jersey. The jersey has struggled so far to garner much attention, with just 3 bids and a current price of $144,000 and the lack of movement could be due to the lack of a definitive photo match. In our Q2 Sports Market Report, we highlighted to surge in valuations for memorabilia that has been photo matched and while this jersey has been authenticated by multiple parties, Sports Investors Authentication was unable to provide a conclusive match to any specific game. The result will provide a look into the sentiment surrounding the non-photo matched memorabilia market, since the jersey has been irrefutably authenticated but lacks evidence through any image of the exact game Wilt donned these threads.
Lot #9: 1993 Upper Deck SP Foil Premier Prospects #279 Derek Jeter Rookie Card (PSA 10)
With a total population of more than 21,000 graded examples but only 21 graded PSA 10, the 1993 Upper Deck Foil Derek Jeter card carries one of the lowest gem rates of any modern sports card. Prior to 2020, there has never been a sale above $100,000 for any 1980s or 90s baseball card. The 1993 Upper Deck SP Foil has emerged as the preeminent piece of card board from the 1990s and stands alone among late 20th century baseball cards on both valuation and scarcity. The sale of this PSA 10 will provide insight into the state of the gem mint Jeter market which has been a rollercoaster over the past six months after peaking at $600,000 in April before falling to $468,000 in June. The current price with buyer's premium for this PSA 10 is at $228,000 through 10 bids.
Lot #20: 1984-85 Star #101 Michael Jordan Rookie Card (PSA 8)
In June, PSA announced that they would resume graded cards from the 1984-85 Star set after a 33-year hiatus. The Star edition is recognized most for this card - the Michael Jordan rookie which was issued two years before the famous Fleer set ever appeared on the market. The exact number of '84-'85 Star Jordan cards is unknown but there are estimates of around 3,000 total copies, which would mean less than 0.5% of the total production has been graded and slabbed by PSA. There are no examples graded higher by PSA than this near mint/mint card and the early attention received by the lot is a sign of PSA's superiority. The card has already secured 20 bids and is priced at $115,000 which is higher than the last BGS 9 sold by Goldin went for in May ($109,200). The current record for a PSA 8 is $158,400 which was sent in March 2021 by Goldin and could be challenged by the time this latest auction closes.
Lot #53: 1946-47 Nannina Figurine Tecnicolor, Hand Cut Puskais (Ferenc Puskas) Rookie Card (PSA 9)
One of the most recognizable post-war soccer sets, it is difficult to determine what is more impressive - the career of Ferenc Puskas or the the condition of this piece of history from the mid-20th century. The Nannina cards were issues in 1947, and featured an array of European fútbol stars with the most sought after being Mr. Puskas. Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1927, Puskas would become the flag-bearer for his home country, leading them to an Olympic title in 1952 and the World Cup Final in 1954. One of the greatest forwards to step onto the pitch, Puskas tallied 84 goals in 85 international matches plus 514 goals in 529 matches within both the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. Today, the Puskas Award, named in his honor, is presented by FIFA to the player who scores the 'most beautiful' goal each year. While it is clear Puskas delivered an incredible career on the field, it's time to acknowledge the unbelievable condition of this card. This hand cut portrait of a sporting icon looks virtually untouched more than 75 years after its production and the cream border surrounding the deep yellow frame is spotless. One of the most important soccer cards ever created, there are only seven of these in the PSA database and this mint graded example is the best conditioned example known to exist. At the time of publication, 19 bids have been placed with the current total reaching $216,000 with buyer's premium.
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