A hockey stick used by Wayne Gretzky during the Stanley Cup Finals and an autographed letter from J.R.R. Tolkien are among the top items up for auction this week.
Analysis is provided by cllct's Will Stern, Darren Rovell and Ben Burrows.
Victor Wembanyama San Antonio Spurs game-worn City Edition jersey
Auction house: Sotheby’s Closing date: Thursday
Stern: Another Wembanyama jersey hitting the block, this one coming from barely a month into his rookie season. The City Edition design adds some flair, but if we’re being honest, it’s about the name on the back and the prospect of scooping up an early rookie gamer from a player seemingly poised to become an all-time great that will bring out the money.
The lot already has met its reserve and hit $70,000 — 40 percent more than the high estimate. This one is gonna go for a ride. At the risk of tossing out numbers and appearing flippant, I will say if this jersey cleared $125,000, I wouldn’t bat an eye.
Rovell: I think the future model will move away from jerseys used in just one game. It’s not good for the business. Hoping next season Sotheby’s tries to get additional games out of these things. They’ll probably make the same amount of money selling fewer jerseys because each jersey will have more meaning.
1989 Upper Deck Star Rookie #1 Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card PSA 10
Auction house: Goldin
Closing: Thursday
Stern: If we wanted to, we could include the Griffey Jr. Upper Deck rookie in every auction preview and recap we write — even PSA 10s sell that frequently. With a population of 4,244 at the grade and 248 sales in the past two years (topping out at $2,500 with a low of $1,412.50), it’s always good to check in on the hobby stalwart to take the pulse of the market.
The latest comp came this week for $1,979.99. Is it likely we will see any result indicative of a particularly meaningful trend? No. But is this a card worth keeping tabs on every so often? Without a doubt.
Rovell: Smart idea, Will. A lot of the kids of the 1980s want to make sure they have the cards that made them excited back then. OK, maybe not Gregg Jefferies and Cory Snyder, but you get my drift.
This is the most graded baseball card of all time, which means that even in a 10, it has virtually no chance of having major upside. If you want one, go buy a PSA 9 for $175.
Victor Wembanyama NBA debut full ticket PSA 10
Auction house: Goldin
Closing: Thursday
Stern: Tickets get complicated when it comes to modern games. Often, tickets are either exclusively digital, or recipients of physical copies obtain them by having the box office print them out.
Plus, tickets are no longer torn to stubs, rendering the difference in rarity between full and stubs meaningless. Ticket collecting also has grown so much as a hobby in recent years, many intentionally save tickets from big debuts such as Wembanyama’s, which turns out to be the downfall of the market as population skyrockets.
In this case, there are 48 PSA 10 examples of full tickets for Wembanyama’s debut. The last comp came this month a a little less than $2,000. While the NBA offseason will always cause a dip in basketball card and memorabilia value, Wembanyama is coming off a historic season, and the demand remains strong.
Rovell: I’m actually not opposed to this ticket because of the scarcity created by printed tickets not being available. I do fear people in the Spurs organization could have 100-plus they haven’t gotten graded, which keeps me away from ultra modern tickets.
2023-24 Panini Prizm Victor Wembanyama Red Fast Break PSA 10
Auction house: Goldin
Closing Thursday
Stern: Once again, a battle between offseason collector fatigue and the Wembanyama market hype. There have been 10 total comparable sales of this card, limited to 100 and graded PSA 10 (pop 26). The high sale was $6,000 while the most recent sale, recorded this week, clocked in at $2,750.
I think cards in this price range are a great test for true collector demand as it is expensive enough to require conviction on the part of the seller, but cheap enough that we can watch multiple transactions play out over the course of months rather than rely on singular data points.
Rovell: I’m frankly worried about how many different Wembanyama rookies we will have. Set and version fatigue is a real thing. There’s a tension here between Panini, who wants to strain every dollar they can out of the business, and the collector, who every time they turn around there’s another set or version.
Burrows: I have to agree with Rovell here — any numbered Wembanyama will have value, but a Red Disco doesn’t move the needle for me as much as one of the more popular parallels. I worry less about fatigue because his sales volume is still high, but I do worry about the quality of cards in the market.
Panini is going to flood collectors with parallels (and zero autos), while Topps is dumping ink into baseball products. I have zero doubt Wembanyama will live up to his hype, but I do have doubts the market will produce the quality cards he deserves, which will have long-term impact.
2015 Exquisite ‘03 Tribute Gold Spectrum Connor McDavid RPA /5 BGS 9
Auction house: PWCC
Closing: Thursday
Stern: McDavid is undoubtedly a top-tier talent in any of the major North American sports. Though he has his work cut out for him as he attempts to lead a comeback victory to secure a Stanley Cup this season, in my opinion, a loss wouldn’t spell disaster for his cards. He’s still the best player on the ice and routinely does things that would make Gretzky blush. He’ll be back, win or lose.
As for this RPA, it’s limited to just five and is graded BGS 9 (pop 3). There has only been one comp, coming in April 2022 for $72,000. I imagine we see this card fall short of that mark, but not by much.
Burrows: This is the same card that sold for $72,000 back in 2022, and I like to imagine it could have topped that number if the Oilers didn’t go down 3-0 to Florida so quickly. I have a hard time seeing it hit that number now even though Edmonton has won back-to-back games.
Overall, I think McDavid’s market is primed to be strong long-term, and this is certainly among his best cards. In my opinion, the clean auto paired with an unbelievable patch make this one of the cards you’d want to be holding when McDavid’s career is over.
2017 National Treasures Jayson Tatum RPA /99 PSA 10
Auction house: PWCC
Closing: Thursday
Stern: Jayson Tatum is officially an NBA champion. His card market is clearly aware. This RPA, featuring dual PSA 10 grades for condition and autograph, is limited to 99 copies and is a pop 5. The last comp came in December 2023 for $126,880, while the high mark was achieved in May 2022 for $193,200. Just five comps have been recorded in total. This same exact card sold in January 2019 for $11,100.
With bidding already passing $25,000, the seller will likely come away with a tidy profit, and likely far more if it can reach the heights of the most recent sales.
Rovell: How much is baked into the price already? That’s the ultimate question to ask any prospective buyer of a card of a player who just won a title.
Burrows: I’m very happy there’s a solid profit being made already because this card is actually a pass for me if I’m looking to get into the ultra high-end Tatum market.
The patch is underwhelming all around with a player-worn designation and just a small amount of green jersey visible. Personally, if I’m spending this much on an RPA, I’d much prefer something from the Flawless lineup that is game-worn with a more visually striking patch. I expect there’s plenty of room for this price to go up after Boston's title, but I personally would be looking for a different example at this price point.
Wayne Gretzky 1988 Stanley Cup Finals Edmonton Oilers game-used and signed stick
Auction house: Sotheby’s
Closing: Friday
Stern: This stick, inscribed and signed by Gretzky, was used by the “Great One” in the Stanley Cup-clinching game of the 1988 season, which marked his final championship with the Oilers. This was well-timed to coincide with the ongoing series between the Oilers and the Panthers, though other factors must be considered.
This same stick sold last year at Sotheby’s via one of its “sealed” auctions for an undisclosed price, though the pre-auction estimate had it at $300,000 to $500,000. Now, with an estimate of $300,000 and up, collectors might see this quick flip and decide to stay on the sidelines, as is so often the case when items appear too frequently at auction and suffer from overexposure. Regardless, it’s a phenomenal piece of Gretzky history, and I’d be shocked if this didn’t get far closer to its estimate than the sub-$50,000 current bid it is sitting at Thursday morning.
Rovell: I never get these quick flips and putting it back in the same auction house you bought it from? Weird.
1939 Babe Ruth multi-signed New York World's Fair coaster
Auction house: Heritage
Closing: Saturday
Stern: This is beyond cool. Ruth attended the 1939 World's Fair in New York and signed this coaster for a fan, who also got autographs from Jack Dempsey, Jimmy Braddock and Al Schacht. The estimate is $3,000 and up. Clearly, athletes were lined up and meeting fans at the “Stars and Champions of Sports” exhibit, as other examples have sold previously, including a November 2010 sale at Lelands for $1,993.21.
Rovell: History lesson for young Will here. The 1939 World’s Fair was ridiculous. Young kids could take classes on sports taught by the greats. Teachers included Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmy Foxx, Connie Mack and, yes, they were all available for signatures. There have been enough of these coasters and membership cards that these aren’t rare, but it’s a cool item.
1996 NBA Draft ticket stub PSA 10
Auction house: Robert “L” Edwards
Closing date: Saturday
Stern: Let’s get the obvious out of the way. It’s Pop 1, Kobe draft, PSA 10. OK, now the less fun stuff — what in the world is this thing doing at a no-name auction house (Robert “L” Edwards, not to be confused with hobby pros Robert Edward Auctions)? Why is it that I had to find it after looking through countless random auctions and junk? And why is the estimate $5 to $10,000? Who thought that was a good idea? What in the world is going on? Something is up.
Rovell:" I’m gonna be honest. As one of the owners of the 19 graded stubs, I’m really disappointed in the sales of this ticket. I bought it a couple years ago, thinking it could skyrocket. It has everything. Kobe to the Hornets (and then traded to L.A.). Iverson. Nash. And all it has done is gone down. I’m holding on because I think this has so much upside with little population growth. If you are a card guy who loves a 10, I would try to get this.
Super Mario Bros. Wata 8.5 B+ sealed NES Nintendo 1985
Auction house: Heritage
Closing Thursday
Stern: If the record $2 million sale didn’t convince you, take my word for it, Super Mario Bros. is the most coveted title in video game collecting. Not only is it from the original NES launch and among the Black Box titles, but it’s a Mario game which gives it extra oomph.
Wata has graded 234 sealed copies, the majority of which are graded higher (both in condition and seal) than this copy, and hail from earlier productions. But, as much as we love to talk about the importance of early productions, when dealing with a grail like this, a sealed copy at any grade should always be of note.
Rovell: I just look at the 234. I’m not sure yet on the true population of hard-core video game collectors versus mere speculators, so I’m still uncomfortable with the space.
J. R. R. Tolkien autographed letter
Auction house: RR
Closing date: Thursday
Stern: A handwritten and signed letter from "Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien to an 8-year-old fan carries a $25,000 estimate and has been bid up over $20,000 as of Thursday morning.
The letter is a lengthy reply to the fan, explaining he had written other books in addition to "The Hobbit" and describing the "Lord of the Rings" series in detail. Some of the most interesting lines from the letter include “I was very pleased to have it, and I liked learning about the parts that specially pleased you.”
With the 70th anniversary of "The Hobbit" coming up, expect to see a ton of Tolkien items at auction. This is among the most unique I’ve ever seen. It’s not only sweet, as Tolkien took the time to write such a lengthy reply to a young fan, but also a rare example of the author writing candidly about his work in personal correspondence.
Bobby Orr "Flying Goal" ticket stub
Auction house: eBay
Closing date: Sunday
Rovell: There are a total of 11 Orr Flying Goals and this, for sure, will be the worst new one. I’m not even sure how it’s kept together. Glue? Tape? Who knows. Is it worth $1,000. I’m afraid so.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.