Between Goldin and Grey Flannel, it was a busy week in auction land. With so much to get to, there’s no time for fluff, so let’s get started.
Analysis of final bids provided by cllct’s Will Stern, Darren Rovell and Ben Burrows.
Early prototype of Air Jordan 1s
Price: $325,085
Connected to an early Jordan photoshoot by Grey Flannel, these Jordan 1s still beat recent sales of important Nike sneakers despite the lack of a photo-match directly linking them to Jordan.
Rovell: This pair has the words “Air Jordan” written on them instead of the Wings logo. While Grey Flannel smartly connected the shoes to Jordan’s first photoshoot with Nike, the auction house was unable to do much more other than call out that it did match Jordan’s unique sizes (13 and 13.5).
I argued that without the photo-match or actual connection to Jordan in the story, this was a piece of Nike history, instead of Jordan history. I expected these shoes to go for around $200,000 instead of the $600,000 they could have fetched if directly connected to MJ. For the winning bidder, it fell somewhere in the middle.
Stern: This price in this market speaks volumes. The number surpasses the Air Ships which sold recently at REA for less than $300,000 (sans photo-match) and even the Moon Shoes which sold last week for $306,000 at Sotheby’s.
If this was the peak of the market, we’re talking about a $500,000 pair of sneakers.
Wilt Chamberlain photo-matched 1968-69 Los Angeles Lakers Jersey
Price: $393,354
One of the earliest Chamberlain Lakers jerseys to surface, this example has been photo-matched to three games, including a 60-point, 21-rebound game against Oscar Robertson.
Rovell: This price is right where we thought it would be for a photo-matched jersey attributed to non-Finals games, roughly 10% of what the 1972 NBA Finals Chamberlain sold for at Sotheby’s in September ($4.9 million).
We should still recognize the new era we are in. Five years ago, this would have sold for $60,000 tops.
Stern: I love the match to the 60-point game against Robertson. This is an incredibly lofty result, and something we likely would have trouble imagining even a year ago.
Kobe Bryant twice signed, game-used, photo-matched Kobe 1s
Price: $81,740
Bryant's first signature shoes with Nike, this pair was photo-matched to a 2006 game against the Phoenix Suns and features signatures from Bryant on both.
Rovell: Aside from Jordan, no one gets the numbers at auction that Bryant does. Yes, it’s the Kobe 1s, which Nike had waited so long to unveil after they signed him. Yes, they are game-used and photo-matched to a game in April in 2006. I had these at about $40,000, and they sold for more than double.
Bob McAdoo Buffalo Braves warm-up jacket
Price: $65,959
This jacket was attributed to McAdoo based on a faint handwritten number on the tag, even though there was another number — 22 — on the other side.
Rovell: I had this jacket at around $15,000 because, despite the confusion on the number, it’s the best Buffalo Braves item I’ve ever seen come to auction. Heading into the final hours, $15,000 seemed like the right call, but in extended bidding, this absolutely soared, more than doubling the high price ever paid for a McAdoo worn item ($27,000).
Yes, McAdoo items come in low as a result of him getting snubbed from the NBA Top 50 Greatest Players list, but to see an item like this with some number confusion and no photo-match is wild.
Jim Abbott photo-matched jersey from no-hitter
Price: $36,716
This jersey was photo-matched to Jim Abbott's 1993 no-hitter against Cleveland.
Rovell: The consignor bought it from a Yankees tent sale in the 1990s for what was likely less than $200 and pulled a 100x after photo-matching it to Abbott’s 1993 no-hitter. Despite how remarkable it was for the one-handed Abbott, the interest in him at auction has been minimal.
A game-used jersey from 1988 sold in 2018 for less than $600, and his best cards sell for less than $200. I thought this would command $20,000. To get $36,000-plus is unreal and speaks to the power of photo-matching.
Two O.J Simpson jerseys
Prices: $74,420 and $4,153
While one of these jerseys had a photo-match to three NFL games from the 1972 season — the same year Simpson led the league in rushing — the other has no definitive link to any game or season.
Rovell: We can’t drive this home enough — photo-matching is everything. Just look at these two different prices. The consignor of the photo-matched jersey bought it for $1,000 on Facebook and then photo-matched it himself for an incredible reward.
Stern: I'm not sure this is enough of a sample size to simply attribute to photo-matching alone — after all, this is the first photo-matched Simpson jersey to ever hit public auction, and the 1976 jersey might have any number of question marks for buyers.
Wayne Gretzky NHL debut ticket
Price: $16,775
This ticket stub saw Gretzky make his NHL debut and record his first assist — of course, after he already had played pro hockey in the World Hockey Association.
Rovell: While I’m more of a moment guy and not a debut guy, to me this seems like an excellent buy. Just two and a half years ago, a PSA graded 3 sold for more than $100,000.
From the front, this ticket is the same, and it comes at more than a six times discount to the high. The pop has increased since 2021, but there are still only 20 total examples. Some will say this went cheap because there’s another debut to worry about with Gretzky — his pro debut with the Indianapolis Racers.
Stern: Pretty shocking to learn there are about the same number of Gretzky debuts (20) as Jordans (23).
Tom Seaver 2,000th strikeout game jersey and Michael Jordan game-used, photo-matched Wizards jersey
Price: $80,520
Time to play a game of “What would you rather?”
A Tom Seaver Mets jersey from his 1975 Cy Young season or a jersey Michael Jordan wore in one game with the Wizards and scored 33 points. They both sold for the same price.
Rovell: For full disclosure, I’m a Mets fan. But I swear this has nothing to do with this. As someone who was in Chicago to see three Bulls titles, who in their right mind wants a Jordan Wizards anything? While I get the Jordan market, I do not get the Wizards market.
This is Seaver by a mile for me.
C.H. Lightoller signed "Loss of the Titanic" book
Price: $2,659
This book was signed by C.H.Lightoller, a senior office on the Titanic.
Rovell: A rare signature inside “The Loss of the Titanic” book signed in 1935 by C.H. Lightoller, the most senior officer to survive the wreck.
Lightholler was warned by Captain Edward Smith earlier in the day of ice, but didn’t use the binoculars on the bridge because he didn’t have keys to the case. He was later told by Smith, after the ship hit the iceberg, that he should make sure women and children should enter the lifeboats first. He interpreted this to mean that only women and children should get in, which resulted in somewhat empty boats.
Lightholler was able to survive on an overturned lifeboat and was the last passenger taken on the rescue ship, the Carpathia.
Addie Joss 1909-11 T206 White Border PSA 9
Price: $73,200
Part of the highly sought after T206 set, an Addie Joss PSA 9 set the new mark for any Joss card in Goldin’s May Elite Auction on Sunday night.
Burrows: It’s never surprising to see a T206 card set a new mark, but it’s always nice to see the strength of the vintage and pre-War card market continue past the pandemic.
This exact Joss example sold for $44,400 through Heritage in 2020 and might stand for a while, with none graded higher.
Ronald Acuña Jr. 2017 Bowman Chrome Prospect Red Auto 5/5 BGS 9.5/10
Price: $62,220
Considered one of Acuña Jr.’s most important cards, this red color match sold for just $62,220 in Goldin’s May Elite — a $30,000 drop since a similar example sold a little over a year ago.
Burrows: I can’t think of a worse time than right now to sell a Ronald Acuña Jr. card, let alone one of his most important. A similar example sold through Goldin last May for $92,400 and while that was considered a true gem, it shouldn’t account for a $30,000-plus drop in value.
At this point, it might be better to hold Acuña Jr. and sell when he returns from injury next season than take a bath selling anything ultra high-end right now.
Derek Jeter signed MLB debut ticket PSA 2/10
Price: $13,420
The New York Yankees lost this game against the Seattle Mariners, but a dynasty was about to begin with Jeter at the helm. Just one ticket is graded higher in the PSA/DNA census than this example.
Stern: It has been a crazy ride for this ticket. There are six signed examples. Here’s a look at the past few sales at Goldin:
- PSA 2/Auto 9: $18,910 (December 2023)
- PSA 2/Auto A: $38,430 (March 2024)
- PSA 2/Auto 10: $13.420 (June 2024)
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 collectible market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.