Our weekend auction recap features a Shaquille O'Neal jersey reaching rare heights for a high-school item, a couple amazing rock 'n' roll artifacts and a baffling price for a Pete Rose autographed card.
Let's get to the results, with analysis from cllct's Will Stern and Darren Rovell:
Shaquille O'Neal’s 1989 McDonald's All-American jersey
Price: $136,793
The earliest-known Shaq jersey to ever sell publicly went for $136,793, making it one of the most valuable high-school jerseys to ever sell at auction.
President Obama’s 1979 Hawaii state champion jersey ($192,000 in 2020), and LeBron James’ “The Chosen One” Sports Illustrated jersey ($512,000) are among the only to sell for more.
Stern: This is a really solid result and tells me two things: The Shaq market, which isn’t exactly one we talk about that often, is very much alive and well. And perhaps more importantly, Iconic Auctions, which I previously would have thought to be a mistaken place to consign a game-worn jersey, has proven itself more than capable of achieving high-flying results for game-worn.
Rovell: I agree on Iconic. Been following them for years and their last four or five auctions have really impressed me. As for Shaq, Kobe has been the star of these auctions recently, but O'Neal is a larger-than-life figure who is relevant every day because of his broadcasting position.
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Lionel Messi napkin
The most expensive napkin on the planet will be sold this week. In December 2000, Lionel Messi's move to FC Barcelona was sealed on a napkin, signed by two of his representatives and the club's sporting director.
With four days to go, the initial bid of $275,000 is still in the lead.
Stern: This piece has been teased for a while and had its auction pushed back, we're curious to see where this lands considering the obvious lack of demand for the lot at the level expected by Bonham's.
Rovell: The more I think about it, I think the main problem here is the napkin is signed by three people no one know or care about. If it were signed by Messi, I think it’s a different ballgame.
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Jim Morrison bail bond
Price: $77,213.25
A cash bail bond from 1969, signed and dated the day Jim Morrison was arrested in Miami for lewd behavior, indecent exposure, open profanity and public intoxication, sold for more than $75,000. This is an extraordinarily important document in the history of rock 'n' roll, considering it was this same arrest which led Morrison, while out on bail in 1970, to flee to France, where he would ultimately die of an overdose the following year.
Stern: I would have thought the $20,000 minimum bid was slightly high … and I would have been extremely wrong considering the eight bids and final price on this piece. Definitely a one-of-one and significant piece of music history, this is further evidence of the power of extremely unique items holding connections to dead musicians. Relevant: Morrison’s 1966 California Driver’s License sold for $22,800 at Goldin in May 2022.
Rovell: Honestly, I think is about the power of the slab. Documents don’t really do that well in general — but if it’s signed and it’s slabbed, it’s a different ballgame.
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Beatles Shea Stadium merchandising poster
Price: $56,530.80
Iconic sold this Beatles poster over the weekend for what could be considered a surprisingly low price. The poster, which appears identical to the "holy grail" of concert posters produced for the Beatles' 1966 Shea Stadium concert (record sale: $275,000), is actually unique due to its distinction as a "merchandising" poster, meaning it was sold at the concert itself rather than hung outside as an advertisement.
Stern: It’s not surprising this attracted less attention at public auction than the famous advertisement version of this poster. To me, it’s a good example of a law of collectible markets which dictates: If you weren’t supposed to own it in the first place, it’s more valuable. What is shocking, however, is that this is the only one of its kind that has ever surfaced publicly.
Rovell: While the 1966 poster is nice, the Beatles' 1965 Shea concert is the much better event. The 1966 one wasn’t sold out because Lennon’s comment about the Beatles being "more popular than Jesus" caused a major stir. I think scarcity is a play here, but I can’t get by the fact the concert didn’t matter as much.
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Steve Jobs Signed Page
Price: $55,102.77
This Steve Jobs-signed page from a 1990 computer publishing conference sold for more than $55,000 over the weekend, marking yet another shocking result for the wild Jobs memorabilia market, which we covered last month.
Stern: Much like the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie ticket, which sold for $14,653 in March 2024, this proves that a Jobs autograph defies the paper its printed on (or, signed on, for that matter)
Rovell: I bought a Jobs in 2022 and felt like whether the price I paid ($22k) was a good buy — but that would be determined by how many more Jobs signatures hit the market. Well, plenty more have surfaced, and the price continues to go up, which suggests there are not enough to go around.
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2024 Bowman Chrome Pete Rose redemption
Price: $1,675.00
A redemption card for a Rose autographed card from this year’s Bowman product sold for $1,675 on eBay. That’s $100 more than the price paid for an SGC 5 example of a 1963 Rose rookie card just five days earlier.
Stern: Considering the abundance and accessibility of Rose autographs, this is a crazy price in my eyes. Also, it's pretty funny Topps has to use a redemption for such an easy autograph.
Rovell: This is the height of card buzz word absurdity. A Rose signature isn’t worth the cardboard it’s on. For this to sell for more than his 1963 rookie in a SGC 5 is dumb. Expect this card to go down and down.
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Elvis Presley valium pill container
Price: $9,341
Iconic auctioned off an Elvis used valium container for $9,341, a record for an Elvis pill bottle, many of which have hit the market.
Rovell: Pill bottles are intimate, personal and a great conversation piece. Full disclosure: I bid on this piece up to about $6,000.
Stern: Intimate would be correct …
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.