Two months after announcing their partnership, Sotheby's and Fanatics Collect revealed the full lineup of cards available in the inaugural "Holy Grails" auction later this month.
Scheduled for Sept. 23 and 24, the auction exclusively features ultra high-end cards, with the majority expected to sell for $100,000 or more.
Here's a look at the four cards the cllct team is most interested in.
1933 Goudey #92 Lou Gehrig SGC 9
One of two times Gehrig is represented in the 1933 Goudey set, the mid-career issue of the “Iron Horse” is among his most coveted cards in the hobby.
Across SGC and PSA, there are eight Mint 9 examples, with just one Gem Mint 10 between them.
This exact card last sold in May 2021 at Heritage for $156,000. Subsequently, a PSA 9 example fetched $672,000 at Memory Lane in May 2022 — the most recent public sale of the card at this tier.
1955 Topps Roberto Clemente PSA 9
One of the most coveted rookie cards of the post-war era, the 1955 Topps Clemente rookie comes from the high number sector of the set, which has proven more difficult to track down over the years.
There are 11 PSA 9 examples in existence, with just one PSA 10 copy in the PSA census out of more than 7,100 assessed by the grading company.
The last PSA 9 copy to sell publicly was in June 2023 at Goldin, when a copy achieved $792,000. Prior to that sale, this same exact card sold in April 2023 for $960,000 at Robert Edward Auctions.
Two sales of PSA 9 copies have topped those prices, as copies surpassed $1 million in 2021 and 2022.
1995 Pokémon Alpha Prototype Japanese Pikachu CGC 10 Pristine
Among the earliest Pokémon cards ever produced, prototype cards like these were likely used as a proof-of-concept to show to executives in the early days of the TCG’s production.
Only this year did Takumi Akabane, an early employee of the company, verify this card was one of the first Pikachu cards ever created.
Four examples have been graded by CGC, with the other three receiving lower grades from CGC than the Sotheby’s example.
There have been no publicly verified comparable sales, however, a number of Alpha Prototype cards featuring other characters sold this month at Goldin, with the most expensive, a CGC 9 Koffing, selling for nearly $20,000
1998 Pokémon Japanese Promo Illustrator Holo Pikachu CGC 9
While the Charizard is likely the most iconic card among casual Pokemon collectors, the 1998 Illustrator remains one of the most important cards in existence across any category.
Originally awarded to winners of the CoroCoro Comics drawing contest, there are believed to be just 39 examples in existence.
Graded a CGC 9, this card has a population of four, with just six higher. This is believed to be the only graded example signed by Takumi Akabane, one of the original creators of the trading card game.
While there are no public sales of another CGC 9, a CGC 9.5 example without an autograph sold for $672,000 at Goldin in 2022.
A PSA 9 example without an autograph sold for $2 million in a private sale in 2022 while another PSA 9 sold for $840,000 at Heritage in 2022.
1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson
Combining one of the all-time great sets with one of baseball’s all-time great players, Jackie Robinson’s 1948 Leaf rookie card is one of the most coveted and important trading cards in history, regardless of sport.
There are less than 1,500 total examples graded by PSA, with this example a pop 40 with just seven graded higher. There are no PSA 10s in existence.
To date, the highest price paid for a PSA 8 example is $468,000 at Heritage in 2022. The most recent public sale for a PSA 8 was $372,000 at Heritage in 2023.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.