As 2024 comes to a close, cllct is looking back at a year that featured record-breaking auctions, highly coveted chase cards and other trends that took the hobby by storm.
To recap the biggest developments in the hobby, we assembled a panel of industry experts to offer their thoughts on the last 12 months.
RELATED STORY:
- Year in review, part 1: What was the top trend of 2024?
- Year in review, part 2: Did the hobby improve in 2024?
In the third installment of our five-part series, we focus on the top sales of the year. (Answers have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.)
What was one sale, large or small, that you feel was the most meaningful this year?
Ken Goldin, CEO, Goldin Auctions
Without question, the most meaningful sale of the year was our auction of the Shohei Ohtani 50th home run ball for $4.4 million. Besides being one of these single highest-priced sales across all sports collectibles in 2024, it received the most worldwide media attention, without question.
It also brought in significant new high net-worth bidders to the hobby and sparked international interest, including the winner, like no other item in the history of sports collectibles.
Jason Masherah, president, Upper Deck:
The recently completed Sotheby’s auction exclusively featuring Upper Deck Exquisite cards reinforced Upper Deck’s position as the most premium, quality and sought after cards in the industry.
Kenneth Thrower, director, CGC video games and home video:
One of the most meaningful sales this year was the CGC-graded, 9.2 A, first-print "The Legend of Zelda" NES game from the Dallas-Fort Worth Collection, which realized $375,000 at auction.
The sealed copy now holds the record for the highest-selling CGC-certified video game ever. The August sale highlights the growing recognition of video games as valuable collectibles and underscores the trust collectors place in CGC’s grading standards.
Matt Quinn, vice president, CGC Cards:
The sale of the Prototype Pikachu card in Sotheby’s sale for $176,000.
Matt Nelson, president, CGC Comics:
One of the most meaningful sales this year was the record-breaking auction of Action Comics No. 1, graded CGC 8.5 with the Kansas City pedigree, which realized $6 million.
The high-grade grail with the first appearance of Superman is the most valuable comic ever to sell at auction. This sale at Heritage Auctions not only underscores the enduring value of Golden Age comics but also highlights the trust collectors place in CGC’s grading standards.
What was one sale, large or small, that you feel was the most meaningful this year?
Evan Parket, CEO, Mantel:
The Freddie Freeman grand slam ball. I think it's really cool to see something that recent sell for that big of a number that quickly. And, you know, it certainly was a cultural moment for Dodgers fans.
When you think about the impact, given that it was a 10-year-old kid who ended up with the ball, it's like the rare story that also has a nice tug of the heartstrings element.
David Kohler, founder, SCP Auctions:
I really feel like it's the Freddie Freeman ball from the World Series that we just sold, because it was a big sale with worldwide interest. It was a moment that no one was planning on happening, right? It's a testament to the sports memorabilia industry.
Nat Turner, CEO, Collectors:
Easy answer: the 2003 Exquisite number pieces.
I have this like thing in my head, which I haven't proven with science, but, you know the "Rule of 25," which is, after 25 years, something becomes vintage and collectible. Take a car: It decreases in value for a long time, for decades, and then, all of a sudden, it's vintage. Then, it starts to appreciate.
That Exquisite set is 22 years old, so it's getting close to that vintage moment. Look at '99 American Pokemon, early 2000s Topps Chrome, etc. Cards from the '90s are starting to take off.
Steve Grad, autograph authenticator:
I still point to the Babe Ruth "Called Shot" jersey that sold for a record $24.12 million at Heritage.
That sale was staggering in terms of the price, and obviously with photo-matching techniques used (I know one was controversial for this item), it has really changed the price of items. The Ruth jersey benefited greatly from that.
Mike, Junk Wax Hero on YouTube:
Collectors buying SGC was a massive sale, and the impact is yet to be really felt. For the most part, SGC has been allowed to run as it was before.
At some point in the semi-near future, though, I suspect that we'll start to see shifts -- either large or small -- in how SGC operates. Maybe it will be a degradation in their turnaround time. The increased capacity costs money, after all. Or, similarly, their customer service will get worse.
These are two of the things SGC is best known for, the others being their vintage grading and expertise, and consistency in grading.
James Kehoe, CGCsportsillustrated:
This is actually an easy answer and probably not what you’d expect. The most impactful sale was the Donald Trump Time magazine from August 5, 2024, graded at 9.8, that sold on eBay for $1,136.11.
The cover of this issue featured the iconic photo of Trump immediately following his attempted assassination. Magazines are about the only graded collectible that does an amazing job at capturing historical moments. Whether that’s Trump, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour or the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl. Magazines equal moments.
While four-figure magazine sales happen all the time in this hobby, what this sale did was elevate the non-sports graded magazine market. Musicians, politicians, actors, and other pop culture figures really had their coming-out party with graded magazines collectors in 2024.
Paul Lesko, owner, Lesko Law LLC:
Heritage Vintage’s auction of a 1979-1980 OPC Hockey case was the most meaningful sale of the year. With an original winning bid of $3.72 million falling through ... and a second auction's winning bid of only (funny we're saying ONLY) $2.52 million, this sale highlighted the potential dangers of high-value auction pieces.
As this just happened, maybe there will be some type of legal recourse to make the consignor whole, but as of now, it's concerning to see the apparent ease in which a winning bidder could back out of paying for an auction.
Cristiano Bierrenbach, partner, Heritage Auctions:
It was a historic year for us in 2024, and we saw many interesting items crossing the auction block. But the two that were most significant were undoubtedly the Ruth Jersey and the ruby slippers from the "Wizard of Oz," which we sold for a record $32.5 million just a couple of weeks ago.
David Hunt, founder, Hunt Auctions:
A number of sales within the last year were very significant to their respective categories, which would certainly include the 1932 Babe Ruth jersey that realized more than $24 million.
Brian Dwyer, president, Robert Edward Auctions:
It would be easy to say the Morehouse Baking Babe Ruth rookie card we just sold, because it was our biggest sale of the year.
But our most meaningful sale was probably the pair of Michael Jordan Nike Air Ship sneakers that we sold in April. These shoes were worn in a few games during his rookie season before he debuted his iconic Air Jordans.
Since then, we’ve seen an uptick in game-used memorabilia, and it’s an area we expect to grow substantially in 2025, not only for REA but for the hobby as a whole.
Richard Albersheim, owner, Albersheim's:
The "Wizard of Oz" ruby red slippers.
Barry Meisel, president and COO, MeiGray:
The $24.12 million sale of the Babe Ruth "Called Shot" jersey.
Jesse Gibson, Sports Cards Nonsense:
As someone who typically finds himself more inclined to the non-sport side of the hobby, the fact the 2023 Topps Chrome Disney 100 Mickey Mouse Superfractor went for $500k was pretty incredible!
Not only is it a non-sport card that reached such an astronomical amount, but it's a non-Pokémon and non-MTG card as well. Historically speaking, those have mostly been the only modern non-sport cards to garner that high of a payment.
To see not just a modern but an ultra-modern card do those kinds of numbers gives me hope for not just the non-sport collector but the non-sport investor as well.
Mark Montero, LCG Auctions:
In the vintage toy space, it was the $1.34 million rocket-firing Boba Fett toy from "Star Wars."
Those in-the-know understand another rocket-firing Boba Fett toy achieved less than half that price in a $300,000 sale at Heritage Auctions in December. I believe those new to the space are trying to navigate with limited information available.
Stephen Lane, Propstore:
For Propstore, the standout sale would be the incredible “Marauder’s Map” from "Harry Potter," which we sold in our recent November auction in London for more than $300,000.
This remarkable piece was owned by David Holmes, Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double, who sustained a life-changing injury while working on the Potter series. The proceeds from this sale will support Holmes’ ongoing care, funding essential mobility equipment and personal assistance.
Furthermore, the sale set a world record for the most expensive "Harry Potter" movie prop ever sold at auction, an extraordinary achievement in its own right.
Ezra Levine, CEO, Mascot Technologies:
Hard to argue against the Babe Ruth "Called Shot" jersey for its media coverage. The attention it brought to the collectibles category was tremendous.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.