It feels callous to think about dollars, cents and collectibles in the wake of a death.
When legendary athletes are lost, the focus should be on remembering their legacies and celebrating their lives with anecdotes, retrospectives and tips of the hat.
With Rickey Henderson’s unexpected death last week, there was no shortage of fondly recounted stories — many of which involved Rickey speaking in the third person about Rickey's legendary accomplishments as the game's top base-stealer and quintessential leadoff man.
But as collectors, despite how it might appear at first glance, we celebrate and honor heroes with trading cards, autographs and memorabilia. The same reason fans collect their favorite modern player — as a token of fandom — is why many seek out pieces from recently passed athletes as a mechanism of remembrance.
As if anyone could forget Rickey.
Looking at eBay sales data via Terrapeak, we see that over the past year, total items sold when searching for “Rickey Henderson” peaks at 10,514 during the week beginning Dec. 16 (he died Dec. 20). That represents a 392.2% increase compared to the previous week. Average sale price jumped 128.9% to $78.52.
Two other icons we lost in 2024, Willie Mays and Pete Rose, saw similar jumps in total items sold during the weeks of their respective deaths.
Rose died Sept. 30. During the week beginning the same day, 17,149 items sold, up 749.8% from the prior week. Average sale price rose 58.135%.
For Mays, who died June 18, total items sold leapt 449% week-over-week to 14,372. Interestingly, average sales price decreased by around 16.1% over the same period.
A few things jump out here.
First, the percentage increase of items sold is closely tied to Google Trends’ reporting of search interest.
Rose, who experienced the largest jump in volume during the week of his death, also was the subject of the most interest on Google in the wake of the news compared to the other two Hall of Famers.
When comparing the three on Google Trends, Rose’s peak is represented by 100, while Mays hit a high of 57 and Henderson at 46.
This shows up in the sales volume. Taking 57% of Rose’s volume increase of 749.8%, we get 427.4% — only 5% off the actual number. For Henderson, the 344.9% we get when taking his corresponding 46% of Rose’s total is a slightly large, but still an instructive difference of 13.7%.
Next, the downward price movement of average items sold relating to Mays compared to Henderson and Rose. This is explained rather simply. Mays items are generally far more expensive than the other two.
When flocking to eBay in the days after the announcement of a death, collectors aren’t looking to spend a fortune. It isn’t about securing a “grail” (which, depending on the price, might not be readily available), but is instead an instance in which one looks to buy a piece at any price point.
These are impulse purchases, not long-term investments of major capital — which makes sense considering it would not be logical to attempt to spend large quantities on a card or piece relating to an athlete during a period which is seeing a spike in overall interest.
As mentioned above, the availability of top-tier pieces is a major factor in dollars spent.
In the case of Henderson, whose 1980 Topps rookie card has only a couple dozen examples graded PSA 10, none of them have sold since his death. Considering the six-figure price tag and relative lack of buying opportunities (just eight sold in 2024), it’s unsurprising none have changed hands in the last week.
However, that card in a PSA 9 (population: 2,282), sold 17 times from Dec. 20 to Dec. 25. Those five days represent a 54.5% increase compared to the entirety of the month until that point, which only saw the card transact 11 times in that grade (despite nearly three times the days in the period).
Prices for the card also indicate popularity and demand. From Dec. 1-19, the average price per sale was $1,685.06. In the five days following his death, the average price jumped to $2,670.65, an increase of 58.5%.
Using CardLadder data, the index for Henderson writ large doesn’t seem to have budged nearly as much as the eBay numbers, showing a 7% rate of growth since the first of the month. However, it does show his sales volume from the day after his death was $54,000, more that 10 times the average sales volume for his index on a given day during the last year ($5,088.61).
Of course it’s easy to write off any measurement of sales as a cold-hearted approach to a deeply sad event, but, in truth, these figures represent much more than eBay transactions.
Considering the fact any “savvy” buyer knows it is foolish to attempt to buy anything relating to athletes during the period following their death with the intention of a quick flip for profit, it’s really a measure of pure admiration, fandom and a tribute to departed heroes.
Those purchasing PSA 9 Henderson rookie cards aren’t looking to take advantage of his death for the sake of monetary gain — if they are, they will be disappointed when they find prices fall back to Earth in a few weeks — rather, it’s a display of collectors, when confronted with the awful news, looking to find a way to connect with the “Man of Steal” in the only way they know how: collecting.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.