There have been 19 sales of LeBron James cards that topped the $1 million mark.
That is more than Michael Jordan (five), Babe Ruth (seven) and Wayne Gretzky (three) combined.
But with all of LeBron’s million-dollar sales occurring between 2020 and 2022, largely fueled by the pandemic boom, it had been more than two years since one of his cards reached seven digits.
The drought ended Saturday night, when a 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection RPA /23, graded BGS 8.5/10, sold for $1,220,000 at Goldin Auctions.
It’s no surprise the coveted rookie card was the one to lead the way for LeBron cards, as all but four of the million-dollar sales belong to the same limited-edition card (either the /99 or /23 version).
Still, the market for what is arguably LeBron’s top card had been suffering after hitting those pandemic highs.
After LeBron’s record sale came in the form of another BGS 8.5 copy for $2.46 million in October 2021 (albeit, it was the 23/99 “jersey number” card, which commands a premium), a like-graded example fetched $2.1 million in June 2022, and the same card that sold at Goldin Saturday traded hands for $885,000 less than six months later.
The decline continued into 2023 and 2024, with comparable examples selling for $720,000 in February 2023 and $468,000 in September 2023.
Most recently, a lower graded copy of the limited-edition card sold for just over $350,000 in June 2024.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.