The dominant force for high-dollar card sales in September was driven by the inaugural “Holy Grails” auction held by Sotheby’s and Fanatics, which claimed eight of the top ten spots on the list. This is in stark contrast to August, when we saw Heritage, Goldin, REA and Alt all make appearances.
Last month, eight of the ten cards were in PSA slabs, whereas in September, it was spread out among PSA (4), BGS (4), SGC (1) and CGC (1).
Basketball accounted for five of the ten spots, with LeBron James featured on three cards — the most of any athlete (and the only to appear more than once). Next was baseball with three, followed by football and TCG, which each nabbed a single spot.
The big theme from this month’s top ten was the dominance of one-of-one cards, which made up six of the ten.
1. 1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain SGC 10
Price: $1,700,000.00
Auction: Private sale
The top sale of the month comes with the record for any vintage basketball card ever sold. An SGC 10 copy of Wilt Chamberlain’s rookie card sold for $1.7 million this month in a private sale after sitting in a closet for 60 years.
2. 2004 Upper Deck LeBron James Ultimate Collection Signed "Logoman" 1/1 PSA Authentic/Auto 10
Price: $854,000
Auction: Goldin
This 1/1 autographed LeBron James “Logoman” card from 2004-05 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Signatures Logos sold for $854,000 at Goldin over the weekend, leading the way in the auction house’s latest September Elite auction. The same card previously sold for $1.29 million at Goldin in May 2021.
3. 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente PSA 9
Price: $840,000
Auction: Sotheby’s
The most significant (and most expensive) card sold during the inaugural “Holy Grails” auction held by Sotheby’s and Fanatics, this card fell short of the record high of $1.1 million set in 2021 (a record for any Clemente card), but was up from the most recent PSA 9 sale ($729,000).
Rob Gough, an actor and avid collector who famously paid $5.2 million for a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 9 in 2021, was the buyer.
"I've always admired Roberto Clemente, not only for his legendary achievements on the field but for the profound impact he made off of it," Gough told cllct last week. "As a Puerto Rican resident, owning his 1955 rookie card feels especially meaningful — a piece of history that symbolizes both the pride of Puerto Rico and Clemente's enduring legacy. It’s an honor to add this card to my collection, knowing it represents one of the greatest figures in baseball and a true humanitarian."
Price: $780,000
Auction: Sotheby’s
This 1/1 card featuring the two NBA legends was only graded in June 2021 and has no previous public sales history.
5. 2005 Upper Deck LeBron James Exquisite Collection 1/1 BGS 8.5/Auto 10
Price: $576,000
Auction: Sotheby’s
Another high-end non-rookie James card, this 1/1 patch auto surpassed the previous record high for a James card from 2005, which was held by the $336,000 paid for his Topps Finest Superfractor 1/1.
6. 2015 Panini Immaculate Collection Tom Brady NFL Shield Patch 1/1 PSA Authentic/Auto 10
Price: $480,000
Auction: Sotheby’s
With a game-worn NFL Shield, this 1/1 Brady produced in 2015 set an all-time record for any non-rookie Brady card.
7. 2003 Upper Deck LeBron James Exquisite Collection RPA BGS 8/Auto 10
Price: $432,000
Auction: Sotheby’s
One of the best and most iconic James rookie cards, his RPA /99 sold for $432,000 — a large leap from the most recent sale of a BGS 9 for under $300,000 in August. Rapper Meek Mill was the under bidder on the card.
T8. 2022 Bowman Chrome Elly De La Cruz Superfractor 1/1 PSA 10/Auto 10
Price: $360,000
Auction: Sotheby’s
This sale became the highest price ever paid for an Elly De La Cruz card at $360,000, crushing the previous record of $116,534 paid for his 2024 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs Superfractor 1/1 earlier this month at Goldin.
T8. 1998 Pokémon Illustrator Pikachu CoroCoro Comics Pikachu Akabane Autograph CGC 9
Price: $360,000
Auction: Sotheby’s
Though still fetching $360,000, this Illustrator, signed by Takumi Akabane, one of the early architects of the franchise, fell far below the low estimate of $550,000.
10. 2018 Topps Chrome Sapphire Shohei Ohtani Superfractor 1/1 Rookie Autograph BGS 9.5/Auto 10
Price: $336,000
Auction: Sotheby’s
It would be a shock if Ohtani’s name wasn’t somewhere on this list. The all-time record sale for any Ohtani card was set at the “Holy Grails” auction with $336,000 paid for his rookie Superfractor, which last sold publicly for $62,730 in 2021.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.