With so many rips and hits immediately posted to social media in the ultra-modern era of collecting, many of the hobby’s most important cards are often accounted for quickly.
But as collectors chase iconic cards — including the Paul Skenes Rookie Debut Patch, the Topps NOW Shohei Ohtani Gold 1/1 and Steph Curry-Lionel Messi Dual Autograph 1/1 — there are a number that have never appeared publicly.
Whether they are trapped inside a sealed box or were thrown away with an old collection, iconic cards for stars ranging from Curry and LeBron James to Tom Brady and Kylian Mbappe have yet to be found.
Here’s a look at some of the most important cards that have never surfaced.
2009 Topps Chrome Steph Curry Superfractor 1/1
Of the cards that have yet to surface, Steph Curry’s most important rookie card is arguably the most famous and recognizable — despite the fact that there isn’t even an official image of it.
Few cards are more important to the hobby than the Superfractor 1/1, and Curry’s has yet to be claimed.
It’s certainly possible the card was pulled and was simply never posted to social media, though the card never being graded or hitting the auction block leads many to believe it’s still trapped in a sealed box.
To date, the record for any public Curry sale is the $1.08 million paid for a 2009-10 Panini National Treasures RPA /5 at Goldin in 2022, and the Superfractor 1/1 would surely top that, with collectors estimating it could fetch $5 million or more in a high grade.
2023-24 Upper Deck Connor Bedard Young Guns Gold Outburst 1/1
It’s hard to know what a true 1/1 will sell for, but a bounty set by Dave and Adam’s Card World ensures Connor Bedard’s Young Guns Gold Outburst 1/1 would fetch at least $1 million.
Considered the best prospect since Connor McDavid, Bedard lived up to his expectations as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft while winning the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2024. The chase for Bedard also resulted in a number of collectors opening hockey products for the very first time.
According to data tool Market Movers, the average sale for Bedard’s 2023 Upper Deck Young Guns Base PSA 10 over the last year was about $1,100, with a high of $4,000.
2023 Bowman Draft Tom Brady Gold 12/50
Of all the Tom Brady cards to chase, one of his most coveted is actually from a baseball card set.
Featuring Brady in an Expos uniform — Montreal actually drafted Brady in the 18th round in 1995 — Brady’s 1st Bowman cards from 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball have been among the top chases in 2024.
While Brady signed dozens of cards for the product, a number of cards featuring autograph inscriptions immediately became the top chases. Of those, none have been as coveted as the Gold Refractor numbered 12/50 with “If baseball doesn’t work out there’s always football” alongside Brady’s autograph.
The Superfractor 1/1 variation, which doesn’t include an inscription, sold for $158,600 at Goldin in January.
2018 Panini Prizm Luka Dončić Black 1/1
Panini has created dozens of popular parallels over the last 15 years, but none have been more coveted than the Black 1/1. Pair that with arguably the most important basketball player of the ultra-modern era in Luka Dončić, and you have one of the most important cards of a generation.
The Black 1/1, of course, has never surfaced publicly.
The highest recorded price for a Dončić card is the $4.6 million paid for the 2018-19 National Treasures Logoman 1/1 in a private sale in 2021, and the Black 1/1 is possibly the only Dončić card capable of topping that price.
The chase for Dončić’s Black 1/1 has become so intense that hobby boxes currently sell for more than $3,500 while a sealed case recently sold for $60,000.
2017 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Kylian Mbappe Superfractor 1/1
As the sports card hobby exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, so did the overall interest in soccer cards.
At the center of that surge was Kylian Mbappe.
Already considered one of the best players in the world, Mbappe had already won a World Cup in 2018 and appeared poised to become soccer’s next hobby sensation alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
A number of top Mbappe cards have already sold to date, but the 2017 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Superfractor 1/1 remains hidden.
Though the market for soccer — and Mbappe specifically — has cooled in recent years, it’s fair to believe the Superfractor could be among the best soccer cards ever.
To date, the highest public sale for an Mbappe card is the $161,130 paid for his 2018 Panini Prizm World Cup Gold /10 BGS 8.5 at Goldin in 2021.
2024 Olympic Games Topps NOW Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant Gold Autograph 1/1
Considered one of the most important cards to release in 2024, the Topps NOW Gold 1/1 featuring autographs from LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant has yet to be found despite a passionate chase from the hobby.
Included in one random order for the base card — collectors purchased nearly 590,000 — the card could fetch six figures based solely on a number of high-dollar bounties from high-profile collectors and influencers.
Despite a well-documented chase from collectors, the card has yet to surface, with some believing the triple autograph is trapped inside a sealed pack being flipped on the secondary market.
Not only is the card James’ first Topps autograph, it’s the only card to date to feature signatures from James and Curry together.
2003 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection LeBron James Logoman Autograph 1/1
Decades after its release, the best LeBron James rookie card in existence has yet to surface.
Considered one of the best sets of all time, 2003’s Upper Deck Ultimate Collection featured two James Logoman 1/1 autographs with one horizontal variation and one vertical variation.
The horizontal variation sold $312,000 at Goldin in 2016, but the vertical variation — vertical RPAs are much more sought after than horizontal cards — is still out there.
A 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection LeBron James Gold RPA /23 sold for $5.2 million at PWCC in 2021, and many believe the vertical Logoman 1/1 is a far superior card.
Though the hobby’s secondary market has fallen substantially since that sale, many collectors believe the Logoman 1/1 will top that $5.2 million sale if it ever reaches auction.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.