Rare LeBron James card sells for record $1.8 million at auction
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James doesn’t even have to play to set new records. James did precisely that Saturday, as one of his rare cards sold for a record $1.8 million at an auction.
Exactly how rare was this card? Well, only 23 of them were made. The card was from James’ rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. James signed the card, which features a patch from one of his jerseys. The card received a 9.5 grade, meaning it was basically brand new.
Put all that together, and you have the ingredients for a modern day card record.
This LeBron James card just sold at @GoldinAuctions for $1.8 million, the record for a modern day card.
Winner is @LeoreAvidar, who says purchase is part of strategy to “bring something big to the collectibles and alternative asset business in the coming months.” pic.twitter.com/rN9lepvVpE— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 19, 2020
The previous record for most expensive modern day card belonged to Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout. In May, one of Trout’s cards sold for $923,000, a record at the time.
While James’ card beat that price by quite a bit, that was expected. The James card was expected to fetch over $1 million when it was put up for auction in June.
The 35-year-old James will look to continue setting records on the court when the NBA season resumes July 30. James and the top-seeded Lakers are considered one of the favorites to win it all in 2020.
More from Yahoo Sports: