One of only two 2003-04 Upper Deck exquisite LeBron James rookie patch autograph parallel cards graded 9.5 by Beckett recently sold for over $1.8 million. It makes it the most valuable basketball card ever sold and the priciest modern era trading card of any kind.
The card attracted 34 bids over the course of the 26-day sale conducted by Goldin Auctions. Founder Ken Goldin had predicted the LeBron card would bring a seven-figure price with the other graded gem mint in private hands.
Produced during Upper Deck’s time as a licensed NBA trading card maker, the Rookie Patch Autographs were typically numbered to 99 but the checklist also included a parallel set produced in quantities that matched the player’s jersey number: 23 in James’ case.
The winning bidder was Leore Avidar, the young CEO and Co-Founder of Lob.com, a San Francisco-based company which automates direct mail for businesses.
