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“I think people will still want to collect Jordan cards 100 years from now,” said Ryan Hoge, the president of the authentication and grading company, PSA, back in 2024. Collecting trading cards has long been a hobby of NBA enthusiasts. A little trade secret: The older the cards, the more value they possess. Hence, the reason why some exclusive cards are being sold for millions! While the modern players have huge fan bases ready to spend insane amounts of money to get memorabilia of their players, the souvenir market is still ruled by the yesteryear stars.

According to CBS News, a Rare Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant card is set to go up for bidding at Heritage’s Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction. The event is set to take place from August 23rd to 24th. It will feature an array of iconic collectible offerings across various sports. The card might just end up being the highlight of the night, as it is reportedly set to fetch a whopping $6 million at the auction!

What makes this item so special? Well, it is the only known Michael Jordan-Kobe Bryant dual autograph card of the Upper Deck Exquisite line. Along with the autographs of both NBA legends, the card also features two NBA logos made from jersey patches. One patch is in the traditional red, white, and blue colorway, and the other is in the gold style worn by players during the league’s 50th anniversary season back in 1996-97. According to Heritage Consignment Director Jason Simonds, it is “the masterpiece of all UD Exquisite” cards, and “arguably the single best modern card ever made.”

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The card made its public debut at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago. The official website of Heritage Auctions has listed the starting bid at $2.9 million! With the Buyer’s Premium (BP), the recipient is already set to spend $3.538 million. If it ends up being sold for $6 million or more, then it will surpass the value of the 2009-10 National Treasures Stephen Curry Rookie Logoman Autograph card and become the most expensive basketball trading card ever sold. The card bearing the Warriors star’s name was sold to Alt Fund II back in July 2021, for an eye-watering $5.9 million! It surpassed the $5.2 million that was earlier paid for a BGS 9 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Rookie Parallel LeBron James card in April of that same year.

This is further evidence of the fact that ‘old star’ collectibles continue to hold great value in the memorabilia market.

Which are the most expensive Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant trading cards?

The most expensive basketball trading card ever sold, featuring Michael Jordan, is the 2003 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Michael Jordan Signed Logoman. The sale was made back in June 2024 at the Goldin 100 Auction, and over 38 bids were made on the card, with negotiations going on past the set deadline of 10 p.m. In the end, the winning bid was $2.4 million. It was bumped up to $2.9 million due to Goldin’s 22% buyer’s premium.

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The card, which was given the highest rating of 10 by Professional Sports Authenticators (PSA), the highest grade a card can receive, features the NBA logo man patch from an unspecified Jordan jersey. According to Goldin, it was Jordan’s first signed logo man patch card in a Bulls uniform. It also contained the player’s autograph in blue ink. As of this moment, it is also the 5th most expensive basketball trading card ever sold.

What’s your perspective on:

Is the $6 million price tag for a Jordan-Kobe card justified, or just hype?

Have an interesting take?

Before that, the most expensive Jordan card sold was the 1997-98 Upper Deck Michael Jordan Game Jerseys Autograph. It was released during the height of Jordan’s career. The card contains an authentic game-used jersey swatch, along with the Bulls legend’s own autograph. As of this moment, it is also the 6th most expensive basketball trading card ever sold, at the price tag of $2.7 million.

As for Kobe Bryant, the most expensive trading card bearing his name is the 1997 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems – Green. A private sale for the card was brokered through the PWCC Marketplace back in February 2022, and it was sold for $2 million. The card carried a serial number of 004/100, meaning that there are 100 versions of the card, including that one. However, Copies 11-100 are all red, making the value of the emerald ones all the higher. It currently ranks as the 10th most expensive basketball trading card sold. Before this, a 1996-97 Topps Chrome Kobe Bryant Refractor rookie card, graded BGS 10 (black label), netted $1.795 million at an auction. Back then, it was one of only two ever-rated cards, at that level, by Beckett.

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The appeal for these trading cards grows more and more with each passing day. With the Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant dual-autograph card now the next item to watch, it will be exciting to see how it fares in the market.

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  Debate

Is the $6 million price tag for a Jordan-Kobe card justified, or just hype?

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