Jordan-Bryant Dual Logoman Card Sells for Record $12.932 Million
A one-of-a-kind trading card bearing the autographs of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant sold for $12.932 million on Saturday night, setting a new high mark for any sports card.
The 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs Jordan & Bryant card, numbered 1/1, was auctioned by Heritage Auctions. Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary, high-end collector Matt Allen (known online as Shyne150) and entrepreneur Paul Warshaw joined forces to buy the card, according to the auction house.
The final price eclipsed the previous record of $12.6 million paid for a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle in August 2022. Among all sports memorabilia, only Babe Ruth’s 1932 World Series “called shot” jersey, which reached $24.12 million last year, has sold for more.
Why This Card Stands Out
Though graded a 6 by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), the value was driven by its singular status and dual signatures. “It’s always been looked at by modern basketball collectors as a holy grail,” said Chris Ivy, Heritage’s director of sports auctions.
Ivy recalled Upper Deck’s launch of the Exquisite line, priced at $500 per five-card box for the 2003-04 release, adding that the set “paved the way” for modern premium products such as Panini National Treasures and Flawless, now selling for more than $3,000 a box.
Path to Auction
The seller had owned the card for more than a decade and turned down offers in the high seven figures before consigning it to Heritage in February. The house set a pre-auction estimate of “$6 million-plus,” expecting strong competition once bidding opened.
Authentication Matters
In the wake of allegations that dealer Brett Lemieux introduced counterfeit Bryant items to the market after the star’s 2020 death, Ivy emphasized that authenticators consider the Jordan-Bryant card “ironclad.” Upper Deck held direct autograph contracts with both players—Jordan for decades and Bryant until 2009—and PSA certified the piece.
Recent High-End Kobe Activity
Interest in Bryant memorabilia remains high. Earlier this month, Allen disclosed private purchases of two Bryant 1/1 Panini Flawless Logoman cards for a combined $4 million—$1.7 million for the 2017-18 version and $2.3 million for the 2015-16 edition—figures that stood as records for Bryant cards until Saturday’s sale. Bryant would have turned 47 on Saturday.
Source: ESPN
