Alexandria Wyckoff
Sports cards are back in the spotlight as a coveted LeBron James rookie card sold for a record price on Sunday through Goldin Auctions.
The card was in a lot shared with several other prized collectibles, including a Shohei Ohtani rookie card.
LeBron James Rookie Card
The LeBron James rookie card was a 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection rookie patch autographed card numbered 9 of 23 produced. The card sold for $2.928 million at Goldin Auctions.
This is the newest record for a LeBron James card sold at a public auction. This particular card is graded GEM MINT 9.5 by BGS and has a 10 autograph grade.
James’ patch-autographed cards from the 2003-04 Exquisite Collection are among his most coveted rookie cards.
According to The Athletic, this marks nearly two dozen sports card sales passing the $1 million or more threshold in the first six months of 2026. In comparison, there were 29 total in 2025.
Other Valuable LeBron Cards
The LeBron James rookie card is the most expensive James rookie card sold at a public auction.
However, the private auction still holds the higher number, with another rookie patch-autographed James card sold for $5.2 million in 2021. It still holds the record for the highest price paid for a LeBron James card.
As for the record for the most expensive card ever, that title is held by an Upper Deck Exquisite Collection trading card featuring Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, sold in 2025.
LeBron James’ Impact
LeBron James is a huge part of the NBA and basketball history as a whole. The athlete has won four titles, four MVPs, and numerous other accomplishments. James continues to add to his all-time scoring record, as he considers another season in 2026-27.
His rookie cards and other sports memorabilia are sure to continue increasing with time, especially when the NBA giant decides to retire from basketball.
Shohei Ohtani Card
The LeBron James rookie card wasn’t the only eye-catcher at Goldin Auctions on Sunday. Shohei Ohtani‘s 2018 Topps Chrome #150 SuperFractor card sold for $2.56 million.
The card is a one-of-a-kind parallel to his top rookie cards. The most shocking part is that this same card last sold in 2022 for $139,200. Along with a steep value increase, this newest sale is the second-highest publicly known sale of an Ohtani trading card.
His highest known sale is the one-of-one 2025 Topps Chrome Gold MLB Logoman patch autographed card, which sold for $3 million in December 2025.
The patch featured on the card is from a jersey Ohtani wore in a game commemorating his 2024 MVP season.