High-Value Sales
We’ve mentioned some of the most popular athletes for sporting memorabilia, so how much do signed goods associated with them sell for at auction? Perhaps one of the most expensive cases in recent times is the Michael Jordan 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey, which sold for just over $10 million (£7.8 million) in 2022. The jersey was worn by Jordan during the famed “Last Dance” season for the Chicago Bulls, where he helped the Bulls achieve a 6th title in just 8 years.
Image Credit: ESPN
Image Credit: ESPN
There are numerous sports-based trading cards which have sold for huge sums of money over the years. In 2022, a trading card of baseball legend Mickey Mantle sold for $12.6 million (£9.8 million) at an auction in the USA, making it the most expensive sports-based trading card to date. This mint-edition, 1952 trading card by Topps was originally purchased for $50,000 (£39,000) back in 1991 by New Jersey waste management entrepreneur Anthony Giordano - quite the profit.
Fun Fact
A particularly high-valued piece of sports memorabilia with a strange backstory is the Diego Maradona “Hand of God” Argentina football jersey. The jersey, which sold for $9.28 million (£7.27 million) in a London-based auction house in 2022, was worn during Argentina’s 1986 World Cup quarter-final victory over England, where Maradona infamously scored past Peter Shilton by using his hand.
What makes this jersey more significant is that it was chosen by Maradona himself before the match; the previous cotton jerseys worn during the tournament were too heavy in the Mexican sun, so short-term replacements were needed. Two new kits were made, one of which was decided by Maradona who claimed “We’ll beat England in that one” - and he would prove to be right.
Image Credit: ESPN
