5. 1980 Topps Bird / Magic / Erving Scoring Leaders PSA 10
Price: $492,000 (5/16/24)
An all-time iconic rookie slides into the number five spot of 2024's most expensive basketball card sales, but what makes this one so great? Well, for starters, it's graded a PSA 10. To date, just 23 examples have earned a PSA 10 designation of the 15,000+ graded by PSA (0.15% gem rate).
In addition to being one of just 23 PSA 10 examples, this copy has also been designated by PWCC (now Fanatics Collect) as displaying Top 30% Above Average eye appeal. This would place the card in the top 7 ever graded by PSA. At the highest levels of vintage, even the slightest variance in condition can cause a card to sell for exponentially more or less, even at the same grade. This marked the first sale of a PSA 10 Magic / Bird rookie in 2023 and just the fourth in the past two years.
4. 2023 Panini Prizm Victor Wembanyama Black Shimmer 1/1 PSA 9
Price: $516,000 (4/18/24)
The number four card sale on the list is occupied by one of the most anticipated card releases of the year, 2023 Prizm. This is in-large due to the once-in-a-generation prospect, Victor Wembanyama. His impressive play on the court has lead collectors to spend more on his cards than any other under-25 athlete in the first half of 2024.
Another factor that likely played a role in the astronomical final price is the scarcity of high-end Wemby rookies. As detailed in our article for Wembanyama's Best Rookies, the typical arsenal of high-end rookies isn't available for the French phenom. To date, this is his best rookie card to sell and there are only a handful in existence that are more coveted.
3. 2002 Upper Deck NBA Logomania Kobe Bryant 1/1 Logoman BGS 9/Auto 10
Price: $549,000 (1/28/24)
A Black Mamba card makes an appearance at number three and it is a special one. Upper Deck, for the first time in hobby history, introduced NBA Logoman autograph cards as inserts in their 2002 product. Kobe has three different 1/1 NBA Logoman autograph cards in this set, but the above example (#KB-NBA or "Headband Kobe") has consistently sold for a premium over the other one of the three to sell publicly (#KB3-NBA last sold for $182,940 on 9/23/23).
This card also rarely surfaces. In the last 5 years, the 2002 UD Headband Kobe Logoman auto has sold just twice. The #KB3-NBA Kobe Logoman from 2002 UD has also sold just twice in that span.
2. 1984 Star Michael Jordan #101 PSA 9
Price: $925,000 (5/20/24)
The first Jordan card on this list takes the title of the second highest basketball card sale of 2024, and it’s a card many collectors are familiar with. For quite some time, there has been a contingent of collectors who believe Michael Jordan’s 1984 Star cards are his true rookies (namely #101), as it predates his iconic Fleer rookie by two years. Meanwhile, another group of passionate collectors believe it isn’t his true rookie since the cards weren’t pack-issued (1984 Star cards were given out at arenas via team bags).
While a consensus within the community remains elusive and may never be achieved, there is a significant demand for card #101 in high grades that far exceeds the available supply. For instance, the total number of graded copies of the Star #101 (315) is lower than the population of just the PSA 10 population for his Fleer rookie card (325). The PSA 9, pictured above, has a PSA population of just three with none higher. This was also the first of the three 9s to sell.
Note: PSA began grading 1984 Star cards in 2022 after not grading them for decades due to counterfeit issues
1. 2003 UD Ultimate Collection Michael Jordan 1/1 Logoman PSA AUTH/Auto 10
Price: $2,928,000 (6/1/24)
It’s only fitting that a card featuring the GOAT would be the top basketball sale of 2024, but it’s more than that. The card pictured above is the most expensive Michael Jordan card to EVER sell. This sale can likely be attributed to the unique qualities this card possesses.
The most compelling reason for the sale may be the fact that this is Jordan’s first Logoman autograph donning his iconic Chicago Bulls threads. While Jordan does have two Logoman autograph cards that were produced a year earlier in the 2002 UD NBA Logomania insert set mentioned above, he is pictured in his less-iconic Wizards uniform.
In addition, this is just one of seven single Michael Jordan Logoman autographs in existence and one of just five in his Bulls uniform. This marked the first public sale of the card and was one of the most anticipated by collectors in the history of the hobby.
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