Mike Trout rookie card tops Honus Wagner as highest-priced trading card ever
An autographed Mike Trout rookie card sold for $3.93 million on Saturday, making it the highest-price trading card in history.
The one-of-a-kind 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor card was sold by Goldin Auctions online. The purchaser’s identity was not publicized. The price tops the previous record of $3.12 million paid for a 1909 Honus Wagner T-206 card in 2016.
The card received a mint 9 rating by Beckett Grading, the third-highest grade a card can get. The autograph was graded a perfect 10 for an overall rating of 9.5.
@Topps 2009 Bowman Chrome Superfractor @MikeTrout graded @beckett_grading 9.5 sells for $3.93 million at goldin auctions “ goldin elite” tonight. Session 2 ends Sunday night at 10pm ...highest priced ever for ANY trading card.. pic.twitter.com/axV4sXjMcC
— Goldin Auctions (@GoldinAuctions) August 23, 2020
“This event was somewhat of a perfect storm as we had a remarkable collection of historic memorabilia supported by incredible marketing and publicity during a great market for sports collectibles,” Goldin Auction’s Ken Goldin wrote in a release.
Trout passes LeBron
The Trout sale arrives weeks after a rare autographed LeBron James rookie card sold for $1.8 million, setting what was then a record price for a modern-day card. The 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite card was one of 23 produced and received a near-perfect mint 9.5 rating.
The previous modern-day record was a 2009 Mike Trout Bowman Red Refractor card that sold for $922,500 in May. It was one of five made and graded at 9.5. A modern card is generally considered any card produced after 1980.
Mike Trout made his MLB debut in 2011 for the Los Angeles Angels and is widely considered the greatest player of his era. The outfielder has made nine All-Star teams, won seven Silver Sluggers and been named AL MVP three times in 10 seasons.
More from Yahoo Sports:
