THE SALE

The record sale of a 2003-04 LeBron James Upper Deck Exquisite Rookie Patch AU rocked the headlines

- MIKE PAYNE

ULTIMATELY, THE 2003-04 LEBRON JAMES EXQUISITE ROOKIE PATCH AUTOGRAPH PARALLEL SOLD FOR A LITTLE MORE THAN KEN GOLDIN WAS HOPING FOR.

Did it ever.

The card, with a BGS 9.5 Gem Mint grade and featuring an autograph and piece of a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey, sold for a world-record $1.84 million in Goldin Auctions’ Summer Premium Auction that closed Saturday July 18. It was the most ever paid for a modern sports trading card.

“It surpassed my expectations,” Goldin, founder of Goldin Auctions, told Beckett Media. “My goal was to top the red Mike Trout.”

The 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Red Refractor Autograph Goldin references sold for $922,500 in May – also by Goldin Auctions. For two months it had the distinction of holding the record for the most paid for a modern card. It didn’t take long for that record to fall. But a sale inching toward $2 million? “It was the right time and right player,” Goldin says, noting a trend upward for high-end modern day cards. “It’s also a testament to the strength of [our] business and to our marketing efforts.”