5. 2004 UD Ultimate Collection LeBron James 1/1 Logoman PSA AUTH / Auto 10
Price: $854,000 (9/28/24)
This 2004 Ultimate Collection LeBron is the first of a few logoman autograph cards to appear in the top five basketball card sales of 2024, but it doesn’t make it any less special. LeBron only has two rookie logoman autograph cards (both from Ultimate Collection as well), so for some collectors, this coveted game used logoman auto from the subsequent year is the next best thing.
This exact card has sold once previously for a higher price back in 2021 ($1.29 million to be exact). While $854,000 isn’t exactly a bargain, it represents the opportunity to buy a highly coveted LeBron logoman autograph for nearly a third less. In addition, LeBron hasn’t signed a logoman autograph card since 2009, making these early examples much more important to the highest-spending LeBron collectors.
4. 1984 Star Michael Jordan #101 PSA 9
Price: $925,000 (5/20/24)
The first Jordan card on this list takes the title as the fourth-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
3. 2003 UD Ultimate Collection Kobe Bryant 1/1 Logoman PSA 9 / Auto 9
Price: $1,584,643 (8/18/24)
The number three card sale on the list is occupied by perhaps the second most collected player in all of basketball cards and cards of this caliber do not come up often, if ever. While this is not Kobe’s first logoman autograph card (the two cards from 2002 UD Logomania hold that claim to fame), this is his first logoman autograph card from a premium set. It's hard to deny the card's beauty with text accented in holofoil, a bold hand-numbered "1/1" serial, and some Laker's Gold peeking through the patch window.
In addition, this is Kobe’s only logoman autograph card from 2003 and it is the first time the card has sold publicly. The Jordan sale detailed below may have played a role in this one’s sky-high finish, but regardless, this Ultimate Collection logoman auto is on the shortlist of Kobe’s best non-rookie cards to own.
2. 1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain #8 SGC 10
Price: $1,700,000 (9/4/24)
An all-time classic vintage basketball card in nearly impeccable condition slots in as the second highest basketball card sale of 2024. Wilt’s 1961 Fleer base rookie is a card often plagued by a litany of issues (centering, print, registration, and corner wear to name a few), so coming across the card in this type of condition is the basketball card equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack.
This card was graded in August and stands as the first gem mint example of Wilt’s rookie card to receive an SGC grade. Less than a month later, the seller made the difficult decision to part with it but was rewarded with a seven-figure payday. With only three PSA 10 examples of Wilt’s rookie card in existence, this SGC gem mint example ranks among the rarest and most coveted vintage basketball holy grails.
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.