Mike Trout rookie card becomes highest-selling sports card of all time
A one-of-a-kind Mike Trout baseball card set a record Saturday night as the highest-selling sports card of all time, selling for $3,936,000.
The 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor signed rookie card sold at Goldin Auctions online, eclipsing the previous record, which was set in 2016 in the sale of a 1909 Honus Wagner T-206 card for $3.12 million.
The Trout card is in mint condition, graded by Beckett Grading Service as a Mint 9 with a certified autograph issue logo on the card attesting to the authenticity of the signature.
"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," said Ken Goldin, founder of Goldin Auctions.
The market's continuing upward trend was evident when a Trout Red Refractor card -- one of five made -- graded as a BGS 9.5 Mint sold in May for $922,500. A LeBron James card was then sold on July 19 for $1.845 million, breaking the modern card record.
The auction for the record-breaking Trout card started in July with an opening bid of $1 million. In 2018, the card was put up for sale on eBay and sold for $400,000 from a seller based in Taiwan.
