Sotheby’s, the auctioneer of ludicrously expensive objects and art, is partnering up with Fanatics, an online sports apparel retailer, for a one-of-a-kind auction. The highest bidders will walk away with 40 of some of the most important, and most wildly expensive, sports cards and existence. They’re calling it the Holy Grails trading card auction, a fitting name given some of the incredibly rare cards involved.
The live auction is scheduled for September 23 and 24 in New York, or you can bid online. Up for grabs is a 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson card, estimated to be worth somewhere between $275,000 and $350,000. There is the 2005-06 card autographed by both Michael Jordan and Julius Erving that is currently valued at over $1 million. There is a 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente rookie card, worth somewhere between $800,000 and $1 million. A 2000 Playoff Contenders Tom Brady rookie card is considered one of if not the most important football cards of all time: It’s estimated to sell for somewhere between $100,000 and $130,000.
And that’s before you get to the Pokémon. The auction also includes a Japanese Alpha Prototype card dating back to 1995, which was developed to show the idea of Pokémon to company executives. They’re calling it “arguably the rarest, most historically important Pikachu card on the planet.” There’s a pristine 1st Edition Base Set Charizard Holo card. And there’s a base set of 1999 Disco Holo Square Cut Test Prints. Each of those is estimated to go for up to $500,000.
The auction ties into a new platform called Fanatics Collect, essentially eBay for rare and ultra-expensive sports collectibles. Like eBay, it will have fixed-price sales and auction formats. For the auction part of it, they’re bringing in the world-renowned Sotheby’s to ensure things go smoothly.
All of the cards mentioned have been properly sealed within protective casings and have been graded by experts. Considering how much these things go for, you might want to look through the sports card collection you’ve got sitting in your parents’ attic just in case you have any of these small fortunes lying around.
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The post The Earliest Known Pikachu Card Is at Sotheby’s ‘Holy Grail’ Auction appeared first on VICE.
