Original S(t)ix and a $200M Museum of Greatness

Yahoo

2 days ago

Collectors, next week the Mantel team heads to NYC for Fanatics Fest. Will you be there?
Consider yourselves all invited to our week of events with Bleecker Trading (just don't mention it to a very salty J.R. Fickle ). We'll be throwing trade nights, buying nights, hangouts with other collectors… as soon as the Fanatics show shuts down every night, we'll be heading over to Bleecker in the West Village to keep the party rolling.
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Not in NYC? Keep your eyes on these pages, and we'll bring the sites and sounds of Fanatics Fest right to you.
If you read the intro to this piece, you are well aware that Fanatics Fest returns June 20-22 to NYC's Javits Center. What you might not know is this year, Fanatics is adding a centerpiece that's bound to drop jaws: the 'Museum of Greatness,' a showcase of more than $200M in rare sports cards and memorabilia. The 10,500-square foot exhibit will include themed sections like Rising Stars and GOATs, and will feature grails like Shohei Ohtani's 2024 All-Star Game uniform, a LeBron James 2004-05 Topps Chrome Superfractor PSA 10, and a 1997 Fleer PMG Green Michael Jordan (estimated value: $8M). Also on display: the Victor Wembanyama Patch Logoman PSA 10 and more than 50 MLB Debut Patches, giving attendees a chance to see some of the greatest sports cards and collectibles in the world.
Sue Bird is stepping into the curator role with 'Sue Bird's Dream Draft,' an eBay auction spotlighting WNBA memorabilia from legends like Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslie to rising stars including Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The auction kicked off Tuesday and runs through June 17th, and includes autographed gear, rookie cards, and milestone artifacts, with some starting bids at only 97 cents, a nod to the W's 1997 launch. WNBA collectibles are surging, with eBay reporting a 650% surge in WNBA card sales since 2020, fueled by breakout stars like Clark. One of her rookie autos even cleared $366K back in March at Goldin, a record for women's sports cards.
Pharrell Williams' auction house Joopiter is entering the sports collectibles market with a heavyweight: a 1986-87 Fleer PSA 9/10 Auto Michael Jordan rookie card. One of only nine cards signed by Jordan in a private, apparently uncompensated session at his exclusive Florida golf club, this is the highest-graded autographed Fleer rookie to hit the market. The card carries a $2M starting bid and could break records when bidding opens June 17, a big get for Joopiter's first sports card auction.
A 43-inch wooden hockey stick, long forgotten in a Vermont umbrella stand, is now poised to fetch millions at Sotheby's. Dubbed the 'Morse Stick,' it was unknowingly preserved by a family for decades after being found in a closet in 1980. Believed to date back to the late 19th century, around the time of the first recognized ice hockey game, the stick bridges the evolution of shinny , ice polo , and modern hockey. Once appraised at $3.5M, it's considered one of the oldest known hockey sticks and a rare relic from the sport's formative years. This time, it's hitting the block with no reserve.
Roman Anthony's MLB debut has lit a fire under the card market, with his 1st Bowman autos, once selling for just $45, now commanding nearly $1K for PSA 10s. In just the last three months, those cards have doubled in value, and over the last year, they've exploded by nearly 1,900%. Anthony's call-up, coupled with Wilyer Abreu's injury and a viral grand slam clip , created the perfect storm for sellers looking to capitalize. As usual, collectors rushed to eBay to list, and the window to sell at peak hype may be closing fast… unless, of course, the Roman reign is just getting started.
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