Brady Auto, LeBron RPA Could Break Records: Auction Watch

This week’s Auction Watch is led by two potentially record-breaking auctions and a strong lineup of hockey offerings.

This weekend will finally see auctions end for the LeBron James 2003-2004 Exquisite RPA and Tom Brady Contenders Rookie auto — both are expected to top $2 million with Goldin Auctions.

Elsewhere, PWCC has a pair of Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky rookies ending over the next few days.

Here are some items ending soon that you should be watching for:

2003-04 UD Exquisite LeBron James RPA /99 BGS 9/10

Auction: Goldin Auctions

Current bid: $1,150,000.00

Ends: April 24

Notes: One of James’ most iconic and important rookie cards, this stunning Exquisite RPA could end up as one of the most expensive cards ever sold while likely topping $2 million this weekend. This offering, along with a Tom Brady Contenders Rookie auto, could result in a record-breaking weekend.

A beautiful three-color patch paired with blue ink, this example is graded a BGS 9/10 and is numbered to just 99.

2000 Playoff Contenders #144 Tom Brady Signed Championship Ticket Rookie Card /100

Auction: Goldin Auctions

Current bid: $900,0000

Ends: April 24

Notes: Along with the LeBron James Exquisite RPA, this Brady rookie could top $2 million Sunday night. Considered by many to be a Brady grail, this Contenders offering features a clean black autograph and is numbered to just 100 copies.

Graded a BGS 8.5/10, a similar card recently sold for $2.25 million through Lelands. It should be noted, though, that the Lelands offering featured a 9 autograph while this is a 10.

1961-1962 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain Rookie PSA 9

Auction: Goldin Auctions

Current bid: $350,000

Ends: April 24

Notes: Considered one of the most important basketball cards of all time, this Chamberlain PSA 9 has just three higher-graded examples out of 1,700 total. Part of the incredibly popular 1961-1962 Fleer set, this offering features a strong black-and-white image with a bright background.

The colors of this Chamberlain are especially bright compared to other highly-graded cards from this set.

1986 Topps Jerry Rice Rookie PSA 10

Auction: PWCC

Current bid: $70,245.00

Ends: April 23

Notes: This is your chance to grab a rookie of the NFL’s all-time greatest receiver in a PSA 10 example. Extremely tough to find in high-graded examples, this Topps set suffers from condition sensitive issues, resulting in just 58 total PSA 10s.

This offering has avoided issues like edge chipping and features bright colors, strong centering and a glossy surface.

2000 SP Authentic Tom Brady Rookie /1250 BGS 10

Auction: PWCC

Current bid: $125,100.00

Ends: April 24

Notes: Arguably the greatest football player of all time, Brady’s card prices have been skyrocketing in recent months. This card is one of Brady’s most popular rookies and is considered one of the most important modern cards.

One of just 13 total BGS 10 examples, this offering features a single 9.5 surface sub-grade. Bright blue and red colors highlight the card, which is numbered to just 1,250.

1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky Rookie PSA 9

Auction: PWCC

Current bid: $175,000.00

Ends: April 25

Notes: While this example is a PSA 9, the recent sale of a PSA 10 has helped push even cards below it way up in price. Arguably the greatest athlete of all time, Gretzky’s cards are likely still undervalued compared to similar greats like Tom Brady and Michael Jordan.

This offering is one of just 89 PSA 9 examples, but features particularly strong centering and a bright blue border.

1985 O-Pee-Chee Mario Lemieux Rookie PSA 10

Auction: PWCC

Current bid: $61,100.00

Ends: April 25

Notes: The most important hockey rookie outside of the Gretzky, this offering comes in an incredibly difficult PSA 10 example. Perfectly centered, this Lemieux rookie has avoided condition issues and other imperfections known to hurt the set.

According to PWCC, this PSA 10 example falls into the top 30% on its eye appeal spectrum, thanks to perfect centering, sharp corners and flawless borders.