Wilt Chamberlain rookie card that reportedly sat in closet for decades fetches record $1.7 million in auction
A Wilt Chamberlain rookie card sitting in a closet for over 60 years was sold at a private auction this week for a whopping $1.7 million. According to ESPN, the card now holds the record for the most valuable "vintage" basketball card, surpassing the $840,000 a Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rookie card sold for in 2021.
Fleer's 1961-62 Wilt Chamberlain rookie card is rare considering SGC Grading graded it as a perfect 10. It was the first card from the 1961-62 Fleer run to receive a 10 grade.
The run of cards, featuring other NBA stars such as Jerry West and Oscar Robertson, is infamous for being released with defects. Because of that, the perfect-condition Wilt Chamberlain card is considered even more valuable than the others.
Despite that, it's unclear how many 1961-62 Wilt Chamberlain cards exist.
According to ESPN, a card consigner tasked with selling the one-of-a-kind Fleer card was left stunned by the quality considering it had been sitting in a closet.
"As soon as I saw the card in person, I knew this would be life-changing. [I'm] still in a state of shock that I was the one who got to send for grading and put this monumental and historic card on the market with Goldin."
Looking at the most valuable basketball cards ever following record-setting vintage Wilt Chamberlain rookie card
As previously mentioned, the Wilt Chamberlain rookie card that sold for $1.7 million now holds the record as the most valuable vintage basketball card. Regarding basketball trading cards, those printed before 1980 are considered "vintage" with those that came after from the modern era.
While the Chamberlain card is the most valuable vintage card ever sold, several trading cards far surpass the card's value. According to HoopsHype, the most valuable card ever is an autographed Steph Curry rookie Panini National Treasures card, which included a piece of the future star's jersey.
Authenticated by the well-known company PSA, the card is valued at a whopping $5.9 million given it is the only one in existence. The card sits just ahead of a 2003-04 rookie LeBron James card printed by Beckett, which includes a piece of James' jersey and his autograph.
The card was graded as a nine, considered mint, with slight penalties on the grading due to imperfections in the corners. Despite that, the card, which sold in 2021, is valued at a whopping $5.2 million, making it the only other card valued at more than $5 million.
From there we see a slight dip, with an autographed jersey card from Luka Doncic's rookie year, valued at $4.6 million.