Kobe Bryant rookie card sold for nearly $1.8 million at auction

The "1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractors #138 Kobe Bryant Rookie Card -- BGS PRISTINE/Black Label 10" is just one of two in the world "at its level of perfection," according to Goldin Auctions

Per ESPN, A Kobe Bryant rookie card sold for $1.795 million late Saturday on Goldin Auctions, an online auction house and repository for sports memorabilia, making it one of the most expensive basketball cards ever sold.

The “1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractors #138 Kobe Bryant Rookie Card — BGS PRISTINE/Black Label 10” is just one of two in the world “at its level of perfection,” according to Goldin Auctions.

Final Sale Price: $1,795,800

An all-time record for any Kobe Bryant card. pic.twitter.com/dTStDwavHx

— Goldin Auctions (@GoldinAuctions) March 7, 2021

The card’s condition report had perfect 10s across the board, qualifying it for the prestigious “black label” recognition.