Sotheby’s Expands Sports Memorabilia and Trading Cards

Sotheby’s Finds a Bigger Role in Sports Collecting

Sotheby’s has long been associated with fine art names like Monet and Picasso, but the auction house has spent the past several years building a major presence in sports memorabilia and trading cards. Founded in London in 1744, Sotheby’s is the oldest company in its field internationally, and its move into sports has become one of its fastest growing categories.

The shift began as sports memorabilia and collectibles were reaching record levels in 2020, with collectors and investors chasing historical jerseys, record-setting baseballs and rare game-used items. Sotheby’s entered the space that year and quickly established itself as a serious player.

According to Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of modern collectibles, the category fits a changing collector base that is drawn to nostalgia, cultural relevance and long-term value. He said physical assets and reminders of the past are likely to become even more important over time.

Wachter said the audience for sports collectibles is different from Sotheby’s traditional clientele, but not in a way that conflicts with the auction house’s broader identity. He pointed to the overlap between collectors who may appreciate Old Master paintings or vintage artists and those who also want Michael Jordan memorabilia or sneakers tied to pop culture moments.

He also compared the growth of sports collectibles to the rise of comic books as a serious collecting category, noting that value continues to expand as more people enter the market with childhood connections to the athletes and moments represented by the items.

Michael Jordan Sneakers Marked Sotheby’s Entry

Sotheby’s first major sports memorabilia sale came in May 2020, when it auctioned a pair of the first Air Jordan sneakers worn by Michael Jordan during the 1985 season. The shoes sold for $560,000 and helped prove that the auction house could compete for top-tier sports items.

Since then, Sotheby’s has handled an estimated 6,000 sports memorabilia pieces in 2026 alone, a dramatic increase from its early days in the category. Wachter said the firm’s ability to source major items comes from long-term relationships and market knowledge, explaining that he often knows who owns significant pieces and who wants them, allowing Sotheby’s to structure deals around marquee offerings.

To sharpen its strategy, Sotheby’s consolidated its 2026 sports auction calendar into two large-scale events in July and December. Wachter said the goal is to create bigger moments that stand out in a crowded auction landscape rather than competing in a clutter of smaller simultaneous sales.

Sotheby’s still runs Sports Week auctions with NBA Auctions and continues to host special sales throughout the year, but the company has made clear that it wants its biggest sports events to carry more weight and visibility.

Basketball Remains the Core Category

Basketball remains Sotheby’s strongest sports category. Wachter said the house has built its name around basketball memorabilia and holds nearly every record in the space for items such as shoes, jerseys and warmup tops.

The company’s basketball focus has been reinforced by its role as the official game-worn partner with the NBA. That relationship has helped Sotheby’s secure a steady stream of high-end material, especially from modern stars and championship-level events.

One of the most notable recent examples was The Scottie Pippen Collection, a 71-item lot that brought in $6.2 million in early March 2026. Sotheby’s is also currently hosting a 2026 NBA Finals Auction that opened June 30 and features game-used jerseys from most of the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs players who appeared in the Finals.

Among the leading items in that auction are a game-worn jersey from Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, which had a current bid of $380,000, an OG Anunoby Knicks jersey at $100,000 and a Victor Wembanyama Spurs jersey at $75,000.

Baseball, F1 and Football Are Growing Priorities

While basketball remains the centerpiece, Sotheby’s is broadening its focus. Wachter said the house is increasingly interested in baseball, Formula 1 and football, with baseball and F1 standing out as major opportunities for future growth.

He said basketball fits naturally within Sotheby’s ecosystem because of its connection to sneaker culture and fashion, but baseball also carries deep historical significance and strong collector interest. That combination, he said, makes baseball a category Sotheby’s plans to emphasize more heavily going forward.

Formula 1 is another area Sotheby’s sees as promising because the market is still developing and does not yet have the same level of competition as some other sports categories. Football remains important as well, giving Sotheby’s a broader sports footprint as it continues to expand.

Record-Setting Memorabilia Sales

Wachter has already handled some of the most famous sports memorabilia items ever sold through Sotheby’s. His favorite is the shirt Diego Maradona wore during Argentina’s 1986 World Cup match in which he scored the “Hand of God” goal. The shirt sold for $9.28 million in May 2022 and remains one of the most significant sports memorabilia sales in auction history.

Wachter said the appeal of the Maradona shirt lies in both the story behind it and the sequence of events tied to it. The shirt was assembled quickly before the match because the original shirts were not working, and it became the garment associated with both the controversial handball goal and Maradona’s “Goal of the Century,” which came four minutes later.

Another landmark item for Sotheby’s was Kobe Bryant’s home locker at the Staples Center. Estimated to sell for $1 million to $1.5 million, the locker ultimately brought $2.88 million in August 2024. Wachter said the item was remarkable because it represented something Bryant used for most of his career, rather than a single game or short moment.

He noted that Sotheby’s typically sells items used by athletes for brief periods, making the Bryant locker especially unusual because it was part of the player’s daily routine and career-long environment.

Sotheby’s Moves Into Trading Cards With Fanatics

After building momentum in memorabilia, Sotheby’s expanded into the trading card market through a partnership with Fanatics. In September 2024, the companies staged a “Holy Grails” auction that featured some of the hobby’s most notable cards.

The 33-card lot generated more than $7 million in sales, with bidders from 20 countries participating in the live event. The auction demonstrated that Sotheby’s could attract serious attention in the card market even in a highly competitive environment.

Among the top results were a 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente PSA 9 at $840,000, a 2005-06 Upper Deck Michael Jordan and Julius Erving Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs 1/1 BGS 8.5/10 at $780,000, a 2005-06 Upper Deck LeBron James Exquisite Collection 1/1 Autograph Patch BGS 8.5/10 at $576,000, a 2015 Panini Immaculate Collection Tom Brady Premium Patches Game Used NFL Shield Patch Autograph 1/1 PSA Authentic 10 Autograph at $480,000, a 2018 Topps Chrome Sapphire Shohei Ohtani Superfractor 1/1 BGS 9.5/10 at $336,000 and a 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson PSA 8 at $312,000.

Sotheby’s has not staged another large-scale trading card event since that sale, but Wachter said cards remain on the company’s radar. He pointed out that the trading card market has seen massive growth, but it is also crowded, which has led Sotheby’s to focus more heavily on memorabilia for now.

Sports Collectibles Continue to Grow at Sotheby’s

For Sotheby’s, sports has become more than an experiment. It is now a meaningful part of the company’s luxury business, with basketball leading the way and other categories gaining traction.

Wachter said the appeal of sports is enormous and pointed to the value of modern franchises as evidence of how large the market has become. Sotheby’s believes sports memorabilia and trading cards can continue to grow alongside the broader collectibles market, especially as new generations of buyers enter the space with strong emotional connections to the athletes and teams they followed growing up.

With major auctions planned, a growing list of high-profile consignments and a broader focus on basketball, baseball, F1 and football, Sotheby’s is positioning sports as a category with room to keep expanding.

Source: Original source (sportscollectorsdigest.com)