Following the international success of the Netflix special "King of Collectibles – The Goldin Touch", the New Jersey-based auction house Goldin recently opened bidding for their greatest auction ever, packed with high-end memorabilia.
"One event. Two parts. Unbelievable items." That's how Goldin themselves market the June 10 auction entitled Goldin 100. An incredibly impressive auction featuring one hundred various high-end memorabilia items, the sale covers everything from game- and film-worn costumes to sports cards, comic books, and various historical memorabilia such as a Nobel Prize medal.
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The founder and Executive Chairman of Goldin, Mr. Ken Goldin reflects fondly about the auction, "This is the most significant Elite auction in Goldin history, showcasing the rarest and most valuable collectibles valued at $100k and above. We call this our 'Goldin 100' because it includes 100 of the most desirable comic books, trading cards, and memorabilia from sports, film, pop culture, and more." The bidding, which has already begun, "has been spirited, to say the least," according to Ken Goldin.
There are four impressive comic books featured in the auction, most notably Action Comics #1 from 1938, and Superman #1 from 1939. Goldin's Dave Amerman, a legend within the hobby, says that the latter has "received the highest grade of any Superman 1 comic book." It's the first comic dedicated to Superman, which shares his origin story, and is widely considered a top-five book in the hobby. Bidding is already at seven figures, but let's see how high the price will be. To date, only 15 comic books have ever been sold for $1 million or above. Six of them sold for $2 million or above, but only one bears the all-time record at $3.6 million – the Amazing Fantasy #15 from 1962.
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Goldin will also offer a Nobel Prize medal for the first time ever in their history. The medal in question is connected to DNA research and is offered at auction for the very first time. Although the medal has a significant gold value, the importance and the symbolism of the medal are even more remarkable as it's the absolute highest honor for humanity. The vast majority of all Nobel Prize medals are still kept within the families of the laureates, while some are in museums and universities. Looking at auction records, James Watson's 1962 Nobel medal was the most expensive one ever sold, fetching close to $5 million. However, a year ago, that record was topped by Dmitry Muratov's Nobel Peace Prize medal, which was sold for over $100 million. Notably, all the proceeds were donated to displaced Ukrainian children.
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Knighted by many as the greatest ever to play the game, LeBron James is still on top of his game after two decades. The four-time MVP holds the record for the most expensive basketball card ever sold at auction – his 2003 Upper deck rookie that sold for $5.2 million in 2021. In the Goldin 100, we find a couple of James items, including a 1/1 LeBron James/Kobe Bryant dual-signed game-used logoman patch card with a starting price of $500,000. Another noteworthy item is a 2018 game-worn jersey from James' time with the Cavaliers. James wore the jersey on the game in which he surpassed fellow Laker legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for second place on the all-time NBA Finals scoring list.
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Every lot in the auction is mind-blowing and historically important. Two very significant pieces that we have yet not mentioned are Tom Brady's 2000 rookie card and Michael Jordan's game-used Air Jordan sneakers. The Brady card is graded mint 9, with an additional 10 for the on-card autograph, and is expected to sell in the millions.
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This pair of sneakers was worn by Michael Jordan in 1997 prior to game 5 in the NBA finals. Michael Jordan suffered from food poisoning, but despite that, Jordan played the game against the Utah Jazz. The game later became known as the "Flu Game." Jordan struggled throughout the game, yet he scored 38 points. The "Flu Game" shoes are expected to sell for a price, close to – or even higher than, $2.2 million. What's remarkable about that number is that it's currently the record for any pair of shoes ever sold. That record was set earlier this year when a pair of Michael Jordan's game-used 1998 NBA finals shoes sold for $2.2 million.
