Goldin Makes Record-Setting Private Deal
Wilt Chamberlain was used to breaking records on the basketball court.
He continues to break them off the hardwood in the sports memorabilia and trading card space.
On Wednesday afternoon, Goldin announced it had privately sold a Chamberlain 1961 Fleer rookie card in an SGC 10 for $1.7 million.
That price is a record for any Chamberlain card. In 2022, a PSA 9 example sold privately for $670,000. The highest price paid for a Chamberlain Fleer rookie for a public auction happened this past May, fetching $198,000 through Heritage Auctions.
The SGC Gem Mint 10 example was graded just a week and a half earlier. Of the 607 copies of the card slabbed by SGC, this is the only one that has ever received a perfect 10.
SGC President Peter Steinberg praised the beauty of the card in a video announcement on social media on Aug. 23
“This card absolutely blew our team away. … You will never find an example nicer than this one,” Steinberg said. “It is the true definition of Gem Mint.”
Goldin founder and CEO Ken Goldin wholeheartedly agrees with that assessment.
“The card’s perfection is truly remarkable,” Goldin told RIPPED. “Finding a trading card from the ’60s in pristine condition doesn’t happen often, especially a rookie card featuring one of the greatest basketball players of all time. This $1.7 million sale not only sets the record as the highest-ever Wilt Chamberlain trading card sale but is a testament to the historical significance and collector desire for basketball cards of this era.”
