LeBron James Autographed Exquisite Rookie Patch Card Sells for $1.159M at Auction

There's no shortage of LeBron James memorabilia with the Los Angeles Lakers star into his 22nd NBA season, but his market continues to be red hot.

An Upper Deck Exquisite rookie card for James, which included his autograph and a jersey patch, went for $1.159 million at auction Saturday. It comes a little over a month after a more rare Upper Deck Exquisite LeBron rookie sold for $1.22 million.

Saturday's card received a 9.5 grade from Beckett Grading Services, while the autograph itself was assessed a perfect 10.

Having any James rookie, even a standard base card, is pretty cool given his stature within the game. From an investment standpoint, nothing touches his auto patch from the Exquisite Collection. Goldin called it "the most iconic and most sought-after LeBron James rookie card ever minted."

In a 2021 private sale, the 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection RPA claimed the title as the most expensive basketball card ever. The price eventually reached $5.2 million.

Whenever he retires, James will be remembered as the greatest player of his generation and arguably the biggest threat to Michael Jordan for the GOAT title.

It all started with his rookie year in 2003-04. The 21-time All-Star averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebound and 5.9 assists for the Cleveland Cavaliers en route to besting Carmelo Anthony for Rookie of the Year.

Given the hype that surrounded James, his rookies from the Upper Deck Exquisite Collection were a prized commodity from the moment they were first released. Few will have expected them to become routinely worth seven figures.