The high-end sports card and memorabilia market has reached new heights in 2026, with multiple sales crossing the $10 million threshold as significant pieces of sports history and ultra-rare cards have made national news after changing hands.
There is still time for the final leaderboard to have some new entries, but for now, we've put together a rundown of the 10 most expensive sports card and memorabilia sales of 2026, starting with a sale that was just announced earlier this month.
The list features two basketball jerseys, one soccer shirt and seven sports cards, and they all sold for $4,880,000 or more.
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10 MOST EXPENSIVE SPORTS CARD/MEMORABILIA SALES OF 2026
Sale Price: $14,000,000 | Date: Sept. 2026
The Game 1 jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $10.1 million in 2022, setting a new record for a Michael Jordan memorabilia item. That record was seemingly overtaken by the Game 3 jersey from the same series in mid-September of this year, until Hunt Auctions announced in early October that this sale had actually closed before the Game 3 transaction in September.
What price will we see if the Game 6 "Last Shot" jersey ever hits the auction block?
Sale Price: $12,260,000 | Date: Sept. 2026
This 1998 NBA Finals Game 3 jersey, sold by Pharrell Williams' JOOPITER auction house, has the unique distinction of being worn in what turned out to be the most lopsided game in NBA Finals history. The Bulls won 96-54 behind a game-high 24 points from Jordan, taking a 2-1 series lead after their Game 1 loss.
Sale Price: $11,000,000 | Date: July 2026 | Grade: Ungraded
The Gold Logoman program was introduced for the 2025 season, highlighting the winners of the MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year from the previous season with a gold logoman patch on their uniforms. In 2026, Topps released a trio of Back to Back Gold Logoman cards for Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Tarik Skubal, as they had won hardware in back-to-back years.
The Ohtani card not only features gold logoman patches from his 2024 and 2025 MVP seasons, but also dual autographs, one in English and one in Kanji. It was sold ungraded immediately after being pulled from a pack, and now carries a PSA 9/Auto 10 grade.
Sale Price: $8,040,000 | Date: Sept. 2026 | Grade: PSA 10/Auto 10
Viewed as a potential generational talent, Cooper Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in his debut to win Rookie of the Year honors, and he may be just scratching the surface of his potential. That upside is clearly reflected in the purchase price of what is unquestionably his most sought-after rookie card, featuring a 1-of-1 patch worn in his NBA debut along with an autograph.
Sale Price: $6,501,840 | Date: Sept. 2026 | Grade: PSA 8/Auto 10
This card is part of the same legendary set that features a Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant dual logoman auto that sold for $12,932,000 in 2025, the highest price ever paid for a sports card. While many premium cards like this are immediately sold by the person who pulls them, this one sat in a private collection, ungraded for almost 20 years.
Sale Price: $5,856,000 | Date: Aug. 2026 | Grade: SGC Authentic
The Honus Wagner T206 card is arguably the most iconic sports card of all time. It was the first card ever to sell for more than $1 million back in 2000, and the highest recorded sale of a copy was an SGC 2 that sold for $7.25 million in 2022. This is one of only three known examples with the "Piedmont" back, with most copies carrying "Sweet Caporal" advertising.
Sale Price: $5,200,000 | Date: March 2026 | Grade: BGS 9.5/Auto 10
One of the best players to debut since "1st Bowman" cards became a focal point of the hobby doesn't actually have a card with that distinction. The 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft set contains what is widely recognized as Aaron Judge's first Bowman autograph, even without the familiar "1st Bowman" logo. That explains why this superfractor fetched such a high price, as it stands as his top pre-rookie card.
Sale Price: $5,124,000 | Date: Feb. 2026 | Grade: PSA 1
That's right, two separate Honus Wagner T206 cards sold for more than $5 million in 2026, and a third just missed cracking the top 10 with a $3,599,000 sale price back in March. Production of Wagner's T206 card was halted early, and an estimated 50 to 200 copies remain in existence, making it the holy grail of vintage cards.
Sale Price: $5,110,000 | Date: May 2026 | Grade: PSA 10
In an interesting licensing conflict, Panini held the exclusive NBA trading card license during Victor Wembanyama's 2023-24 rookie season, while he personally had an exclusive autograph deal with Fanatics. As a result, none of his official NBA cards feature autographs, putting this 1-of-1 black parallel at the very top of his rookie-card market.
Sale Price: $4,880,000 | Date: July 2026
Pelรฉ scored six goals in four matches during the 1958 World Cup, despite the fact that he was only 17 years old. He still stands as the youngest player ever to appear in a World Cup final, and he ended up scoring two goals in Brazil's victory over Sweden. It was a lucrative year for high-profile soccer memorabilia, as the game-used ball from Maradona's iconic "Hand of God" goal also sold for $3,355,000 in August.
With no end in sight to the surging high-end sports memorabilia market, expect plenty more headline-grabbing sales in 2027.
For now, these 10 stand out as the biggest sales of 2026, and there's still time for something to steal a spot before the year comes to a close.
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