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Every Nice Card is a Necklace Now
Hobby Boasts Momentum, as Ohtani/Judge Dual Logoman Heads to Auction
Morning, Collectors.
I’ve been distracted lately, and I apologize, but there are just so many things up for sale in the March 25th Propstore Entertainment Memorabilia auction I want to buy, that I’m finding it difficult to concentrate on just about anything else.
Like, for instance, I think the life-sized animatronic rhino from Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, would make for a great centerpiece of my living room. Currently at $4,000, it’s a veritable bargain, especially when you consider it comes with a built-in seat so can double as functional furniture.
I also love The Dude’s screen-matched cardigan from The Big Lebowski (currently $5,000), which would really tie my wardrobe together.
And despite not knowing how to play guitar, I could grab the screen-matched Fender Stratocaster “Excalibur” from Wayne’s World II and learn, right?
So much good stuff, including I’m sure plenty of items not from 1990s comedies, but I like what I like.
Image Credit: Mantel
I love this take from Mantel’s own Mike Metzler. Kevin O’Leary turned a 1/1 2007-08 Kobe Bryant–Michael Jordan Dual Logoman autograph card into a spectacle at the 2026 Actor Awards, wearing it as a diamond-and-gold necklace. Mr. Wonderful, who picked up the card for nearly $13M just last year, now says the card is worth $20M (I mean… the price of gold is going up). The stunt mirrors Logan Paul’s famous Pikachu Illustrator moment, using celebrity exposure and storytelling to elevate a collectible’s cultural and perceived market value. While some collectors criticized the move, it reflects the hobby’s broader shift toward financialization, where ultra-rare cards increasingly attract billionaires and institutional money.
Image Credit: cllct
The high-end card market is accelerating again. Card Ladder data shows 7,025 sales over $10K already in 2026, putting The Hobby on pace for more than 41,000 such transactions this year, far above the previous record. Six-figure sales are also surging, tracking toward 1,300+ deals, while seven million-dollar cards have already sold, projecting a total near the 2021 peak of 43. With record transactions across every tier, the early numbers suggest the hobby’s bull market may be entering another major expansion phase. Speaking of which…
That early-year momentum is likely to continue, as Fanatics Collect auctions off the 1/1 2025 Topps MVP Gold Logoman dual autograph card of Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge starting today, with bidding running through March 19. The card includes game-worn gold MLB logo patches from the 2025 season, both worn in games where each player hit his 19th home run, along with their autographs. Collectors and analysts believe the unique dual-MVP version could challenge the most expensive ultra modern baseball card sales if bidding climbs, though I’m mostly wondering why Topps chose patches from their 19th HR games. Anyone know?
If you thought buying sports cards was already gambling, just wait. Now bettors can wager on a trading card sale through BetOnline, which has posted an over/under of $5.5M for the Judge/Ohtani 1/1 2025 Topps Chrome Update Gold Logoman Patch Autograph we mentioned just above. Early betting action heavily favors the over. Are you going to hazard a guess?
One of my favorite features from J.R. Fickle is back, as Mantel dropped a new ‘What I’m Buying’ list. Luis Robert rookie autos and PSA 10s ($15–$50) are getting attention after his move to the Mets and strong spring training buzz. Arkansas QB Taylen Green’s Bowman U autos ($25–$40) are another target following a standout NFL Combine. Suni Lee’s 2024 Panini McDonald’s stickers ($5–$14) are drawing interest as one of the few collectibles tied to the Olympic champion, with potential upside ahead of LA28. The theme: inexpensive items tied to current momentum that could appreciate.
Image Credit: Joopiter
A museum-displayed Triceratops skeleton nicknamed “Trey” is heading to auction on Pharrell’s Joopiter platform with a $4.5M–$5.5M estimate. The fossil, discovered in Wyoming in 1993 and exhibited at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center since 1995, stands over 7 feet tall and 17 feet long and is believed to be the only museum-shown Triceratops skeleton ever offered publicly. The sale highlights the growing market for high-end fossils, a category that has surged in value since a Stegosaurus skeleton sold for $44.6M in 2024. True story: I texted a collector-buddy I know to alert him of the sale and learned he already owned a triceratops… and here I thought they were rare!