The 20 Most Expensive Trading Cards Ever Sold (Updated for 2026)

The All-Time Price List, Updated for 2026

Every few months another record falls, and 2026 has been the most dramatic year yet: the all-time record for any trading card changed hands in February, and three more eight-figure-adjacent sales have landed since. Here is the current top 20 - every verified public sale and reported private sale that defines the ceiling of the hobby.

1. 1998 Pokemon Pikachu Illustrator, PSA 10 - $16,492,000

The new king of all trading cards, sports or otherwise. Logan Paul sold his famous PSA 10 Illustrator - the only one in existence - at Goldin in February 2026 after a 42-day, 97-bid auction. He had acquired it in 2021 for $5.275 million; the winning lot also included the diamond Pokemon necklace he wore at WrestleMania 38.

2. 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Michael Jordan / Kobe Bryant Dual Logoman Auto 1/1, PSA 6 - $12,932,000

Sold at Heritage in August 2025, this dual-autographed card with both players' NBA Logoman patches held the all-time record for six months before the Illustrator took it back for Pokemon.

3. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311, SGC 9.5 - $12,600,000

The August 2022 Heritage sale that redefined the hobby. The consignor bought the card for about $50,000 in 1991. Still the most expensive baseball card ever sold.

4. 2006-07 Upper Deck Exquisite Michael Jordan / LeBron James Dual Logoman Auto 1/1 - $10,000,000

A private sale reported in the fall of 2025 - the highest price ever paid for any LeBron James card and the second-highest for a Jordan.

5. 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner, SGC 2 - $7,250,000

The hobby's original grail. This August 2022 private sale remains the record for the roughly 50 to 60 known Wagners; some later reports place the figure closer to $7.5 million.

6. 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth, SGC 3 - $7,200,000

Teenage Ruth as a minor-league Baltimore Oriole, one of about ten known copies. Sold at Robert Edward Auctions in December 2023 - the most expensive Ruth card ever.

7. 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner "Jumbo", SGC 3 - $6,606,296

The August 2021 REA sale that was, at the time, the highest price ever paid for a card at public auction.

8. 2009-10 National Treasures Stephen Curry Logoman Auto 1/1, PSA 8 - $5,900,000

Bought privately by the investment platform Alt in July 2021. Still the record for any Curry card.

9-14: The $5 Million Club

• 1998 Pikachu Illustrator, PSA 10 - $5,275,000 (July 2021). The same physical card as number one, when Logan Paul first acquired it in a cash-plus-trade deal.
• 2003-04 Exquisite LeBron James RPA Gold /23, BGS 9 - $5,200,000 (April 2021), the card that legitimized the ultra-premium rookie era.
• 1952 Topps Mantle #311, PSA 9 - $5,200,000 (January 2021).
• 1909-11 T206 Wagner, PSA 1 - $5,124,000 (Goldin, February 2026). Family-owned for a century and traced to the original cigarette pack it came from - proof that in 2026 even a PSA 1 can crack five million.
• 2023-24 Prizm Victor Wembanyama Prizm Black 1/1 - $5,110,000 (private, May 2026). The fourth-highest publicly known NBA card sale ever, made during the Spurs' playoff run. The previous public Wemby record was $860,000.
• 2018-19 National Treasures Luka Doncic Logoman Auto 1/1 - $4,600,000 (February 2021).

15-20: Rounding Out the Top Twenty

• 2017 National Treasures Patrick Mahomes NFL Shield RPA 1/1, BGS 8.5 - $4,300,000 (July 2021) - the most expensive football card ever.
• 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53, PSA 9 - $4,212,000 (May 2021).
• 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Mike Trout Superfractor Auto 1/1, BGS 9 - $3,936,000 (August 2020) - the sale that lit the fuse on the pandemic boom.
• 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky #18, PSA 10 - $3,750,000 (May 2021) - one of only two PSA 10s, and the all-time hockey record.
• 1997-98 Metal Universe PMG Green Kobe Bryant /10 - $3,150,000 (April 2026) - the most expensive solo Kobe card ever, acquired by Alt.
• 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket Tom Brady Rookie Auto /100, BGS 9 - $3,107,332 (June 2021) - the definitive Brady rookie.

Knocking on the Door

Two 2025-26 sales just missed the cut and are worth watching: the 2025 Topps Chrome Gold MLB Logoman Shohei Ohtani patch auto that sold for $3,000,000 in December 2025 - pulled live in a Minneapolis box break - and the Exquisite LeBron RPA /99 that brought $2,928,000 at Goldin in June 2026, a record for any LeBron card at public auction.

The pattern in this list is unmistakable: 2021 built the wall, and 2025-2026 is climbing over it. Five of the top twenty sales have happened in the last twelve months.

You will probably never see one of these cards outside a display case - but every one of them started in a pack, and plenty passed through a local card shop on the way. If this list gets you itching to hunt, use our directory to find a card shop near you.