Kobe Bryant card sells for staggering price and it’s not even a rookie card

A non-rookie trading card of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant sold for a fortune at an auction.

Sports fans have seen how much trading cards from legendary athletes have gone for at auction. Tom Brady’s rookie card sold for over $3 million last year, whose record was later broken by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, whose autographed rookie card sold for $4.3 million.

PWCC Marketplace announced on Tuesday that a 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Emerald card of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant sold for $2 million. This is officially the most a Bryant card was ever sold for.

https://twitter.com/PWCCmarketplace/status/1496255630239313922

Kobe Bryant trading card sells for $2 million

“This is arguably Kobe’s best card in existence,” Jesse Craig, director of business development at PWCC, said in a statement, h/t ESPN’s Dan Hajducky. “It’s [difficult] to find them in any condition — and because of their delicate nature, to find one in such good condition is incredibly rare.”

As you can tell, this is not a Bryant rookie card. Rather, it is one of 10 Precious Metal Gems Emerald cards ever made, which features a green insert, per ESPN’s Dan Hajducky. Cards 11-100 have a red insert on the card. This card is numbered 004/100.

The card received an 8.5 grade by Beckett Grading Services.

Bryant’s stats for the 1996-97 season are listed on one side of the card. That season, Bryant averaged 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists while recording a field-goal percentage of 41.7 and a three-point percentage of 37.5.