DALLAS, TX.- A one-of-one 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman featuring Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant sold for $3.172 million — a world record for any unsigned basketball card and an auction record for any 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite card — to lead Heritage's Dec. 19-21 Winter Sports Catalog Auction to $28.2 million.

"Sports collectibles continue to gain popularity, but the modern card market, in particular, remains red hot," says Chris Ivy, Heritage's Director of Sports Auctions. "This 2003 Dual Logoman from Upper Deck's groundbreaking inaugural Exquisite release saw competitive bidding well into the night from clients around the globe that recognize its incredible desirability, and we are thrilled that it performed so well."

According to CardLadder, Heritage has sold nine cards for $1 million or more in 2025 — more than all other auction houses combined.

Mickey Mantle has long been one of the most coveted athletes in sports collecting, and that proved true again in this auction. Two copies of Mantle's 1952 Topps card, which is recognized as the most popular post-war card and a must-have for any elite collection, drew more than 100 bids between them before a PSA NM-MT 8 copy closed at $1,555,500 and a PSA Fair 1.5 Auto 8 from The Golden Age Collection brought $945,500 — a world record for any signed Mantle card. A 1961 Mantle Game-Worn New York Yankees Jersey that was photo-matched to the 1960 and 1961 World Series drew a winning bid of $402,600.The Golden Age Collection that produced the signed Mantle card is a magnificent trove curated over decades of period-signed vintage sports cards from the 1940s and 1950s. While many collections include signatures that were acquired long after athletes retired, the autographs in this collection were signed in person, during or shortly after the years in which the cards were issued. Other top lots from the collection also set world record results, including but not limited to:

· A 1951 Bowman Willie Mays Rookie #305 PSA VG+ 3.5 Auto 10: $219,600

· A 1948 Swell Sports Thrills Jackie Robinson (Dramatic Debut) #3 PSA VG+ 3.5, PSA/DNA Auto 9: $207,400

· A 1948 Bowman George Mikan Rookie #69 PSA Good 2 Auto 9: $164,700

One of the greatest basketball players of all time took another bow for fans when a 1986-87 Larry Bird Game Worn Boston Celtics Jersey, MEARS A10 that was photo-matched to seven playoff games, and to Larry Legend's appearance on the June 8, 1987 Sports Illustrated cover sold for $524,600, establishing a new world record for a Larry Bird jersey.Jordan made more appearances among the auction's top results, in addition to the Logoman card that led the event:

The higher-graded of just two examples of a 1984 Michael Jordan NBA Debut Chicago Bulls Ticket Stub (Season Ticket Format), PSA NM-MT 8 soared above pre-auction expectations when 40 bids drove it to $341,600 — a record for a stub from his NBA debut. He arrived in the Windy City when the Bulls were mired in mediocrity, and his arrival that began with this game forever changed the franchise, on and off the court. This stub is inarguably on the short list of the most important post-war tickets in existence.

Jordan's was not the only ticket in high demand. A 1939 Lou Gehrig Day (Luckiest Man Speech) New York Yankees Ticket Stub, PSA Fair 1.5, from the Independence Day doubleheader in the Bronx that served as a farewell ceremony to honor one of the greatest of all Yankees, brought $164,700 — a record for a stub from one of the most famous games in the history of baseball. Of the more than 60,000 tickets sold, only nine, including the one offered in this auction, have made it into a PSA slab.

The demand for just about anything related to Jordan and the premium put on rookie cards explain how a 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan Rookie #57 PSA Gem Mint 10 jumped to $268,400 and a 1996 Upper Deck U.S. Olympic Champions Michael Jordan (Reflections of Gold-Signatures) #RG1 PSA EX-MT 6, PSA/DNA Auto 9 drove to $201,300.

Eager collectors also took big swings to try to haul in items from baseball's biggest current star: Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani, whose 2024 Game-Used & Signed Bat, PSA/DNA GU 9.5 & BGS Auto 10 went for $225,700. His 2018 Panini Donruss (Signature Series-Black) #SS-SO PSA Mint 9 - #'d 1/1 drew $97,600, as did the ball he crushed for his 55th and final regular-season home run in 2025.

Some of the most popular baseball items in the auction featured multiple players: a 1962 Topps Baseball PSA Graded Master Set (691) that is ranked as the fourth-finest on the PSA Set Registry, with cards from legends like Roger Maris, Sandy Koufax, Roberto Clemente and Brooks Robinson more than doubled its pre-auction estimate at $512,400, while a 1956 Topps Baseball PSA Graded Super Set (540) with Every Team and Stock Color Variation — the No. 1 Current Finest Super Set — with icons like Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, Al Kaline and Willie Mays fetched $390,400.

Collectors flocked to baseball's "hot corner" until a 1973 Topps Rookie 3rd Basemen #615 PSA Gem Mint 10 card featuring the Dodgers' Ron Cey and Philadelphia legend Mike Schmidt brought $353,800, establishing another world record for the grade.A rare 1975 Topps Thurman Munson #20 PSA Gem Mint 10 — one of just four out of more than 2,700 submitted to PSA to achieve a GEM MINT grade, with none higher, caught a record $164,700 in this auction.

Demand for championship rings has continued to grow, and that held true in this auction, where some of the top results included:

· A 2024 Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl LIX Championship Ring awarded to offensive tackle Laekin Vakalahi: $124,440

· A 1994 Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl XXVII Ring awarded to defensive back Kevin Smith: $56,120

· A 2014 New England Patriots Super Bowl XLIX Championship Ring issued to offensive lineman Chris White: $52,460

Even non-sports items drew huge interest: nearly three dozen bids poured in for a Circa 1965 The Beatles Signed Photograph with Period Provenance & Authentication Paperwork from Caiazzo & More, PSA/DNA Type 1 & Authentic Auto before it brought $118,950 — an auction record for a photograph of the Fab Four.