Collectors spent more than $416 million on sports and trading cards online in August to set an industry record for the third consecutive month.
The total is the highest recorded by Card Ladder’s Industry page, which tracks sales across a variety of auction houses and marketplaces dating back to 2010.
In-person sales from card shows or card shops and online sales from retailers or private transactions on social media aren’t included in the total unless reported and verified.
August’s total will continue to increase as additional sales from the month are confirmed and retroactively added to the tool.
June and July previously set industry records, according to Card Ladder’s database, with more than $305 million and later $308 million in recorded sales volume.
The more than 5.87 million transactions logged by Card Ladder in August is also a high for the data tool, passing the previous peak of 5.46 million transactions logged in March.
According to Card Ladder’s database, Aug. 17 featured the highest number of transactions for any single day during the month with nearly 256,000 recorded sales.
eBay was the largest driver of sales volume in August with more than $301 million. Fanatics Collect, which features high-end auctions and a buy-now marketplace, topped $37 million.
Driven by its Summer Platinum Auction, Heritage recorded more than $33 million in sales, including the $12.93 million sale of the 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Michael Jordan-Kobe Bryant Dual Logoman Autograph 1/1, which set the record as the most expensive sports card, according to public records..
"Shark Tank" star and celebrity businessman Kevin O’Leary was later revealed as part of the investment group that acquired the Dual Logoman.
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August was also highlighted by additional private sales of a 2003-04 Exquisite Collection LeBron James Gold RPA /23 for $4.25 million and two private sales of Kobe Bryant Logoman Autograph 1/1s for $2.3 million and $1.7 million.
Not included in Card Ladder’s data, additional niche categories in the sports and trading card market experienced record and near-record results.
NFT aggregator Cryptoslam logged more than $63.7 million in total sales for digital repacker Courtyard across nearly 641,000 transactions in August — that total is the third-highest recorded for the platform and the fifth consecutive month of $60 million-plus.
Panini Blockchain reported a record month for its platform with more than $7 million spent across more than 150,000 transactions, including the $99,999 paid for a Stephen Curry Green Kaboom 1/1 and the $50,001 paid for a Luka Doncic Green Kaboom 1/1.
The previous record month for Panini Blockchain was the $6.68 million spent in March.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.