Macklin Celebrini Leads Top 5 Biggest Sports Card Sales of the Week
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It was another unique and exciting week in the sports card market, with two sports that rarely top these rankings claiming the top two spots. Shohei Ohtani cards were also noticeably absent from this week's list, snapping a brief two-week streak.
5. Kobe Bryant Game Jersey Auto
The gap between the No. 5 and No. 6 spots this week was only $1.00, with one Kobe Bryant card beating out another by a buck.
This PSA 8 2000-01 Upper Deck Kobe Bryant Game Jersey Autograph card, serial-numbered 8/8, is both the back bookend of the print run and a jersey-number match to Kobe's original No. 8. This unique Kobe card sold for $368,441 on August 16, 2026. It was one of two basketball cards to make this week's list.
4. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps
The lone baseball card to make this week's list was this MBA 7 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 that sold for $417,450 on August 16, 2026. Despite the impressive sale, it’s only the sixth-highest-selling card to sell with a grade of 7. The highest sale was an SGC 7 copy that sold for $579,500 on June 20, 2026.
3. Kobe Bryant Flawless 1/1 Auto
The second basketball card on this week’s list also features Kobe, and it’s this stunning one-of-one BGS 8.5 2015-16 Panini Flawless Momentous Autographed Memorabilia Platinum Kobe Bryant card that sold for $489,830 on August 15, 2026. This sale ranks as the 11th-highest public sale this year alone for a Kobe Bryant card.
2. Lamine Yamal Padparadascha Autograph
The second-highest sale of the past week was this one-of-one PSA 9 (10 auto) 2023 Topps Chrome Sapphire UEFA Club Competitions Chrome Sapphire Autographs Padparadascha Lamine Yamal rookie card that sold for $503,116 on August 13, 2026. It ranks as the second-highest Yamal card sale ever recorded, with the record Kaboom sale coming just a few weeks earlier.
1. Macklin Celebrini Outbursts Gold
Taking the top spot and the only card to surpass seven figures this week was this one-of-one PSA Authentic 2024-25 Upper Deck Young Guns Outburst Gold Macklin Celebrini rookie card. Not only is this the highest-selling Macklin Celebrini card ever sold, but it's also the highest-selling non-Wayne Gretzky hockey card of all time.
The prior record for a non-Gretzky card was a BGS 8 2005-06 Upper Deck The Cup Alexander Ovechkin Rookie Patches Autograph Gold Rainbow 8/8 that sold for $381,000 on April 21, 2025.
Basketball, baseball, and football have long produced multiple $1M+ card sales. Now hockey has two stars over the million-dollar mark.
This week's top sales highlight just how global and diverse the hobby has become. With Celebrini setting a hockey record, Yamal continuing his meteoric rise, and Kobe Bryant commanding two top-five spots, collectors show that star power transcends both eras and sports.
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Conor is a leading sports collectibles writer and market analyst with more than 100 published articles covering sports cards, Pokémon, auctions, investing trends, and hobby culture. A lifelong collector who entered the hobby in the early 1990s, Conor’s expertise centers on vintage and modern basketball cards, basketball icons, and iconic Boston sports memorabilia tied to legends like Larry Bird, Tom Brady, and David Ortiz.