The Man with a Fifteen Million Dollar Painting and $4 Football Card
In this story:
Three years ago a painting went to auction and was expected to sell for $200,000. Instead it commanded $15.275 million. In retrospect, it makes sense. Even among those never setting foot in the world of fine art, "The Sugar Shack" presents an instantly recognizable image to anyone who ever watched the "Good Times" television show or kicked back to Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" album.
#AuctionUpdate Ernie Barnes ‘The Sugar Shack sets an auction record for the artist this evening, 27x the previous record set by the artist. After over 10 minutes of bidding by up to 22 bidders, the piece realized $15.275 million. pic.twitter.com/GQOH03vF0a
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 13, 2022
RELATED: Will Topps or Panini Be the First to Honor the "Jackie Robinson of the NFL?"
Adding to the cultural legacy of the painting, though not at the time of purchase, the image also inspired one of the biggest films of 2025.
This Ernie Barnes/The Sugar Shack inspired ‘SINNERS’ poster is a masterpiece 🖼️#SinnersMovie #Sinners
— Agents of S.C.R.E.E.N 🎬 (@AgentsOfScreen) April 21, 2025
pic.twitter.com/lkJ77wlKAW
Less known to the casual admirer of "The Sugar Shack" are two things.
- The artist, Ernie Barnes, enjoyed a five-year professional football career, including two years apiece with the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers.
- He even has a football card in the 1964 Topps set!
RELATED: Collecting the Quarterbacks of "The Great Black Hope"
Given that Barnes has been compared to Raphael and even Michelangelo (the artists, not the Ninja Turtles) and his paintings now sell in the six, seven, or–in the case of "The Sugar Shack"–eight figures, one might imagine that his football card would be carry a premium. In truth, it's what's known in the Hobby as a "common." As such, his 61-year-old football card, even in nice shape, typically sells for around $4.
It certainly may be the case that the card collecting world simply has little interest in the "rookie cards" of important artists, playing football or otherwise. Or it may just be the case that not many collectors recognize that the man on the card did a lot more than just protect the quarterback, despite the fact all the clues are right there on the back of the card.
There's no crystal ball when it comes to collecting, whether ones interest is sports cards or fine art. Still, it's not hard to imagine the 1964 Topps Ernie Barnes card eventually carrying a premium, even if it never comes close to the $15 million a certain other Ernie Barnes collectible managed to pull in.
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.