Rare Kobe card breaks record, sells for staggering amount

A trading card featuring an image of Kobe Bryant just sold for a small fortune.

Alt, a trading card marketplace, announced on Thursday it purchased a copy of a 1997 Kobe Bryant Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green for a whopping $3.15 million.

The company, which bought the piece through its “dedicated sports card fund,” said the purchase now makes it the most expensive Bryant card ever.

Alt, a trading card marketplace, announced on Thursday it purchased a copy of a 1997 Kobe Bryant Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green for a whopping $3.15 million Instagram/@altxyzofficial

The item shows a photo of Bryant in midair in front of a metallic green background. It comes with a PSA 5 grade.

Only 10 copies were ever made, and Alt CEO Leore Avidar called it “the card you dreamed about” while growing up.

Kobe Bryant played for the Lakers for 20 years. AP

“It was on every collector’s wall, in every price guide, at the top of every wish list,” Avidar said in a statement on Alt’s Instagram page. “Acquiring it for our fund is personal, but it’s also a reflection of where this market has gone.”

Another copy of the card, given an 8.5 grade by Beckett, previously sold for $2 million in 2022.

“I’d argue this is the best Kobe Bryant card out there,” Avidar told ESPN on Thursday. “They only made 10 of them, it shines, and it’s the first year of basketball PMGs — which there’s a collector base for.

“I’ve been trying to get one. It’s always been my thing.”