The year 2022 was a very mixed bag for sports card auctions. Modern players continued to see their prices soft for the most part. But what was solid auction after auction was the scarce and valuable vintage sports card category. It wasn’t even just the first $10-plus million sale ($12.6 million Mantle). This sets up the stage for what to expect for 2023.

I have pulled some of the great scheduled items from major auction houses to see what’s coming for sale in 2023. There are rumors of a couple mega-cards that could fetch the $10 million mark again, but for now let’s just stick to what we know is coming up for auction.

This list will be updated as more cards are confirmed for auction.

Goldin.co has on its Wednesday, January 11, 2023 a 1916 M101-4 Sporting News #151 Babe Ruth Rookie Card – PSA VG-EX 4 (last at $375,017 after 15 bids). Here are auctions ending January 4, 2023:

• 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch Autograph (RPA) #78 LeBron James Signed Patch Rookie Card (#66/99) – BGS NM-MT+ 8.5, Beckett 10 (last at $375,000 after 19 bids). Image below for LeBron buy Goldin.co.
• 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket Autograph #144 Tom Brady Signed Rookie Card (#055/100) – BGS NM-MT+ 8.5, Beckett 10 (last at $300,000 after 11 bids).
• 1961-62 Fleer #8 Wilt Chamberlain Rookie Card – PSA MINT 9 (last at $150,000 after 6 bids)
• 2013-14 Panini Prizm Gold Prizm #290 Giannis Antetokounmpo Rookie Card (#02/10) – BGS GEM MINT 9.5 – Pop 5 (last at $140,000 after 5 bids)
• 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle – PSA EX-MT 6 (last at $120,000 after 13 bids)
• 1998-99 SkyBox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems #1 Michael Jordan (#31/50) BGS NM-MT 8 (last at $85,000 after 8 bids)

Memory Lane, Inc. also has several great cards up for grabs and high-dollar game tickets coming up in its auction ending January 7, 2023:

• 1986 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan Rookie PSA 10, starting bid $50,000 and last bid $143,947.00 after 21 bids.
• 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle PSA 5, $30,000 opening bid and $68758.00 last bid after 15 bids.
• 1933 Goudey #106 Napoleon Lajoie PSA 7 minimum bid $25,000 and last bid $66,332.00 after 22 bids (Image of 1933 Goudey below via Memory Lane).
• a 1984 Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls NBA debut ticket;
• a Tiger Woods first PGA Tour event (pro);
• and a Pele World Cup 1958 ticket.

Heritage Auctions has its early 2023 major sports event ready for bids opening around Feb. 3, 2023. While there are great cards up for grabs there is also a Mickey Mantle game jersey up for auction with a guide value/estimate of “$800,000 – up.” There is also a Willie Mays 1971 Giants jersey up for grabs with a “$300,000 – up” guide/estimate. Another gem is a 1915 Babe Ruth Original Rookie-Era Photograph by G.T. Murray Studios graded as PSA/DNA Type 1 with a Guide Value/Estimate of “$250,000 – up.”

A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 (1985 Rosen Find) SGC NM-MT 8 is one of the two lead cards coming from Heritage. This one labeled as “Pop Four, Five Superior!” and is considered a “sister card” to the $12.6 million Mantle as it’s from that 1985 Rosen Find. The guide value/estimate is also “$800,000 – up” but some collectors have already opined that they would expect $1-million-plus on the card. Image below by Heritage Auctions.

The biggest card of the Heritage auction is one of Babe Ruth’s classic “rookie” cards. This is a 1916 M101-4 Sporting News Babe Ruth Rookie #151 graded SGC NM 7 with a guide value/estimate of “$3,000,000 – up.” What it sells for is anyone’s guess. Babe Ruth card image by Heritage Auctions.

Here are some of the key cards up for grabs in the Heritage early 2023 auction:

• 1953 Topps Willie Mays #261 SGC Mint 9 “$800,000 – up.”
• 1910 E98 “Set of 30” Cy Young (Irv Young) Green PSA Gem Mint 10 with a Guide Value/Estimate of “$250,000 – up.”
• 1951 Bowman Willie Mays Rookie #305 PSA NM-MT 8 with a Guide Value/Estimate of “$200,000 – up.”
• Signed 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson #312 PSA VG+ 3.5, Auto 8 (“$150K+”)
• Signed 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 PSA Good 2, Auto 10 (“$150K+”)
• 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky #18 PSA Mint 9 (“$125K+”)
• 1912 E300 Plow’s Candy Ty Cobb PSA EX-MT 6 (“$120K+”)
• 1948 Leaf Satchel Paige Rookie #8 PSA EX-MT 6 (“$100K+”)

This list will be updated either right before or right after New Years to best reflect some of the key items that are coming up for auction.