A flurry of $1 million-plus sales in February has powered the high-end trading card market to one of the biggest starts to a calendar year in recent memory. Among the five seven-figure sports cards to sell last month were a pair of T206 Honus Wagner cards, including the newly-discovered “Shields Family” example for $5.1 million and the one once owned by former MLB player and broadcaster Joe Garagiola for $3.6 million.
Combined with two more million-dollar sales from January — one of which was the record $16.5 million paid for a Pokémon card previously owned by YouTuber turned professional wrestler Logan Paul — the seven $1 million-plus sales for cards of any kind so far in 2026 is the most through the first two months of the year since 2022 (13), according to data tool Card Ladder’s public records.
Just a few days into March, there are already at least three more cards poised to join that list. Another Charizard (current bid at $1.1 million) and a 1916 Sporting News Babe Ruth (current bid at $1.1 million) end Saturday night on Goldin Auctions, and the Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge Dual Gold Logoman autographed card (current bid at $1.1 million) ends later this month on Fanatics Collect.
Top sports card sales in February
- 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner PSA 1 (Shields): $5.1M
- 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner SGC Authentic (Garagiola): $3.6M
- 1997 Ultra Michael Jordan Masterpiece 1/1 PSA 8: $2.1M
- 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #181 autographed PSA 4.5/DNA 8: $1.46M
- 2014-15 Panini National Treasures Kobe Bryant Logoman /2 BGS 9.5/Auto 10: $1.1M
Source: Card Ladder (Feb. 1 to Feb. 28)
There’s been 7 trading card sales of $1 million or more so far in 2026 after two cards topped the mark through @Heritage_Sport this weekend.
According to @CardLadder‘s records, that’s the most through the first two months of the year since 2022 (13 sales). pic.twitter.com/Wjs3GhjkQU
— Ben Burrows (@BenMBurrows) March 1, 2026
Wagner is far from the most famous baseball player these days, but his T206 issue remains one of the most important cards in the hobby more than 100 years after the American Tobacco Company created it. Only about 60 copies are known to exist, so the discovery of the “Shields” Wagner, which remained with the same family since the card’s release, should be one of the market’s highlights for 2026. The card gained additional attention when it appeared in the Netflix series “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch” prior to its sale.
Best-selling athletes in February: Knueppel makes explosive entrance
- Michael Jordan (32.2k)
- Cooper Flagg (31.8k)
- Drake Maye (25.6k)
- Victor Wembanyama (17.7k)
- Kon Knueppel (15.6k)
Source: Market Movers
The top four best-selling athletes last month, according to card pricing tool Market Movers, are about what you’d expect. Michael Jordan is usually near the top, while Cooper Flagg, Drake Maye and Victor Wembanyama are part of the next generation of hobby stars. Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel’s torrid shooting has put him in the mix now, and collectors are hoping they’ve stumbled into the NBA’s next game-changing shooter just as Stephen Curry’s career winds down.
Going up: Ohtani remains a hobby darling
- Kon Knueppel (+39%)
- Shohei Ohtani (+14%)
- Victor Wembanyama (+5%)
- Jayden Daniels (+5%)
- Caleb Williams (+4%)
Source: Market Movers (minimum 5,000 sales)
There may not be an active athlete who has a stronger grip on their sport’s market than Shohei Ohtani. Market Movers tracked nearly 12,000 sales for the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar in February, which is more than Paul Skenes (4.9k) in second place and Nick Kurtz (4.7k) in third place combined, making Ohtani’s double-digital price growth especially impressive. Don’t be surprised if Ohtani’s card prices continue to climb with Japan among the favorites to win this year’s World Baseball Classic, an event that propelled his card prices back in 2023.
Going down: Offseason hits NFL quarterbacks
- Drake Maye (-21%)
- Shedeur Sanders (-11%)
- Tyler Shough (-10%)
- Jaxson Dart (-7%)
- Dylan Harper (-6%)
Source: Market Movers (minimum 5,000 sales)
Collectors holding Maye’s key cards probably aren’t thrilled with the two-interception performance in a loss to the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, but his emergence in Year 2 has completely reshaped his market for the better. Offseason price falloffs are common in all sports, and those at the top are often among the most impacted. Maye’s collective card market will rebound, but it might get worse before it gets better.
Best-selling cards: Former Duke teammates star in NBA
- 2025 Topps Cooper Flagg base #201 (4.6k)
- 2025 Topps Chrome Cooper Flagg base #251 (3.5k)
- 2025 Topps Chrome Kon Knueppel base #254 (2.0k)
- 2025 Topps Kon Knueppel base #204 (1.8k)
- 2025 Topps Cooper Flagg Power Players #PP-16 (1.5k)
Source: Market Movers
Flagg filling this list should surprise no one, but Knueppel’s appearance is a major shakeup in the basketball hierarchy after collectors initially expected better seasons from VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper and (maybe) Ace Bailey. In addition to a shift in focus from the NFL to the NBA helping prop up Flagg and Knueppel, there’s probably extra juice with Topps reentering the basketball card market for the first time in 15 years.
Grading recap: Beckett recovers as TAG, AGS outpace SGC
- PSA (1.86M total; 626k sports cards)
- CGC (451k total cards; 80k sports cards)
- BGS (88k total cards; 24k sports cards)
- TAG (44k total cards; 4k sports cards)
- SGC (41k total cards; 38k sports cards)
Source: GemRate (Feb. 1 to Feb. 28)
Major trading card authenticators graded 2.49 million cards in February, according to third-party grading tracker GemRate. PSA remains the market leader in total cards graded. However, the most notable storyline for many hobbyists will be Beckett’s (BGS) resurgence with a 33 percent increase month-over-month and a 65 percent increase year-over-year, following its controversial acquisition by PSA parent company Collectors in December.
While the overall impact on Beckett is likely still limited, Collectors’ attempt to scale down SGC, which it acquired in February 2024, into a “boutique” brand has continued with both TAG and AGS outpacing the company last month.
What sellers are saying
Panini’s National Treasures line drove the most sales for eBay Live seller Blez Sports Cards last month, according to the company. Panini recently released 2025 National Treasures Football as its NFL license winds down. Topps will soon take over that license, too, but collectors are apparently eager to get ahold of Panini’s high-end product while it’s still licensed.
Blez’s George Quinn also highlighted 2025 Bowman Draft Baseball as a product he felt was overlooked last month. That could change as Spring Training and the WBC heat up.
Meanwhile, Joe Brode of Primetimesportsframing, which has recently featured NBA legends Dennis Rodman and Shawn Kemp on its livestreams, noted a shift in the autograph world.
“If the player is on screen signing on eBay Live, merchandise trends upwards all day long,” Brode said. “Live signings will take over the autograph industry. People want authenticity with their items, and people want entertainment with buying.”
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