A 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Emblems of Endorsements card of Kobe Bryant recently sold for $1.22 million, including buyer's premium, with Goldin Auctions.
It's the third-highest public sale for a solo Bryant card of all time.
The card is autographed in blue ink, numbered 8/15 and graded near-mint 8 by Beckett Grading Services. It features two multicolored game-used patches cut from a then-No. 8 Bryant jersey.
In the same Goldin auction, the Bryant card was one of four cards to top $500,000. The others: A 2005 Topps Finest SuperFractor die-cut Tom Brady card, which sold for $704,550; a 1997-98 Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Red Michael Jordan card, which sold for $651,334; and a 1998 Pokémon Japanese Promo Holo Illustrator Pikachu card, which sold for $610,000.
The all-time record paid for a sports card still belongs to one featuring Bryant. A one-of-one numbered, on-card autographed Bryant/Jordan Dual Logoman, purchased by Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary, mega-collector Matt Allen (better known as Shyne150 in the collecting space) and entrepreneur Paul Warshaw for $12.932 million last August.