The Marvelous Mr. Renowned for His Passion for Collecting

Heritage Auctions pointed out that the rarity of this card lies not only in featuring both Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan’s signatures but also in its highly symbolic double Logoman patches. The NBA logo on the card comes from Kobe’s jersey, while the gold emblem represents Jordan’s penultimate championship glory in the 1996-97 season. Paired with both players’ signatures in blue ink, it showcases exceptional collectible value.

Kevin O’Leary is renowned for his passion for collecting, spanning fields such as watches and pens. Now, he has further ventured into the sports card market. He revealed that his genuine interest in collecting sports cards was ignited through exchanges with Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin. Fanatics acquired the Topps card company in 2022, which prompted O’Leary to explore this market.

O’Leary emphasized that sports card collecting is not only an investment but also a bridge between generations. He described how fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, and even grandparents and grandchildren can discuss decisions about buying, holding, or selling through collecting, highlighting the charm of cross-generational interaction in collectible culture.

O’Leary stated that he particularly focuses on "piece uniques" in the market—cards that are one-of-a-kind or extremely rare—as these items not only possess artistic value but may also yield astonishing investment returns. He has sought advice from renowned collectors Matthew Allen (known in the collecting circle as Shyne150) and Paul Warshaw, hoping to establish an "index" similar to that in watch collecting.

During this bidding process, O’Leary and his team were determined to secure the card. He revealed that the auction attracted at least three heavyweight buyers, one of whom eventually dropped out, while another was a formidable competitor, making the entire bidding process highly tense.

O’Leary noted that this card previously sold for only $75,000 but has now surged to over $12.9 million, representing a staggering increase. He compared its value to paintings by Jackson Pollock or Pablo Picasso, as well as to the status of the high-end watch brand F.P. Journe in the watch industry.