Lakers News: E-Commerce Site Offered Lamborghini for Rare LeBron James Card

Rarity and prestige made this Lakers LeBron James card sell for a lot, but the story of how it got there is wild.

Last month we told you about this rare LeBron James card that sold for $2.4 million. What we have learned about this card almost doesn't sound real.

"According to Goldin Auctions, a LeBron James "2020-21 Panini Flawless Triple Logoman patch" card sold for a final sale price of $2.4M. Goldin lists the sale price at $2M, but the "buyer's premium" bumped the final price tag to a cool $2.4M."

This card was (literally) called the holy grail of modern cards. We're talking "Honus Wagner original" territory here. The funny thing is that it wasn't considered to be such a hot ticket at first, per ESPN.

"In our mind, the value of the card would not have broken $1.5 million privately before the hype. We were all somewhere in that range, and then it got in the public eye. Then it more or less created a lot of hype and it was like looking for the Willy Wonka golden ticket." -Matt Allen, a high-end card collector.

Last Name Ever, First Name Drake

Goldin, owner of Goldin Auctions, knew this card was going to be a hit, but then Drake got involved.

"Drake hopped on my Instagram Live at like 2 in the morning one night and we're opening cases in a case war. The guy's got 110 million followers on Instagram alone. It raised [global] awareness to the non-trading card public and set off a fury..."

Any time one of the biggest hip-hop artists enters the foray, a commodity moves beyond being something worth money. It becomes prestige, style, and yes, an even hotter item.

Drake wasn't even into the hobby of card collecting. The hype found the man instead of the other way around. Anyone who's taken an intro to business or a history class knows that hype and hysteria will drive up the price of anything.

A Lambo?

Eric Shemtov is the head of sports at WhatNot, a community marketplace that facilitates the buying and selling of cards. They have a reputation for being card sharks (sorry for the pun) and this was obviously no exception.

WhatNot had not only the funding but also the excitement to offer a Lamborghini if they managed to pull this LeBron card on their platform.

Yes, a freaking Lamborghini.

All The Hype, And Yet

After all this hype and back-and-forth, Goldin confessed something hilarious.

"[The person who] bought the card is not somebody the hobby knows, not a traditional collector, not somebody who will ever post the card on Instagram or social media."

I don't want to sound like someone who believes prestige and reputation are everything, but if you bought something this expensive after all this hype, but don't feel like showing it off—what's the point? I suppose I shouldn't understand the motivations of the super-rich, because I'll never be one.