Record, LeBron James Basketball Cards Sold IDR75 Billion

JAKARTA - A "very rare" basketball card signed by four-time NBA champion LeBron James sold for $ 5.2 million or around IDR 75 billion, breaking the record for the most expensive basketball card ever sold.

That figure equaled Mickey Mantle's record 1952 baseball card which sold $ 5.2 million in January.

"At the heart of every collector in 2003 is the hope of attracting the extremely rare LeBron James Rookie Patch Auto Parallel to 23 copies", PWCC Marketplace said as quoted by Reuters on Tuesday.

"With so little availability and increasing demand day by day, this card is quickly becoming the crown jewel of all sports card investments".

However, the buyer's identity was not published.

A transformative figure on and off the court, 36-year-old James, widely considered to be one of basketball's greatest players, earned four times the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

The 17-time All-Star added another honor to his career last year by earning his fourth NBA Finals MVP title after guiding the Los Angeles Lakers to NBA championships after beating the Miami Heat.

Extremely wealthy sports fans plunged into the memorabilia market with renewed vigor this year, with Tom Brady's seven-time Super Bowl-winning card selling for $ 2.25 million earlier this month and a rare Kobe Bryant card selling for $ 1,795. million (IDR 25 billion) last month.