A card featuring double Olympic basketball gold medallist LeBron James has sold for $1.8 million (£1.4 million/€1.6 million) at auction.
The card attracted 34 bids over the course of the 26-day sale conducted by Goldin Auctions.
It was bought by Leore Avidar, the chief executive and co-founder of Lob.com, a San Francisco-based company which automates direct mail for businesses.
The $1.8 million figure – the record for a modern card – included $1.5 million (£1.2 million/€1.3 million) for the final bid and $300,000 (£239,000/€263,000) for the buyer’s premium.
The previous record was set two months ago when a rookie card featuring Los Angeles Angels baseball player Mike Trout fetched $922,500 (£734,470/€808,300).
This James card is one of just 23 cards of its kind that exists.
The one up for auction was number 14 of 23 and has a gem mint rating of 9.5 out of 10.
In addition to having James’ signature on it, the card also has a piece of fabric from a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey that he wore as a rookie.
The card comes from the 2003-2004 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, following James being selected by the Cavaliers with the top pick in the draft.
James is now widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history.
His accomplishments include three NBA Championships, four NBA most valuable player (MVP) awards and three Finals MVP awards
James holds the record for play-offs points, is third in all-time points, and eighth in all-time assists.
He was also a member of the United States teams that won Olympic gold medals at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, as well as the bronze medal at Athens 2004.
Among the other memorabilia sold at the Goldin Auction was a pair of Michael Jordan’s game-worn Nike Air Jordan 1s that ended at $369,000 (£294,000/€323,000), and one of Jordan’s game-worn 1997 Eastern Conference Finals jerseys, which netted $295,200 (£235,500/€258,600).
Goldin Auctions put the shoes up for sale earlier this month with a minimum bid of $50,000 (£40,000/€44,000).
Both shoes feature a Jordan autograph and were worn during the 1984-1985 season.
The shoes were originally obtained by a Chicago Bulls team trainer and put up for a charity auction in September 1985.
Memorabilia linked to double Olympic gold medallist Jordan has been reaching record prices at auction since ESPN aired The Last Dance.
Other Jordan-related items that Goldin Auctions put up for sale included his infamous “I’m back” fax and a signed ticket to the 1982 National Collegiate Athletic Association Finals, where he appeared for North Carolina.
Jordan’s long-time agent, David Falk, sent the fax featuring the two-word return statement in 1995 when the player ended his first retirement to re-join the Bulls.
It sold for $28,800 (£22,900/€25,200).
The 1982 Final Four is considered among Jordan’s defining moments, as he hit the game-winning shot in the championship game to give North Carolina a win over Georgetown University.
The ticket sold for $20,400 (£16,200/€17,800).
A basketball signed by 13 members of the US “Dream Team”, including Jordan, that won the Olympic gold medal at Barcelona 1992 was also among the items auctioned and fetched $18,450 (£14,700/€16,100).
