🏆 The Summer of Trophy Assets

Shiny Thing$ #242: The Summer of Trophy Assets

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This summer is shaping up to be one of the strongest stretches of blue-chip collectibles to hit the auction market in years. Much of that activity is centered at Sotheby's in New York, where an absolutely insane lineup of museum-quality sports, history, and natural history artifacts is about to test the very VERY top of the market. From World Cup history to dinosaurs, championship moments, and NBA lore, the next few weeks should give us clear picture of where demand for true tier-one assets stands - and will likely do a lot to amplify the “Collectibles are the new Art” narrative thats been bubbling just below the mainstream surface. 

This weeks installment of Shiny Things is a guide to the artifacts that are very likely to dethrone some long standing records… 

Gus the T. rex

After setting records with Apex in 2024, Sotheby's returns to the dinosaur market with Gus - possibly the most important Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever presented at auction. Expectations are enormous, with many collectors believing the sale could at least flirt with a $100 million outcome, absolutely shattering the existing record if bidding reaches those levels. Whether it gets there or not, Gus represents another milestone in the emergence of natural history as one of the premier collecting categories. Timing-not-coincidental, this week on Rally we received our first unsolicited buyout offer for a Dinosaur - a 100%+ return on Deaton, our triceratops skull that helped kickoff the natural history vertical for us a few years back. 

Pelé's 1958 World Cup Final Shirt

A headline lot next week is Pelé's match-worn shirt from Brazil's 1958 World Cup Final victory over Sweden. Worn by a 17-year-old Pelé as he announced himself to the world with two goals, the unpublished estimates the jersey will sell for more than $6 million. What's almost as wild as the estimate is its appreciation: the same shirt last sold for just $105,604 in 2004. Few collectibles better illustrate how dramatically the market for Tier-1 sports artifacts has matured - particularly for vintage pieces. 

The Super Bowl XLII Touchdown Ball

Also crossing the block is one of the defining objects in NFL history, and one of the most celebrated (and memorable) moments in New York: the football caught by Plaxico Burress from the hands of Eli Manning for the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII, completing the New York Giants' upset of the previously undefeated Patriots. It's one of the few game-used footballs that can legitimately claim to have altered the course of sports history, and another example of how the market continues rewarding singular moments over simply “great” pieces of memorabilia. This one has a bit of extra juice around it as well, as there’s a high likelihood the ball is also the same one that receiver David Tyree caught for the famous “helmet catch” just 2 plays before the winning touchdown (though as of Friday afternoon while this newsletter was being authored, Sotheby’s has not yet updated the description to represent that). 

The Knicks Championship Ball

For New Yorkers, one of the most “emotional” lots this year may be the game ball from Game 4 of the Knicks/Spurs NBA Finals - an improbable 29 point comeback that was capped by a tip-in from OG Anunoby with 1.9 seconds on the clock and propelled the Knicks to their first NBA Championship in 53 years. It's probabaly the most significant object in Knicks history, and one of the most viewed moments in the history of sports (nearly 30 million people saw it live, and its been played billions of times across social media). Full disclosure - theres a DAO attempting to tokenize the ball via community bid and display it in a permanent exhibition here in NYC, co-led by Rally co-founder Rob Petrozzo. It’s going to go “for millions” according to insiders.

1990’s Bulls Championship Logo Court

One of the more unusual tier-1 offerings is the original center-court logo section of court from the United Center, used during the Chicago Bulls' 1996, 1997, and 1998 championship seasons, signed by both Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Estimated at $800,000 - $1.2 million, it's a reminder that sometimes the most compelling collectibles aren't jerseys or trophies - they're the literal stage where history happened. This once kinda came out of nowhere a couple weeks back, and has now gotten a ton of attention on social media. It seems highly likely that this piece absolutely demolishes estimates.

Thats (it for now) but there are surely more on the way, and more records to fall… 

Until next week.