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dan hazdaki
multiple authors
A 1997 Kobe Bryant Metal Universe Precious Metal James Green card has been purchased by alternative trading platform Alt for $3.15 million, the highest ever paid for a single Bryant card.
The hefty price tag can be attributed to the lore of the green PMG. Although the serial number on the back of the Bryant card is written “009/100”, numbers 11–100 of each player’s PMG were red, while 1–10 were green. Only three of those 10 Bryant Green PMGs from the first set have been graded by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), typically the most desirable grading company. This Bryant card is a PSA 5, the only one graded higher by the PSA.
“I would argue this is the best Kobe Bryant card,” said Lior Avider, Alt’s founder and CEO. “They only made ten of them, it shines, and this is the first year of the basketball PMG – there’s a collector base for it. I’m trying to get one, it’s always been my thing.”
While Bryant’s signature and game-worn NBA logo patch has been featured on the most expensive sports cards ever made, the earliest paid for a single Bryant card, privately, was $2.4 million in September of 2025. (Another 1997 Metal Universe Green Bryant PMG sold privately in February of 2022 for $2 million; it is graded 8.5 from Beckett Grading Services).
In mid-2021, Alt acquired a 51% stake in 1-in-1, on-card signed Stephen Curry Logoman rookie card from the 2009 Playoff National Treasures, reportedly worth $5.9 million. Avidar told ESPN that in February 2022, Alt purchased the remaining 49%; In total, he says he paid $6.684 million. At the time the highest ever paid for a basketball card was $5.2 million Lebron James Newbie Card; The highest known payout to Curry’s card is $1.08 million in August 2022.
Alt also acquired a LeBron James Rookie Patch Autograph (RPA) card for $1.8 million in July 2020 – a since-broken record for a James card – a giannis antetokounmpo 1-of-1 rookie Logoman for $1.812 million in September 2020, and Kevin Durant RPA for $780,000 in March 2021. Per card ladder, Antetokounmpo and Durant buyouts are still player records. Avidar says Alt’s goal is to assemble a Hall of Fame collection, with one caveat.
“We intentionally left out Michael Jordan,” he says. “It’s really the next generation after Jordan that we’re focused on.”
