Title: Sports Collectible Market Sees Decline in 2023, According to Altan Insights Report
Subtitle: Altan’s comprehensive report reveals a downturn in sales across various collectible segments
Meta Description: The sports collectible market experienced a decline in 2023, particularly in ultra-modern and modern cards. Altan Insights’ report provides insights into the shifting dynamics in the market.
The sports collectible market has taken a notable hit in 2023, according to a comprehensive report by Altan Insights. The company, which closely monitors sales in various collectible markets, analyzed data from Card Ladder to observe a downward trend that began around 18 months ago and continued throughout the year.
Altan’s analysis revealed a significant decline in sales for ultra-modern cards, which are those issued from 2009 to the present. These cards experienced a staggering 34.8% drop in sales compared to the previous year. Modern cards, ranging from 1984 to 2008, also saw a decrease in sales, falling by 30.8%. Vintage cards, while not immune to the overall decline, fared relatively better than their modern and ultra-modern counterparts.
The fourth quarter of 2023 provided some respite for vintage and pre-war cards, as they outperformed modern and ultra-modern cards. This performance throughout the year widened their advantage in the collectible market, as highlighted in Altan’s report.
Among the specific segments, football, soccer, racing, and basketball cards witnessed the most significant price declines. Altan’s report specifically pointed out that high-end football cards, particularly those of quarterbacks, failed to recover their value. Injuries to popular quarterbacks during the latter half of the season further exacerbated the situation.
Additionally, Altan highlighted a significant dip in the top 50 sales at most auction houses from 2022 to 2023. Interestingly, the decline was less pronounced in the next tier of sales, suggesting a slightly stronger demand in the mid-range market segment.
Key findings from Altan’s comprehensive 41-page report on the fourth quarter and the year 2023 include a 40% year-over-year drop and a 27% quarter-over-quarter drop in the number of six-figure auction sales in Q4, marking the lowest total in the past three years.
Baseball items proved to be a highlight in 2023, with eleven recorded sales exceeding $1 million. Eight of these sales involved cards or memorabilia of legends such as Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, spread across five different auction houses.
However, basketball cards experienced a significant contrast from the previous year. While there were twelve seven-figure sales in 2022, there were none in 2023. Altan noted a disappearance in the demand for high-priced modern patch cards, which did not make a comeback throughout the year.
On eBay, the list of top-selling cards of currently active basketball players in the last four months of 2023 included names like LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Surprisingly, the market for LeBron James and Steph Curry cards across all platforms dipped by over 40% last year, whereas Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant cards remained relatively stable.
Notably, Jordan cards from the late 1990s accounted for five of the top ten Jordan card sales in the fourth quarter, including three of the top five.
While the market for game-worn and game-used memorabilia showed only modest growth from the previous year, the top 25 and top 50 sales in this category in 2023 were more than double the levels achieved in 2021.
Altan’s Insights report provides a comprehensive overview of the shifting dynamics in the sports collectible market. It sheds light on the fluctuations in various segments and highlights the evolving interests of collectors and investors in this domain.
