High-grade Charizard and Moses Malone Cards Top Fanatics Collect's July Auctions

Two Pokémon cards and a Moses Malone rookie card, each certified by CGC Cards™, turned heads in recent Fanatics Collect auctions. These impressive cards were just some of the thousands of CGC-certified TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards that were sold through the Fanatics Collect marketplace in July 2024.

The Charizard, Pokémon (1999) Base Set 1st Edition Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10 realized $34,200 on July 22, 2024. It is now the fourth highest-selling Charizard on Fanatics Collect's marketplace, coming in just behind a Charizard, Pokémon (1999) Base Set Shadowless Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10 that sold for $35,700 in a Premier Auction on October 19, 2023.

Click images to enlarge.

Additionally, a Lugia, Pokémon Topps (2000) Pokémon the Movie: 2000 – 1 Hologram – First Appearance graded CGC 9.5 realized $9,000 on July 22, 2024. Unlike other Pokémon, Lugia was not first conceptualized for use in the video games. Instead, it was created by Takeshi Shudo — the screenwriter for the Pokémon anime and movies — as the star character of Pokémon the Movie: 2000. The Legendary first appeared in the movie, surprising fans, and was chosen by Nintendo to be the box legendary of Pokémon Silver after staff noticed Lugia's rising popularity.

Click images to enlarge.

Meanwhile, hundreds of CGC-certified sports cards were sold through Fanatics Collect in July as well, with the top highlight being a high-grade vintage rookie card of NBA legend Moses Malone. A 1975-76 Topps #254 Moses Malone graded CGC Gem Mint 10 sold for $8,100 on July 22. Malone was the first player to make the jump directly from high school to the pros instead of attending college, paving the way for future stars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and others to do the same. During his more than two-decade-long career in the ABA and NBA, Malone led the Philadelphia 76ers to an NBA championship in 1983 and won the NBA Finals MVP for his efforts. He was selected to 13 All-Star games (12 NBA, 1 ABA), won the NBA MVP Award three times and was the NBA rebounding leader six times. That's why high-grade rookie cards like this one of the iconic center go for a premium among collectors.

Click images to enlarge.

Another sports highlight from July's Fanatics Collect sales featured a rare Captain's Patch from the jersey of a Super Bowl-winning quarterback: Drew Brees. A 2016 Panini National Treasures NFL Captains Patch #4 Drew Brees graded CGC 9 sold for $1,500 on July 14. One of most productive quarterbacks in NFL history, Brees still holds several league records. They include the highest completion percentage in a single season (74.4%), highest completion percentage in a game (96.7%), most passing TDs in a game (7-tied), most consecutive games with a TD pass (54) and most career 5,000-yard seasons (5).

The longtime New Orleans Saints star led the franchise to their first and only Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl XLIV, picking up the Super Bowl MVP award, as well. The 13-time Pro Bowler is also projected to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the near future. As one of the greatest to ever play under center, it's no surprise that an extremely rare, one-of-one Captain's Patch relic card sold for four figures.

Click images to enlarge.

Other recent TCG and non-sports card sales highlights include:

• a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Yu-Gi-Oh! (2002) North American Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon - LOB-001 Ultra Rare 1st Edition Glossy graded CGC Gem Mint 10 that realized $8,700 on July 7
• a Pikachu, Pokémon (2016) Japanese XY & XY BREAK Promo - 279/XY-P 20th Anniversary Festa Participation Prize graded CGC Pristine 10 that realized $8,100 on July 22
• a Timetwister, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Alpha graded CGC 7 - Qualified that realized $6,900 on July 7
• a Volcanic Island, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Beta graded CGC 6.5 that realized $5,760 on July 28
• a Charizard, Pokémon (1999) French Base Set 1st Edition Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10 that realized $5,640 on July 14

Other recent sports card sales highlights include:

• a 1986-87 Fleer Stickers #8 Michael Jordan graded CGC 6 that realized $660 on July 7
• a 2020 Panini Impeccable Elegance Helmet & Nameplate Autos #114 Jalen Hurts graded CGC 9, with an autograph graded CGC 10, that realized $444 on July 22
• a 2022 Panini Diamond Kings Downtown #D2 Shohei Ohtani graded CGC 9 that realized $420 on July 28
• a 2016-17 Upper Deck Young Guns #201 Auston Matthews graded CGC 7.5 that realized $336 on July 22
• a 1927 Cioccolata Lurati #68 Jack Dempsey graded CGC 3 that realized $300 on July 14

Notable Upcoming Fanatics Collect Sales

Fanatics Collect continues to offer CGC-certified cards in their weekly, fixed and premium auction formats. One of the highlights available in August is a 2022 Donruss Autographs #374 Brock Purdy graded CGC 9.5, with an Autograph graded CGC 10. After a breakout rookie season, Purdy led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in just his second year in San Francisco, where they fell to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Selected with the final pick (262nd overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft, and earning the moniker Mr. Irrelevant, Purdy has been everything but irrelevant so far. Considering his elite play during his first two NFL seasons, adding an autographed Purdy rookie card to your collection could be a shrewd purchase.

Click images to enlarge.

Other sports cards in the upcoming August auctions include:

• a 1958 Topps #22 Johnny Unitas graded CGC 6.5
• a 1984-85 Topps #51 Wayne Gretzky graded CGC Gem Mint 10
• a 2001 SP Authentic Sign of the Times #PM Peyton Manning graded CGC 6, with an autograph graded CGC 10
• a 2020 Panini Flawless #57 Tom Brady graded CGC 9
• a 2023-24 Upper Deck Extended Series Special Forces #SF-9 Connor Bedard graded CGC Gem Mint 10

Other TCG and non-sports cards in the upcoming August auctions include:

• a Charizard, Pokémon (1999) Base Set Shadowless Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10
• a Shivan Dragon, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Alpha graded CGC 9.5
• an Underground Sea, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Alpha graded CGC 4.5
• a Venusaur, Pokémon (1999) Base Set 1st Edition Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10
• a Black Lotus, Magic: The Gathering (1993) International Edition graded CGC 9.5

Sell Your CGC-certified Cards on Fanatics Collect!

In July 2024, PWCC Marketplace became Fanatics Collect — a new collectibles marketplace that connects dealers and collectors through fixed-price listings, auctions and a myriad of tools and features, all in one app. CGC Cards and Fanatics Collect remain partners and will continue to provide a streamlined pathway to grading and selling. The grading and selling program is still accessed via an online submission process through Fanatics Collect's website, and everything is still managed through the Fanatics Collect vault. For more information about Fanatics Collect, click here.

Cards sent to CGC receive priority grading and encapsulation through its third-party grading service for sports cards. Graded cards are returned to Fanatics Collect and immediately added to their Auction Builder Curation Algorithm process, which optimizes cards for sale in upcoming Fanatics Collect Weekly Sunday Auctions.

For more information about this program, click here.

Prices realized include buyer’s premium.

Note: At the time some of these cards were graded, they were encapsulated with the original CGC Cards label. Starting July 11, 2023, CGC Cards began encapsulating cards with the new CGC Cards label. In addition to the new label, collectors enjoy many other benefits with CGC Cards, such as the ability to submit without purchasing a membership and an industry-standard Gem Mint 10 grading scale. For more information, go here.