Fanatics Collect Auction Results – Weekly Auction #236 Recap

Weekly Auction #236 is officially in the books, with 28 Arthur’s Cards & Collectibles listings sold across baseball, Pokémon, and Star Wars.

The auction generated 186 total bids, with an average buyer price of $23.10 and a median buyer price of $15.00, including the Fanatics Collect buyer’s premium. The lineup was led by an Andruw Jones one-of-one autograph, while Bo Jackson, early-2000s Essential Credentials parallels, and Star Wars Chrome Galaxy cards produced several of the week’s strongest results.

Weekly Auction #236 at a Glance

Listings sold: 28
Total bids: 186
Average buyer price: $23.10
Median buyer price: $15.00
Listings at $30 or less: 21
Including 17 at $18 or less

Buyer prices include the 20% Fanatics Collect buyer’s premium. Individual results below show both the hammer price and final buyer price.

Top Auction Results

2022 Topps Archives Signature Series Retired Mini Andruw Jones Auto 1/1 #27

Hammer price: $70
Buyer price: $84
Bids: 17

The one-of-one Andruw Jones autograph finished as the top result in Weekly Auction #236.

The card combined several strong collector hooks: an on-card autograph of the newly inducted Hall of Famer, a retro Topps design, and true one-of-one scarcity. That combination helped it attract 17 bids and separate itself from the rest of the baseball lineup.

1991 Score Bo Breaker Bo Jackson #773 CGC 9.5 Mint+

Hammer price: $60
Buyer price: $72
Bids: 19

Bo Jackson delivered one of the most notable results of the week, with the 1991 Score Bo Breaker card finishing second overall and generating a sale-high 19 bids.

The card’s memorable vertical design, bold “Bo Breaker” typography, strong CGC 9.5 grade, and Bo Jackson’s continued crossover popularity helped it outperform several scarcer and more modern cards in the auction. It was another example of recognizable imagery and collector nostalgia competing successfully against serial-numbered rarity.

2003 Fleer E-X Essential Credentials Future Jason Giambi /57 #46 PSA 7

Hammer price: $44
Buyer price: $52.80
Bids: 15

The Jason Giambi Essential Credentials Future parallel finished third overall at $44.

The card attracted 15 bids, confirming that the scarcity and reputation of the Essential Credentials line still generated interest. However, its $44 hammer was roughly in line with the value of a raw copy. That suggests the PSA 7 grade added little or no premium, while Giambi’s historically softer collector market—partly tied to his connection to performance-enhancing drugs—may have further limited demand.

2003 Fleer E-X Essential Credentials Future Luis Gonzalez /97 #6 PSA 6

Hammer price: $39
Buyer price: $46.80
Bids: 8

The Luis Gonzalez Essential Credentials Future parallel followed at $39.

The card still benefited from its low serial number and the reputation of the Essential Credentials line, but the PSA 6 grade likely held the result close to the value of the underlying card itself. Taken together, the Giambi and Gonzalez sales suggest that scarcity can preserve demand, but it does not erase condition sensitivity or guarantee a meaningful grading premium.

2024 Topps Chrome Star Wars Galaxy Refractor The Choice #78 CGC 10 Gem Mint

Hammer price: $38
Buyer price: $45.60
Bids: 18

The Choice (Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, Grogu, and the Mandalorian) produced the top Star Wars result and the fifth-highest hammer price of the auction.

It also attracted 18 bids, second only to the Bo Jackson Bo Breaker card. The CGC 10 grade, refractor finish, artwork, and scene-based appeal helped it outperform even the Luke Skywalker card from the same group.

2024 Topps Star Wars Chrome Galaxy Luke Skywalker Refractor #83 CGC 10 Gem Mint

Hammer price: $31
Buyer price: $37.20
Bids: 12

Luke Skywalker finished as the second-highest Star Wars card and sixth-highest result overall.

The franchise’s central character, combined with Chrome Galaxy artwork, a refractor finish, and a CGC 10 grade, gave the card several clear reasons for collectors to compete. The $31 result also helped reinforce the continued appeal of high-grade Star Wars Chrome Galaxy cards within weekly auctions.

Most Active Bidding

Several listings stood out not only because of their final prices, but also because of the number of bids they attracted.

Baseball Results

Baseball supplied the top four results and six of the auction’s top ten sales.

The Andruw Jones one-of-one led the auction, but the Bo Jackson Bo Breaker card may have been the most interesting baseball result. Its $60 hammer and 19 bids showed how strongly collectors can respond to an affordable, memorable card of a hobby favorite—even without an autograph, serial number, or rookie designation.

The Essential Credentials Future parallels of Jason Giambi and Luis Gonzalez also attracted meaningful interest, but their results showed that genuine scarcity did not erase condition sensitivity. Both cards found bidders because of the reputation and low serial numbering of the parallel, while their moderate grades appear to have limited the premium over raw value.

Other baseball results included:

• Buster Posey Grayscale Filter /75 PSA 10 — $29
• George Lombard Jr. Bowman Prospect CGC 10 — $20
• Mark McGwire Yellow /35 PSA 9 — $20
• Darryl Strawberry Glossy Send-In CGC 8.5 — $9
• Bo Jackson Rifleman CGC 9 — $8
• Willie Mays Bowman Reprint Sweepstakes CGC 9 — $8
• Ted Williams Bowman Reprint Sweepstakes CGC 9 — $7

The two Bo Jackson cards also demonstrated how much the specific card image and design can matter. The Bo Breaker reached $60 with 19 bids, while the Rifleman finished at $8 with four bids, despite both coming from 1991 Score and carrying similar grades.

Star Wars Results

Star Wars Chrome Galaxy delivered two of the auction’s six highest results.

The Choice (Luke, Grogu, R2-D2, and the Mandalorian) led the category at $38 and attracted 18 bids, while Luke Skywalker reached $31 with 12 bids. Both cards were CGC 10 refractors, but The Choice’s stronger result showed that scene selection, artwork, and visual presentation can sometimes compete directly with character recognition.

The remaining Star Wars results were more affordable:

• Biker Scout Down Refractor CGC 10 — $10
• Little Droidsmith Mini Diamond Refractor CGC 9 — $8
• Return to Jabba’s Palace Refractor CGC 9 — $6
• Red Five Refractor CGC 8.5 — $5

The category showed a familiar pattern: the strongest artwork and highest grades attracted concentrated bidding, while the rest of the checklist remained accessible.

Pokémon Results

Gengar led the Pokémon group, finishing at $24 with seven bids.

Other notable results included:

• Mimikyu Holo CGC 10 — $16
• Goodra Holo CGC 10 — $15
• Gourgeist ex Holo CGC 10 Pristine — $14
• Charizard V Promo CGC 8 — $13
• Donphan Reverse Holo CGC 10 — $12
• Bulbasaur CGC 8.5 — $10

The Pokémon results reflected the importance of character popularity, but they also showed that grade and set context matter. Gengar topped the category despite coming from the lower-cost Trick or Trade release, while the recognizable Charizard promo finished at $13 in a CGC 8.

That does not necessarily diminish either card. Instead, it shows how buyers weigh character, condition, release, and expected availability together rather than bidding based on character recognition alone.

Collector-Friendly Results

Although the top of the auction produced several competitive results, most of the lineup remained within an approachable price range.

Of the 28 sold listings, 21 cost buyers $30 or less, including 17 with final buyer prices of $18 or less.

That gave collectors opportunities to pick up graded cards featuring Charizard, Lugia, Bulbasaur, Bo Jackson, Darryl Strawberry, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, and multiple Star Wars scenes without having to compete at the top of the market.

The $23.10 average buyer price was lifted by the stronger headline sales, while the $15 median better reflects what a typical winning bidder paid during the auction.

Market Notes From the Week

Weekly Auction #236 reinforced a familiar theme: collectors were most aggressive when a card offered an immediate and recognizable reason to care. That could come from true scarcity, memorable imagery, an established parallel line, strong artwork, or a combination of those qualities.

The Essential Credentials results also showed how aggressively collectors can discount lower numerical grades within a scarce and condition-sensitive insert set. The Jason Giambi /57 finished at $44, roughly in line with the value of a raw copy, suggesting that the PSA 7 holder added little premium and may have limited the card’s upside.

The contrast with a PSA 8 Matt Kata Essential Credentials Future /14, which sold for $552, is especially striking. The Kata is roughly four times scarcer based on serial numbering, but it realized more than ten times the Giambi result. That gap is especially notable because conventional player demand should favor Giambi. Kata played parts of five major-league seasons and hit 12 home runs, while Giambi hit 440 home runs over a 20-year career.

We would be remiss not to acknowledge that Giambi’s connection to performance-enhancing drugs has historically weighed on his collector market. Even so, the difference in on-field production is far too substantial to explain away the price gap through player demand alone. The result suggests that the PSA 8 grade, the lower /14 serial number, and possible demand from Essential Credentials set collectors all contributed substantially to the Kata premium.

The broader takeaway is that pricing within scarce insert sets is not determined by one factor alone. Serial number, numerical grade, player demand, population, set collectors, and a player’s broader hobby reputation can all interact—sometimes producing results that appear disconnected from on-field accomplishment.

The Bo Jackson results made a different point. Cards do not always need to be rare or expensive to inspire competitive bidding. A recognizable subject, memorable design, strong grade, and nostalgic connection can be just as effective.

Star Wars once again showed that non-sports cards can compete near the top of a mixed-category auction. However, the gap between The Choice and Luke Skywalker versus the rest of the Chrome Galaxy group also showed that collectors remained selective. High grades alone did not lift every refractor equally.

Overall, the market rewarded cards that gave bidders an immediate reason to care. Scarcity, set reputation, artwork, nostalgia, character or player recognition, and condition all mattered—but the strongest results generally combined several of those qualities rather than relying on only one.

At the same time, with 21 of 28 listings costing buyers $30 or less, the broader checklist continued to offer opportunities for collectors willing to look beyond the headline cards.

Congratulations to this week’s winners, and thank you to everyone who tuned in, placed a bid, or followed along. We appreciate the continued support and look forward to another round next week!