Million-Dollar Cards Multiply as REA’s Topps Brick Tops a Big Week for Grading-House Records

The week’s standout figure came from Robert Edward Auctions, which reported that an unopened 1952 Topps “brick” sold for £813,000 ($1.1 Million) at its Summer Auction, reported on 17 August 2026, a result the house described as leading a record-setting sale. Alongside that, CGC reported two separate seven-figure private sales of graded Pokémon cards, and SCP Auctions recorded a further six-figure result for a graded Michael Jordan rookie card. Taken together, the week underlines how the top end of the hobby continues to produce headline numbers across both vintage American sport and modern collectible categories.

1952 Topps Unopened “Brick”, £813,000 ($1.1 Million)

Robert Edward Auctions reported that the sealed 1952 Topps brick achieved £813,000 ($1.1 Million) at its Summer Auction, in a result the house reported on 17 August 2026. The house named the lot as the top result of the sale, describing the wider auction as record-setting. As is typical with sealed vintage material of this scarcity, the appeal lies in its unopened condition rather than any single graded card inside it, the brick was sold as an intact, unbroken unit.

CGC-certified Pokémon Cards Each Top £700,000 in Private Sales

CGC reported two separate private sales this week, each involving a CGC-certified Pokémon card and each realising more than £739,000 ($1 Million).

The first, reported on 2 September 2026, concerned a CGC-certified “Ivy” Pikachu, which CGC said sold for £739,000 ($1 Million) in a private sale, the second such Ivy Pikachu the grader has confirmed reaching this level. The second, also reported on 2 September 2026, involved a CGC-certified Rayquaza Gold Star, which likewise realised more than £739,000 ($1 Million), again in a private transaction.

CGC framed both results as continuing a run of record-breaking figures for graded Pokémon cards passing through its certification service. In neither case did CGC’s reporting specify whether the quoted figure includes any buyer’s premium, and no further detail on buyer, seller or sale venue was given beyond confirmation that both were private sales.

Also sold

SCP Auctions recorded a price realised of £266,000 ($360,000) for a 1986 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan card graded PSA GEM MINT 10, reported on 26 July 2026. The listing confirms the grade and the price realised but does not specify further sale conditions.

What it tells us

This week’s reported figures span two quite different corners of the hobby, a sealed 1952 Topps brick and modern graded trading cards from the Pokémon line, yet both produced results at or beyond the million-dollar mark as reported by their respective auction house and grading service. The REA brick result reinforces that unopened vintage product, when scarce and verifiably sealed, continues to command auction-house attention at the very top of the market, while CGC’s two separate confirmations of seven-figure private sales point to a growing pattern of high-value transactions occurring outside the traditional auction room altogether.

The SCP result for the graded Jordan rookie, more modest by comparison but still substantial at £266,000 ($360,000), is a reminder that a PSA Gem Mint 10 grade on a widely collected key card remains capable of producing strong six-figure outcomes even when it isn’t the week’s headline lot. None of these figures should be read as a single trend line, they represent four distinct reported sales across different categories, formats and reporting sources, but collectively they suggest that both established vintage material and newer graded collectibles are continuing to find buyers willing to pay record or near-record sums, whether at public auction or through private sale.

Sterling converted from the reported figures at £1 = $1.35 (ECB reference rate, 2026-09-04) and rounded. Figures are as reported by the selling house or grader.