Alt, the leading marketplace for high-end trading cards, has made history by acquiring a 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems (PMG) Green Kobe Bryant #81, graded PSA 5, for $3.15 million through its dedicated sports card investment fund. The private transaction establishes a new all-time record for any solo Kobe Bryant card sold at public or private sale, eclipsing the prior benchmark of $2.4 million set in September 2025 for a different Bryant card.
The card hails from Bryant’s second NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers and is one of only ten green PMG parallels ever produced in the 1997 Metal Universe set. (Numbers 1–10 were printed in green foil; 11–100 in red.) It depicts a young Kobe mid-air in a shimmering metallic green background—a design that has long captivated collectors for its eye-catching “shine” and status as the inaugural basketball PMG release. Surface wear on these cards makes high grades exceptionally rare; only three examples of the Bryant green PMG have been graded by PSA, with this PSA 5 ranking as the second-highest known. One higher-grade copy exists but has not appeared publicly in years.
Widely regarded as one of the most iconic basketball cards ever made, the green PMG has occupied a mythical place in hobby lore—featured in price guides, collector wish lists, and childhood dreams since the late 1990s. A similar green PMG (BGS 8.5) sold privately for $2 million in February 2022, underscoring the card’s enduring demand even before today’s record.
The acquisition was executed through Alt’s investment fund, launched in 2021 as one of the earliest purpose-built vehicles for treating elite trading cards as an alternative asset class—predating the recent influx of institutional players. The card will be securely housed in the company’s Alt Vault in Delaware alongside other blue-chip holdings. With this purchase, Alt’s fund now owns record-setting cards (at the time of acquisition) for four pillars of the modern NBA era: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Previous fund highlights include a 2003 Exquisite Collection LeBron James rookie patch autograph (record at $1.8 million in 2020), a Giannis Antetokounmpo 1-of-1 rookie Logoman ($1.812 million in 2020), and majority ownership of a 2009 National Treasures Stephen Curry rookie Logoman auto (valued at approximately $5.9 million).
“Growing up, the Kobe PMG Green was the card you dreamed about,” said Leore Avidar, Founder and CEO of Alt. “It was on every collector’s wall, in every price guide, at the top of every wish list. I’d argue this is the best Kobe Bryant card out there. They only made 10 of them, it shines, and it’s the first year of basketball PMGs—which there’s a collector base for. I’ve been trying to get one—it’s always been my thing.”
The deal arrives amid explosive growth in the sports memorabilia and trading card sector. The global market is currently valued at roughly $14.9 billion and is projected to reach $52.1 billion by 2034, according to CardBiz. Record-setting sales have become commonplace, with more than a dozen cards crossing the $1 million threshold in 2026 alone. Institutional interest, high-net-worth collectors, and a new generation of investors have fueled the surge, transforming trading cards from childhood hobbies into serious financial instruments.
Alt has positioned itself at the forefront of this evolution. Beyond its investment fund, the platform provides collectors with the industry’s highest and fastest cash advances, a weekly auction for consistent liquidity, secure vault storage, and a lending program that lets owners borrow against their collections without selling. Its proprietary Alt Value pricing technology—used by collectors, auction houses, and institutions alike—delivers transparent, data-driven valuations across the market. In essence, Alt has built the financial infrastructure that treats elite cards with the seriousness they now command.
For Avidar and the Alt team, this Kobe acquisition is both personal and strategic. It reflects a deliberate focus on assembling Hall of Fame collections from the post-Michael Jordan generation—the defining stars who carried the NBA into the 21st century. As the hobby professionalizes, deals like this one signal that the best cards are no longer just collectibles; they are blue-chip assets with verifiable scarcity, cultural resonance, and proven appreciation.
The 1997 Metal Universe PMG Green Kobe Bryant now sits alongside the fund’s other crown jewels, a tangible symbol of how far the market has come—and a bet that its ascent is far from over. For collectors and investors alike, the message is clear: the grails of yesterday are the portfolios of tomorrow.
