A signed photo of Michael Jordan soaring toward the rim at the 1988 Dunk Contest just sold for $179,340. And a black-and-white photo from 1957 sold for $146,400 because it is the picture behind a famous trading card.

Both prices come from Goldin’s Fall Photo Auction, with results reported on Nov. 9, 2026. The sale was a reminder that vintage sports photographs can bring serious money, and not only from basketball fans.

The auction house is Goldin, and the results covered some of the most famous moments in sports.

A Signed Type I Photo Of Jordan’s 1988 Foul-Line Dunk Is The Top Sale At $179,340

The top lot was a signed Type I photo of Michael Jordan’s foul-line dunk at the 1988 Dunk Contest. It sold for $179,340.

A Type I photo is generally one printed from the original negative close to the time the image was taken. Collectors treasure them because they are the earliest, sharpest versions of famous moments.

The twist is that the photograph, not a game-worn jersey or a trading card, was the star. For many of us, that dunk is the image that defines the era.

The 1957 Photo Behind Jim Brown’s 1958 Topps Rookie Card Brings $146,400

Next came a 1957 photo that was used for Jim Brown’s 1958 Topps rookie card. It sold for $146,400.

That is a fun piece of hobby detective work. Millions of fans know the card, but few have seen the photograph that the card was based on.

It shows how the photograph and the card are connected. A collector who owns the original image holds the source of one of football’s most famous rookie cards.

A Pre-Rookie Kobe Bryant Photo From 1996 Sets A Record At $65,011

Basketball fans had another reason to pay attention. A signed pre-rookie photo of Kobe Bryant, taken on Sept. 29, 1996, at his first Lakers shoot, sold for $65,011.

That is a record for any public sale of a Kobe photograph. It captures the young player at the very start of his Lakers career, before the games and the championships.

Such photographs appeal to collectors because they preserve a beginning. You are looking at a player who has not yet become a legend.

A 1946 Photo Of Jackie Robinson With The Montreal Royals Sells For $40,260

Baseball history was part of the sale too. A 1946 Type I photo of Jackie Robinson with the Montreal Royals, his season before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, sold for $40,260.

A Roberto Clemente photograph from May 12, 1955, his rookie season, brought $27,755. Both pictures show players on the edge of greatness.

Photographs like these are windows into baseball history, and collectors are willing to pay for them.

More Jordan, A Barry Sanders Record And A One-Of-A-Kind “Tears Of Triumph” Photo

Jordan appeared again in the sale. A signed photo of his 1996 dunk at the United Center brought $29,890.

A one-of-a-kind oversized photograph by Ken Levine, titled “Tears of Triumph,” showing Jordan with the trophy and his father, James, in 1991, sold for $25,648. It is the kind of image that moves people even without a caption.

Football got a moment as well. A photo of Barry Sanders’s NFL debut on Sept. 10, 1989, sold for $10,370, a record for a Sanders photograph.

Why Vintage Sports Photographs Are Catching Collectors’ Attention

For years, collectors focused on cards, jerseys and balls. Photographs were often treated as an afterthought, but the results show that is changing.

A photograph is a piece of history. It records a specific moment and, in the case of a Type I print, comes from the original negative.

It is also often rarer than a card. Cards were printed by the millions, while a vintage photograph may exist in just a few copies.

The auction results also say something about the way fans connect with sports. A trading card gives you a name and a number, but a photograph gives you the moment: the leap, the smile, the crowd in the background.

That emotional pull helps explain why a picture of a dunk or a debut can bring prices that once belonged to rare cards. People remember where they were when they saw those moments, and a vintage print brings the memory back.

For sellers, the message is encouraging. If you have inherited a box of old press photos from a relative who worked at a newspaper or a team, it may be worth having them looked at before you give them away.

What To Check If You Have Old Sports Photos At Home

If you have old sports photographs, look at the back. Stamps from a photographer or a newspaper, handwritten captions and dates can all help establish what you have.

Store the photos flat, away from sunlight and damp. Avoid tape, glue and sticky albums, which can damage the paper.

If you think you have something special, ask a qualified authenticator or an auction house for an opinion. Do not clean or trim the photo.

You may not own a picture of Jordan or Brown, but the lesson is the same. An old photograph in a drawer may be worth more than you think.

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