Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns Sells Record $72K Yamamoto Card

Karl-Anthony Towns quietly set a new high-water mark in sports cards Friday by selling a 1-of-1 2024 Topps Inception MLB Logoman rookie card of Yoshinobu Yamamoto for $72,000 in a Fanatics Collect auction. The PSA “Gem Mint 10” card features a logo patch and autograph; it more than doubled the previous record for a Yamamoto rookie and signals rising demand after the pitcher’s 2025 World Series MVP run. Merlin sees more than a flashy sale — he sees narrative fueling value. Yamamoto’s Game 2 nine-inning duel, a Game 6 start and a Game 7 close turned performance into provenance. With a Topps code “yet to be redeemed,” more rare pieces could surface, and athletes unwrapping trophies (or cards) in public only sharpens collector hunger.