2007-08 Exquisite LeBron /23 PSA 10 Sells for $53K

2007-08 Exquisite LeBron James Goldin Sale: Why This Pop 1 PSA 10 Matters

On December 7, 2025, Goldin closed a major modern-era basketball sale: a 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Exclusives Autograph Patch #EAP-LJ LeBron James, numbered 11/23, graded PSA GEM MT 10, for $53,680.

For LeBron collectors and Exquisite fans, this card checks almost every premium box: low serial numbering, on-card autograph, multi-color game-used patch, and a population ("pop") of just one in PSA 10.

In this breakdown, we’ll walk through what the card is, why it matters in the hobby, and how this $53,680 result fits into the broader LeBron and Exquisite market.

Card Overview: What Exactly Sold?

Card details

Player: LeBron James
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Year: 2007-08
Set: Upper Deck Exquisite Collection
Insert / subset: Exclusives Autograph Patch
Card number: #EAP-LJ
Serial numbering: #11/23 (only 23 copies produced)
Attributes:
- On-card autograph (signed directly on the card)
- Game-used patch window
- Short print parallel limited to 23
Grading company: PSA
Grade: GEM MT 10 (Gem Mint)
Population: Pop 1 in PSA 10 at time of sale

This is not a rookie card (LeBron’s rookie year is 2003-04), but it is a high-end, low-numbered, on-card auto patch from the later part of his first Cleveland stint. It sits in the lane most collectors would call a “key premium issue” rather than a rookie flagship.

Why 2007-08 Exquisite Still Matters

Upper Deck’s Exquisite Collection line, which started in 2003-04, reshaped the high-end basketball market. Boxes were extremely expensive for their time and loaded with low-numbered patch autos, particularly for top-tier stars and rookies.

By 2007-08, Exquisite had already established itself as:

One of the defining premium products of the 2000s
A benchmark for on-card autographs and game-used patches
The go-to reference point for “true high-end” modern cards

Within that context, a LeBron James Exclusives Autograph Patch /23 is essentially a top-shelf, mid-career LeBron card from one of the hobby’s most respected brands. Even though it’s not his rookie year, it carries the same premium design language and construction that made Exquisite iconic.

Grading and Scarcity: PSA 10 Pop 1

Grading terms can be confusing, so here’s the quick context:

PSA GEM MT 10 is PSA’s highest standard grade, indicating Gem Mint condition.
Population (pop) refers to how many copies of a card have received a specific grade at a grading company.

At the time of this Goldin sale, this card sits as Pop 1 in PSA 10 — meaning it’s the only known example at this grade in PSA’s census. For a serial-numbered /23 patch autograph from Exquisite, that combination of:

Very low print run
Premium brand
Star player
Top grade is exactly what many high-end collectors look for.

Because patch autos from this era often have surface, edge, or chipping issues, true Gem Mint copies are tough. That scarcity is a key driver behind the $53,680 sale result.

Market Context: How Does $53,680 Fit In?

When collectors talk about “comps” (short for comparables), they mean recent sales of the same card or very similar cards to help understand current price ranges.

For this specific card — 2007-08 Exquisite Exclusives Autograph Patch #EAP-LJ /23, PSA 10 — public comps are extremely thin:

The card is limited to 23 copies.
Only one has reached PSA 10.
High-end examples like this tend to trade privately or infrequently.

To get context, collectors usually look at:

Same card in lower grades (PSA 9, BGS 9, BGS 8.5, raw)
Comparable Exquisite LeBron patch autos from the mid-2000s
Similar-tier LeBron autos from other premium brands of the era

Across major platforms (Goldin, PWCC, Heritage, eBay), related LeBron Exquisite auto patches from 2004–2009 have shown:

Strong, but uneven, demand: prices can vary widely based on patch quality, auto strength, and exact subset.
A premium for low serial-numbered cards (/25 and below), especially when combined with a clean on-card autograph.
A significant bump for top grades — PSA 10 or BGS 9.5/10 — compared to near-mint or raw copies.

Within that landscape, $53,680 for a Pop 1 PSA 10 /23 LeBron Exquisite auto patch sits in a range that:

Reflects both the scarcity and the brand strength of Exquisite
Is consistent with the broader tier of non-rookie, but truly premium, LeBron autos that occupy the middle ground between his grail-level rookie Exquisites and more common modern issues

Because exact comps for this precise configuration are scarce, any price analysis needs to lean more on:

Exquisite’s long-standing reputation
LeBron’s place among all-time greats
The difficulty of securing Gem Mint patch autos from the late 2000s rather than on a deep stack of one-to-one sales.

Collector Significance: Why This Card Draws Attention

Several factors make this card meaningful for different segments of the hobby:

1. Exquisite as a Historical Brand

For many collectors, Exquisite is still the reference point for high-end basketball. Even after the product line ended, its influence is clear in modern premium releases.

Owning a LeBron Exquisite patch auto is often viewed as a long-term collection anchor — something that doesn’t get easily replaced by newer designs.

2. LeBron’s Legacy Window

LeBron James continues to:

Climb all-time leaderboards
Add to his playoff and scoring resume
Maintain relevance on and off the court

As he moves deeper into the later phase of his career, there’s steady interest in “career-spanning” collections: key cards from each era of his playing days. A 2007-08 Exquisite /23 fits that mid-career narrative well, especially from his first Cleveland run.

3. Patch, Auto, and Eye Appeal

Collectors at this level care about more than just the grade and serial number. They look at:

Patch quality (color breaks, number of colors, visual balance)
Autograph strength (boldness, smudging, placement)
Centering and design symmetry

Exquisite designs tend to showcase the patch and auto cleanly. When all three — patch, auto, and grade — line up, it becomes a prime target for collectors who want a single, representative LeBron from the Exquisite era.

4. Population and Replacement Risk

With only 23 copies printed and this being the only PSA 10, there’s a real “replacement risk” factor: if a collector passes on the card now, there’s no guarantee a similar specimen will appear again soon.

Infrequent public offerings are part of why:

Auction results for this type of card can be lumpy.
Individual transactions can set informal reference points for future negotiations.

How Collectors Might Use This Sale as a Reference

For active hobbyists, this Goldin result on December 7, 2025 can serve as:

A benchmark for mid-career Exquisite LeBrons: Not a rookie grail, but an important premium issue with all the key elements serious collectors chase.
A data point for gem-level patch autos: It reinforces how much of a premium the market places on Pop 1 PSA 10 examples compared to more common grades.
A reference for similar cards from other sets: Collectors can loosely map this sale to mid- to late-2000s high-end LeBron patches in products like SP Authentic, UD Black, and other Exquisite subsets, adjusting for brand, print run, and design.

Because the card is so scarce, this result should be viewed as a single, meaningful data point rather than a firm price rule. It helps frame expectations but doesn’t guarantee what the next copy (likely in a different grade and patch configuration) will do.

Takeaways for Different Types of Collectors

New or returning collectors

This sale illustrates how brand + player + scarcity + grade work together.
You don’t need a five-figure card to participate; you can still apply the same thinking to more accessible LeBron autos or numbered parallels.

Active hobbyists and small sellers

Pop 1 Gem Mint grades on low-numbered patch autos carry a clear premium.
When evaluating similar cards, consider all condition factors — not just centering and corners, but surfaces and foil, which often limit grades on thick Exquisite stock.

High-end collectors

Goldin’s December 7, 2025 result provides a fresh reference point for mid-career Exquisite LeBron autos.
As more LeBron milestones and eventual end-of-career narratives develop, cards like this sit in a stable part of his card ecosystem: rare, brand-defining, but not tied to rookie-only speculation.

Final Thoughts

The $53,680 sale of the 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Exclusives Autograph Patch #EAP-LJ LeBron James /23, PSA GEM MT 10 (Pop 1), at Goldin on December 7, 2025 underscores how:

Exquisite remains a cornerstone of the high-end basketball market.
Low-numbered, on-card auto patch LeBron cards continue to attract serious attention.
Top grades on already-scarce cards can push them into a different tier entirely.

For anyone tracking the intersection of LeBron’s legacy and premium 2000s-era sets, this is a sale worth bookmarking — not as a prediction, but as a meaningful snapshot of how the market currently values one of the best possible versions of this particular card.