Minnesotan's expertise helps lead to record $1.7 million Wilt Chamberlain rookie card sale

CROSBY, Minn. — A sports card collector from Minnesota just helped make the sale of a lifetime.

About a month ago, a man contacted Caleb Baker, of Crosby, about the value of his 1961 Wilt Chamberlain rookie card. Right out of the gate, Chamberlain set several NBA records that season with the Philadelphia Warriors which still stand today.

The original owner got it back in the 60s in a pack of cards he bought with his brother. He took it out knowing it was worth something, but didn't realize how much until he met with Baker.  

Upon inspection, Baker couldn't believe his eyes: he was looking at an "unheard of" Gem 10 Mint condition card.

"I'm just like, 'I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but this could be life-changing,' and I'm trying to hold it in for him because I don't want, you know, to make an empty promise to him, like, 'Yeah, this is going to be life-changing for you,'" Baker said.  

Baker had a contract with Goldin, an auction house, to sell the card. A private buyer ended up shelling out $1.7 million for it, making it the biggest-ever sale of a basketball card. 

"Let's say you go all the way back to 1961 and you opened a pack right now. The odds of that card in there, being a Wilt Chamberlain in a Gem Mint 10 condition would be one in a million," he said. "So many of those cards, the quality control in the 60s just wasn't where it's at today. So the card condition coming out of the pack are already not great."

The original owner and his brother took home the bulk of the money from the sale, but Baker tells WCCO he did get a nice commission.