Kobe Bryant signed and inscribed middle school yearbook is up for bid in Iconic Auctions online sale

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Feb. 22, 2020 - PRLog -- A Kobe Bryant signed and inscribed 1992 middle school yearbook with a reference to the Los Angeles Lakers, and a love poem handwritten by Michael Jordan when he was in middle or high school, signed "Michael Jeffrey Jordan", are expected top lots in Iconic Auctions' Internet-only Autographs & Memorabilia auction, online now and ending Feb. 29^th.

Interested parties can view the entire auction catalog and bid now, at www.IconicAuctions.com. Most of the items have been authenticated by Beckett, REAL, James Spence and other reputable authenticating services.

Over 700 lots are up for bid, in a range of collecting categories, not just sports. These include politics and history, music and entertainment and more, with rare, collectible items signed by such luminaries as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, The Beatles, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Dylan, Abraham Lincoln, Tupac Shakur, Derek Jeter, Ted Williams, Mike Trout and others.

The yearbook, from NBA legend Kobe Bryant's 8^th grade year at Bala Cynwyd Middle School in Pennsylvania, is boldly inscribed in blue ballpoint pen on the second-to-last left page. It says: "In a few years you will probably be dunking on me. NOT!! How about those Lakers – Your friend, Kobe Bryant #24". Four years later Bryant wore #24 for the Lakers (minimum bid: $2,500).

The Michael Jordan love poem, titled "Only You", was penned by His Royal Airness to a girl he presumably fancied at school. In turns it is sentimental ("Only you can kiss on my cheeks"), devout (mentioning "the great man above") and awkward ("I hope you grow very, very tall"). The signature is a rare full-name example and an early Jordan autograph (minimum bid: $2,500).

"The market for basketball autographs and memorabilia has exploded in the last several years, and the Kobe Bryant middle school yearbook and Michael Jordan handwritten teenage love poem are two of the most unique pieces we've ever handled in that genre," said Jeff Woolf, the president of Iconic Auctions.

Woolf added, "It's crazy if you think about it. Here's a kid rooting for the Lakers who not only ends up a player on the team four years later, but arguably goes on to become the greatest player in team history. You just don't see something so prophetic like that ever surface. It's amazing."

For more info on the Feb. 29 auction, visit www.iconicauctions.com.