Less than a week after selling a game-worn Victor Wembanyama jersey at auction, the seller wants out.
Frankie Desideri Sr., the father of a young fan who received a Wembanyama jersey in a viral “jersey swap” in December, later put the jersey up for auction. But on Monday, Desideri filed a temporary restraining order against Goldin Auctions to stop the sale; the restraining order, placed with the New York Supreme Court, was denied on Thursday, per cllct’s Darren Rovell.
The jersey sold at Goldin for $73,200 on Saturday and is believed to have been paid for and shipped to the person with the winning bid, per cllct.
Desideri’s son, 5-year-old Frankie Desideri Jr., received the Wembanyama City Edition jersey after a San Antonio Spurs matchup against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center.
A few weeks later, the gifted jersey went to auction, which the French star was not too happy about.
Desideri Sr. told cllct that his son had changed his mind, and that the family had tried to have the jersey withdrawn from auction multiple times, despite originally consenting to the sale.
Desideri will reportedly continue his legal challenges, telling cllct that the contract he signed with Goldin is void since it is illegal for a child’s property to be sold for more than $50,000 without a court-appointed guardian. The validity of that claim will depend on whether a court deems the jersey as Desideri’s property or his son’s.
Ken Goldin, the founder and CEO of Goldin Auctions, told cllct that Desideri fully initiated the sale, and it only took him a few days to sign the contract after reaching out to the auction house.
Wembanyama is out for the rest of the season due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder. However, the French phenom’s stock is still high: On Sunday, Goldin sold a Wembanyama rookie card for a record price of $860,100.
