DJ Skee is an American DJ, record executive, and media personality best known for hosting radio shows and podcasts focused on hip hop and urban music. While primarily known for his work in music, DJ Skee also developed a passion for collecting baseball cards that resulted in him amassing one of the largest and most valuable collections in the world.

Skee’s interest in baseball cards began at a young age thanks to his father, who would take him to card shows and taught him the joy of collecting. Even as his career in music took off in the late 1990s and 2000s, Skee continued building his baseball card collection in his spare time. He focused primarily on vintage cards from the 1950s and 1960s featuring all-time great players like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron.

One of Skee’s most prized possessions is a near-mint condition 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card. Considered the crown jewel of baseball cards, examples of Mantle’s rookie in top condition regularly sell for over $1 million at auction. Skee’s card is authenticated and graded as a PSA 8, just shy of gem mint. He estimates it is worth well over $750,000 based on recent sales comps. Beyond the Mantle rookie, Skee’s collection also includes other ultra-high value cards like a T206 Honus Wagner, several pre-war tobacco cards, and dozens of cards graded PSA 10.

In addition to focusing on vintage stars, Skee has also amassed a large collection of modern rookie cards. Knowing the cards of today could become tomorrow’s treasures, he began buying up rookie cards for players when they first broke into the majors. Some of Skee’s higher profile modern rookie card holdings include Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome, Bryce Harper 2010 Bowman Chrome, and Fernando Tatis Jr. 2016 Bowman Chrome. He estimates the value of just his modern rookie card collection alone exceeds $500,000 based on the rising prices for cards of star players.

Aside from simply collecting and holding cards for investment purposes, Skee has also gained a reputation in the hobby for his willingness to loan prized pieces from his collection to museums and for special exhibits. He lent his Mantle rookie card to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum for a blockbuster exhibit in the early 2010s. Skee has also allowed his collection to be featured in documentaries and TV specials about the business of sports collecting.

In 2019, Skee took his collecting to the next level by acquiring one of the most significant complete vintage sets still intact – a 1909-11 T206 set authenticated and graded by PSA. Considered the most iconic issue in baseball card history, high grade examples from the colorful and portrait-focused T206 set have become among the costliest cards to acquire. Skee was able to purchase the nearly complete 109 card PSA set for a price rumored to be over $2.5 million.

Aside from single cards and sets, Skee has also invested in rare prototypes, test prints, and uncut sheets that seldom come to market. In recent years, he paid over $100,000 for an uncut prototype sheet of 1964 Topps cards that featured test designs and color variations never seen in the official issue. Finds like this allow Skee a glimpse into the creative process behind some of the most collectible issues in the hobby.

Through smart purchases, savvy collecting strategy, and a willingness to spend top-dollar for the rarest finds, DJ Skee has amassed one of the most valuable sports card collections in private hands. Estimates place the current worth of his entire collection at well over $10 million based on regular price guide valuations of its star cards, sets, and key pieces. While he enjoys sharing his passion with others through loans to museums and special exhibits, Skee keeps most of his prized cards securely stored and protected for future generations. His story shows that even part-time collectors can achieve amazing things with persistence, knowledge, and a love of the cardboard treasures from baseball’s past and present.