Ken Goldin on Drake, Mike Tyson and the wild world of sports collectibles ahead of new Netflix show

What do Muhammad Ali, Drake, Logan Paul and Lee Harvey Oswald have in common? 

In some way, shape or form, the notable quartet have been within the orbit of collectibles extraordinaire Ken Goldin. If by chance you have not heard the name, that will soon change.

Goldin is the star of Netflix’s upcoming docuseries King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch – to be released Friday – which follows the jet-setting lifelong collector as he consigns and competes for the rarest and most wonderful memorabilia while meeting with some of the sports sphere’s most prominent people. 

Mike Tyson, Logan Paul and Drake are some of the stars which feature alongside Goldin in the six, 30-minute unscripted episodes which trials Goldin for a three-month period. 

Iron Mike is one of the Goldin’s most treasured celebrities he has met throughout his illustrious collectible auctioning career and fondly told Dailymail.com of a time when Tyson ‘fired’ one of his employees.

Ken Goldin (C) is the star of the series co-produced by Peyton Manning & Brent Montgomery 

The collectibles extraordinaire has spent time opening packs of rare sports cards with Drake

‘He was great and very smart,’ Goldin said of his time with Tyson. ‘He was messing with my employees — he literally snuck up behind one of them [while he was] watching a video and [Tyson] goes “Oh, yeah, I’ve seen that before. I love watching that show, by the way you’re fired!”‘

Drake appears in the first episode with Goldin making a last-minute trip to Toronto, leaving behind an imminent business trip to Las Vegas and instead leasing a private jet to arrive in The Six. Awaiting him was the rapper naturally inside a nightclub, before a virtual cameo from one of Will Smith’s sons on the night of his father’s most infamous moment. 

‘We met him at a nightclub and they gave us the entire lower floor — it was actually the night of the Oscars when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock,’ Goldin said. 

‘So, I was there as Will Smith’s son was texting Drake after it happened. I spent 45 minutes talking to Drake and his entourage about collectibles. He’s just such a cool guy. We went until about two in the morning opening up cards.’

His relationship with Paul extends well beyond the Netflix series – widely considered to be something of a sports iteration of Pawn Stars. The series has Peyton Manning as an executive producer, alongside Brent Montgomery – who is the creator of the beloved History Channel show, in addition to Alone, American Restoration and Counting Cars.

‘I love Peyton. As you know, he’s very funny. He’s great to work with,’ Goldin said of the famous quarterback-turned-production star. 

‘He collects himself and obviously, he is a very aggressive businessman. He’s also competitive like me, he wants to win.’

Manning also features in the show, alongside his company Omaha Productions’ off-screen role

Mike Tyson appears on the Netflix series, showing Goldin a rare item from his illustrious career

Paul and Goldin are texting buddies, with their relationship and shared passions belying the vast difference in age.  

‘Logan is somebody I literally text with every week, he’s a businessman and he loves what I’ve built with this business with no money… obviously that’s something he’s doing and we can really relate that way as well,’ Goldin said of Paul.

‘He is a passionate collector, he could really relate to people who are collectors. He’s a die-hard Pokémon collector, so he understands the chase. He gets upset if he opens up a box of cards and doesn’t find good cards.’ 

While Goldin may have sat in the lower floor of a Toronto nightclub sealed off exclusively for he and Drake, there is no celebrity figure which has made him more awe-struck than Yankees great Joltin’ Joe Di Maggio. 

‘The guy played with Lou Gehrig, you know, the 56-game hitting streak, he retires and marries Marilyn Monroe — perhaps the most famous actress of all time — that was the guy I was probably in awe-of the first time I met.’

Selling items may be Goldin’s golden goose, though he does occasionally purchase some of the rarer pieces for his own collection. 

Lionel Messi, Cristian Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Serena Williams all have game-worn items in his assemblage. Then, there’s the small matter of MLB memorabilia. 

‘I’ve got a bat from every member of the 500 (home run) Club, including a Babe Ruth game-used bat [from] in 1927 the 60 homerun season,’ Goldin revealed.

‘I have the highest grade copy in existence of the first Avengers number one comic book ever issue. The first Spider Man appearance, The Amazing Fantasy 15, X Men number one, you know, the first appearance in store the first appearance of Ironman… things like that.’

As for the company itself, some pieces of global history have made their way to the auctioneering empire — two of which live long in the memory of generations past and present. 

‘We sold the actual pair of handcuffs that Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested after shooting President Kennedy [and] the autographed Double Fantasy album that John Lennon signed, and gave to Mark David Chapman before he was murdered.

‘I held the actual documents that were signed by Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson, in 1947, that signed him to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball. That may be the most historic item that I’ve ever been associated with.’

Logan Paul, who texts with Goldin every week, unpacked Pokémon cards with his mentor

Goldin was joined by celebrities including Jimmy Kimmel at the West Hollywood premiere 

Goldin traveled in style to visit Drake in Toronto, leasing a private jet to open cards together

Goldin has sold the most valuable MLB and NBA rookie cards, and the most expensive NBA jersey in history, and while it may seem from the outside as if there is some innate gift driving him to the apex of the collectible world, he revealed there is little science to the process. 

‘They come to me for one reason only they want the most possible amount of money for the items they wish to sell,’ he said. ‘That’s it! Not because I’m their best friend in the world, not because I’m, the funniest guy in the world, No.’

Goldin may not be those things, but upon Friday’s release of the series — the world will see him for what he and some of his celebrity acquaintances are; lovers of moments of time which they can be transported to in the form of collectibles. 

King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch premieres on Netflix this Friday, April 28.