Rick Probstein, a major sports souvenir seller through an auction website, was working at his office in New Jersey on Sunday when suddenly sales of souvenirs for former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant increased.
In this way, Propstein received the news of the death of Bryant, a Los Angeles Lakers basketball star who died with his daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles on Sunday.
"It's horrific," Probstein said in a telephone interview on Monday. "It is a horrific way to get the news through the sales movement."
He added that he sold several cards with Bryant pictures, some of which were booked by buyers at a price of more than ten thousand dollars, in addition to basketball and shoes bearing the signature of the player himself.
The website data indicates that more than 12,000 of Bryant's souvenirs were sold through him since the news of the death, including cards with his photograph, sold for $ 75,000.
Probstein reported that this craving for Bryant souvenirs pushed prices up quickly with the missile, and said that prices rose at rates ranging between five and 15 times compared to the original price.