On Thursday, an autographed Tom Brady rookie card sold for $1.32 million, smashing the previous record for the highest known amount paid for a football card. And, like in last month's Super Bowl, Brady outplayed Patrick Mahomes. The card was sold at auction by Sotheby's in New York City.
The world-record price tag was set when the card was sold for $1.32 million (Rs 7.5 crore) by Sotheby's in New York City. The card features an autograph from Brady after his first NFL season - 1997 - when he led the Patriots to their first undefeated regular season with a 14-2 mark. The signature came from early in the morning of 4 November 1997, just hours before they played against San Diego in Boston. The card also includes two other prominent signatures from former Patriots players Ty Law and Willie McGinest. The card has been certified by the National Football League Hall of Fame as being from a time when players were not allowed to sign trades, contracts or anything else on their cards.
Brady's rookie card is one of many famous sports cards that have sold for huge amounts at auction.
Tom Brady's rookie card sells at auction for a record-breaking $3.1 million. As Tom Brady's NFL career has apparently gone on indefinitely, it's easy to forget that the seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback began as a rookie with the New England Patriots in 2000. In an effort to mark this moment in time and celebrate Brady's career, Heritage Auctions is offering up his first professional card: a 50th Anniversary edition playing card printed when he was still just 23 years old.
Brady's card features art by Ralston Brothers and is part of their Millennium set. It reached a final price of $3.1 million at a Boston auction house on August 5th, 2019. The previous record for any sports card was held by Michael Jordan's 1992 rookie card from the Chicago Bulls team that drafted him. That card sold for $543,000 in 2014.
It's worth mentioning that there are other famous cards that are not actually played at all that can be considered valuable. For example, Charles Barkley's 1994 NBA card reportedly sold for $150,000 in 2017. So if you were lucky enough to have found one of these cards in a pack or box, you could probably sell it for a lot of money.
However, most valuable cards are those that remain in play.
Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl winner and all-time leading passer, set another record on Friday, this time for the most ever paid for a football card. Brady's rookie card set a record at the Lelands Spring Classic Auction, fetching $2,252,854. The previous record was held by Brett Favre, who came out of retirement to play one season, then retired again.
The card is expected to sell for more than $3 million when it goes up for auction later this year. It's part of an annual event that features top players from different sports cards sold by Heritage Auctions. NFL stars Jared Lorenzen, Karl Joseph, and Devin Bush also had cards sold in this year's event.
Brady has two other cards in the Top 10 highest-selling NFL cards list: his own card (no. 4) and Peyton Manning (no. 9). Both are considered modern-day legends who led their teams to multiple Super Bowl victories during their careers.
Manning currently holds the record for the highest-paid player in the history of American football, with his 2009 card selling for $4.5 million. He was followed by Brady, who was not even drafted into the NFL, and has since become one of the best quarterbacks in the world.
A autographed Mahomes rookie card sold at auction last month for $861,000, momentarily breaking Brady's record by $459,000. The card was expected to sell for around $75,000.
Mahomes' first NFL season was cut short when he injured his knee late in a game against the Houston Texans. He returned for the 2019 season but did not play again until December, when he threw four touchdowns during a 45-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After his rookie season, Mahomes became one of the biggest stories in sports as he led the Kansas City Chiefs to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. In 2017, he threw for 4,713 yards and 35 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. Last year, those numbers rose to 5,097 yards and 36 touchdowns to just nine picks.
In addition to his accomplishments with the Chiefs, Mahomes has also won several awards this season including the MVP Award after leading his team to the top seed in the AFC. He is currently ranked second in career touchdown passes (61) and third in career passing yards (71,005).
Brady, on the other hand, has three championships to his name and has never lost when playing in the postseason.
Look no farther than the 1991 Wild Card Draft Picks set for the most expensive Brett Favre football card. A PSA Gem Mint Condition 100 Stripe Parallel Rookie Card is his best-selling card. This unique example was just auctioned off for $2,027.50.
Brett Favre is one of the most popular players in NFL history and a number of cards have been issued featuring his image over the years. The most recent version can be found in the 2011 NFL Hall of Fame Game Series. It features images of Favre playing against his former team, the Green Bay Packers, with other notables including Bart Starr (who drafted him), Charles Martin (his coach at Southern Mississippi), and Jerry Kramer (his teammate who shared that honor).
The most valuable card featuring Favre's image is also one of the rarest: a 1991 World Sportswriters Association Award Winner. PSA Gold Label Certified Heritage Baseball has certified this card as 10/10. The grading company also certifies another card from that year's WSWA Awards Program as 9.5/10. Both these cards are part of a limited series that were released in conjunction with the card show then known as "Sportflic" now renamed "WSWA National Sports Card Convention". The card shows Favre wearing jersey #4 with the words "Brett Favre New York Jets" across the front along with his photo and career stats.
This unique example was just auctioned off for $2,027. These cards are vulnerable to damage. They feature black borders and date from the early 1990s. The highest price per card in this series is $55.
The most expensive Brett Favre non-football card is a 1992 Topps Traded card with his signature. It sold for $4,200 at an auction in August 2010.
Brett Favre's rookie card was released by Upper Deck in 1995. It features a silver foil signature card with white border lines. The card has 9 signatures from major league players who wanted to honor Favre's first year in the league. An original print run of 10,000 cards was issued with an $80 sticker on it. Today's market value is $140.
Brett Favre's first official baseball card was also released by Upper Deck in 1995. It features an orange and black logo on the front of the card. The back of the card has an interview with Favre by Baseball America magazine. He discusses being drafted by the Braves and Yankees and why he chose the Vikings. This rare card is valued at $150 today.
Favre's second baseball card was released by Leaf Brand Sports Cards in 1996.
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