It took less than a month for a Tom Brady rookie card to break its own all-time record of sale.
Brady's autographed 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Rookie Ticket #144 card sold for $2,252,855 million after 67 bids Friday night during Lelands 2021 Spring Classic Auction. The opening bid was set at $75,000.
The sale shattered the previous record of $1.32 million for a football card, which happened to be the same Brady rookie card sold last month. The nearly million-dollar difference was in the grading of the card. Friday's sale had a card grade of 8.5 out of 10 and an autograph grade of 9 out of 10. Last month's Brady rookie had a card grade of 8 and an perfect autograph grade of 10. The grading was done by Beckett.
Nicknamed the 'Holy Grail' of Brady rookie cards, it shows the rookie quarterback in his Patriots uniform, flanked by a mock ticket stub detailing basic information of the Michigan product. Friday's card is No. 99 of 100 printed.
"This card was purchased on eBay over a decade ago and has been tucked away in a private collection since then," the auction house wrote in a description of the Brady rookie card.
The record-setting sale is a testament to the rising market in the sports card and memorabilia industry since last year. Given that the reigning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player is still competing well at the highest level and will continue to add to a legendary career in the coming years in Tampa, perhaps this isn't the last time a Brady rookie card breaks the record again.
