While Tom Brady is breaking records on the field, he continues to break records off the field as well. Brady's rookie card sold in March for $1.32 million, believed to be a record high for any football card, and now the same type of card has blown past that record, selling for $2.25 million on Friday.
The 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Rookie Ticket card is autographed and numbered 99 out of 100, meaning only 100 copies of this particular card were produced. The version that sold in March to Fitbit CEO James Park was graded as an 8 with the autograph graded a 10. The card that sold Friday was graded as an 8.5 with a 9 on the autograph, but the buyer for this particular card wishes to stay anonymous.
"I wasn't shocked (by the price), but I was certainly surprised," Lelands president Mike Heffner said. "I know the market is headed upward, especially with rare and desirable cards such as that one, but I didn't really anticipate it. I had an inkling just feeling the performance of the other cards over the past month, it was certainly a possibility but these modern cards are definitely for real."
Brady's rookie card broke the record back in March, beating out a Patrick Mahomes card that sold for $861,000 in the beginning of February. The 2017 National Treasures autographed Mahomes card was graded a 9 and was one of only five of that specific card. That sale broke the previous record, which was held by another Brady card that sold for $555,988 in January.
The meteoric rise in prices only a few months apart is a perfect example of the boom the sports card industry has experienced over the past year. For the sake of comparison, a higher graded version of this Brady rookie card, a Mint 9 with a 10 grading on the autograph, sold for $400,100 just two years ago.
Now the same card has eclipsed $2 million as prices for rare and expensive sports cards and memorabilia continue to climb.