Tom BradyThe autographed rookie card sold for a staggering six figures at the Sotheby’s x Fanatics live auction on Tuesday night… and the lucky buyer was none other than Robert Kraft!
The ‘Holy Grails’ auction featured several near-priceless items, including Brady’s 2000 Playoff rookie cardsigned by TB12.
The card was graded as flawless — receiving a 9.5 from Beckett Grading Services and a 10 for the autograph — and we’re told that only a few cards were printed at that time due to Brady’s position in the draft (199th pick in the 6th round).
“It is among the finest-condition copies of the card ever certified and, at the time of cataloguing, no other example of this card had received a higher grade from Beckett,” Sotheby’s said.
Well, Kraft — who took a chance on Brady when he selected the Michigan player in the 2000 Draft — wasn’t about to let the card go home with anyone else… the billionaire owner paid $120,000!
“He accomplished everything there was to accomplish in this game and more,” Kraft said of Brady when he retired in 2023.
“No player in NFL history has done it as well for as long as Tom Brady. He is the fiercest competitor I have ever known and the ultimate champion.”
And Kraft’s card wasn’t the only Brady card up for auction. There were three other rookie cards that were auctioned off… with all four going for a staggering $813K combined.
The auction also featured a Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps Sapphire Superfractor card that sold for $336,000, a rare 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente rookie card that sold for a record $840,000 and LeBron James‘ The 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection rookie patch sold for $432,000 after a competitive bidding war.
Sotheby’s first auction with Fanatics had bidders from 20 countries and raised $7 million in sales!