A signed Tom Brady rookie card sold at auction for $400,100 on Monday. The historic sale marks the highest price tag in history for a football card. There were only 100 copies made of the Brady rookie card, and just two were in good enough shape to "receive a grade of 9 or higher by Beckett Grading Services", according to ESPN. Beckett Grading Services judges card quality on a scale of 1-10. "This sale was record-setting but also largely predicted," PWCC Marketplace CEO Brett Huigens told ESPN. "The trading card market is rapidly maturing among tangible asset investors and record prices are becoming increasingly frequent, especially among the market's most desired issues." The sale of Brady's card pales in comparison to the top prices for rare baseball cards. The T206 Honus Wagner card fetched $3.1 million in 2016 and a 1952 Micky Mantle card sold for $2.88 million in April 2018. Brady's string of accomplishments, however, warrants the $400,000 price tag for his rookie card. The Michigan product won his sixth Super Bowl on Feb. 3 and Brady cleared both the 70,000-yard and 500-touchdown threshold in 2018. He is 207–60 as a starter in the regular season along with an NFL-record 30 postseason wins. Brady is also a three-time MVP.<doc-sep>Tom Brady has a habit of breaking records every single year. He now holds the record for the most expensive football card ever sold at auction, with an absurd price tag of $400,100. This autographed Tom Brady rookie card was sold for $400,100 on eBay, the highest price ever for a football card sold at auction. pic.twitter.com/FLq7mEY2I7 — NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 26, 2019 According to ESPN, the card is part of the 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket series. Only 100 were produced, and the auctioned card was one of only two known cards in mint condition. The New England Patriots quarterback is 41 years old and coming off his sixth Super Bowl win. Brady plans to continue playing and breaking records, so this is just another one for the books.<doc-sep>Marcus Smart Says He Has Heard Racist Remarks From Celtics Fans: 'It's Sad And Sickening'Asked about Kyrie Irving's comments about Boston fans, Celtics guard Marcus Smart said that he is hoping that the Boston crowd will treat all players -- whether they're in a Celtics or a Nets uniform -- with respect. Jayson Tatum Good To Go For Celtics-Nets Game 3Celtics forward Jayson Tatum practiced on Thursday and is good to go for Friday night's must-win Game 3 against the Brooklyn Nets. Jalen Mills Explains Why He Switched To No. 2 With PatriotsJalen Mills says switching to No. 2 is cool, but it also has a deeper meaning for the new Patriots defensive back. Long Snapper Joe Cardona On Playing For New England Patriots: 'I Never Thought I'd Be In The NFL'The Patriots long snapper says there is a different energy in the building knowing that fans will be returning to Gillette Stadium in the fall. Bruins-Islanders Game 1 Set For Saturday Night At TD GardenWe don't have a full series schedule just yet, but at least we know when the Bruins and the Islanders will begin their second-round series.<doc-sep>PWCC Auctions, the marketplace that sold both the Jordan and Brady cards, described the Brady as “a world-class asset” and “certainly the most important modern football card ever to be auctioned publicly” in its listing. Just days later, a 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Rookie Ticket Tom Brady card, autographed by the Patriots quarterback, sold for $400,100, the culmination of a 10-day eBay auction. Only 100 of the cards were produced, according to the item description. PWCC Autions The owner of the card mentioned that they might be interested in putting it on the market a few weeks back,” said PWCC CEO Brent Huigens. “We were obviously delighted to be able to feature it, so we geared up to run an auction.” Advertisement Beckett Grading Services, a Dallas-based grading company that specializes in collectibles such as trading cards, gave the card a 9/10 overall and a 10/10 on the autograph. It is one of only seven of the cards with a Beckett grade of 9. PWCC detailed specifics on the card’s value further in a five-minute YouTube video. In February 2018, another one of the seven Brady cards with a 9/10 grade sold for $250,000. “It’s a fun story, because I think the general public, their perception of trading cards is, aside from it being kind of a silly hobby, there’s not a perception of modern cards are worth a lot of money,” said Huigens. “This is really testament to not only is there an investment in trading cards, but there’s modern cards worth an incredible amount of money.” The name of the card serves as a bit of irony. At 5-11, the Patriots were not “Playoff Contenders,” and as the fourth-string quarterback, Brady was not a “Championship Rookie Ticket. “The term ‘Championship Ticket’ has nothing to do with them being champions that year because they weren’t,” said Huigens. “Championship Ticket is the brand of the card manufacturer.” Advertisement The fact that Brady was not considered a star at the time probably contributes to the worth of the card now. “I personally think these cards were either badly abused or discarded altogether over time because he wasn’t a phenom,” said Huigens. “It’s just a rare issue, and the one that we sold is not only 1 of 100, it’s arguably the finest in the world. Of the 100 that exist, this was the best confirmed copy. “It’s really what we call a ‘holy grail’ kind of a card — irreplaceable, best of the best of the greatest football player of all time, so it’s easy to see why its value is so high.”<doc-sep>
Whatever you think of the Patriots' dynasty, you can't have a conversation about football's best quarterback or, indeed, player of all time without mentioning Tom Brady. Brady and the Patriots are coming off of their sixth Super Bowl title -- tied for the most of any team and giving Brady the most individual Super Bowl titles of all time -- and that means it was the perfect time to sell a Brady rookie card from 2000. The card sold for a football card record $400,100. The auctioneer, PWCC Marketplace (which just sold a Michael Jordan card on eBay for $350,100 last week) was happy about the sale -- but not surprised. "This sale was record-setting but also largely predicted," said PWCC CEO Brent Huigens, per ESPN. According to Huigens, the card -- which is the "highest quality specimen" PWCC has ever sold -- headlined an auctioning event. "This auction event featured the finest football card we've brokered in our 20-year history and achieved the highest-ever hammer price for a football card," Huigens said. "We were honored to present this asset to the public and are delighted for the new owner." Only 100 of the cards were produced -- with only two receiving a grade nine from Beckett Grading Services. To see Beckett's grading system, you can look here. A nine is near mint, but not quite there, which is to say -- this card is incredibly rare. Brady still has some time to go in his career. The ultimate goal for the Patriots is undoubtedly to get to their seventh Super Bowl title -- breaking a tie with Pittsburgh to give them the lead among all NFL franchises -- and if they do that, this card could end up being worth even more than it's already insane price.