Signed Tom Brady Rookie Card Sells for Record $400,100 at Auction

The sale marks the highest price tag in history for a football card.

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.