Tom Brady’s retirement leads to collector’s frenzy, $2.3 million rookie card sale on eBay

Hajducky is a reporter/researcher for ESPN. He has an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University and played on the men’s soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities.

The aftershock of former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady’s retirement is still rippling through the ether, currently causing tremors in the sports card and memorabilia world.

E-commerce company eBay reports that from January 23 to the 29 — when Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington announced Brady’s retirement — the site saw a 198% increase in Tom Brady collectible sales, including a 233% increase in rookie card sales and a 341% increase in his jersey sales.

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User searches for Brady rookie cards and jerseys were up 476% and 273%, respectively, from Jan. 24 to the 29. Some perspective: In April 2020, following the airing of ESPN’s “The Last Dance,” Michael Jordan card sales increased by 370% on eBay.

On Feb. 1, Brady’s most sought after rookie card, sold for $2.3 million via Probstein Auctions through eBay. It is an autographed 2000 Contenders Rookie Championship Ticket numbered out of 100 with a Beckett Grading Services 8.5 grade and a perfect 10 signature.

It’s the third-most expensive football card ever, trailing a 2017 Panini National Treasures Patrick Mahomes, 1-of-1 rookie card that sold for $4.3 million in July 2021 and a better-graded version of the same Brady rookie card, which sold for $3.1 million a month earlier. The collectible item is also the highest trading card sale in eBay’s history.

Brady also owns the record for most expensive game-used NFL jersey of all-time. Just weeks ago, his autographed jersey from the final week of the 2020 regular season (a 44-27 drubbing of the Atlanta Falcons) sold with auction house Goldin for $480,000.

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