New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft bought a stunning Tom Brady rookie card in mint condition for $120,000 at a Sotheby’s auction in New York City on Tuesday night.
With the legendary Patriots quarterback, now an NFL commentator, at his side, Kraft won the card with a bid of $100,000. He ultimately paid $120,000 for the autographed piece of memorabilia.
Kraft, along with Brady and Fanatics owner Michael Rubin, attended the ‘Holy Grails’ auction in Harlem, where rare and unusual collectible cards and memorabilia were offered for sale.
According to Sotheby’s, the card Kraft purchased “commemorates Brady’s debut season after being selected 199th overall by the Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft.”
The description of the card reads: ‘The copy, and Tom Brady rookie cards in general, are exceptionally rare because so few were printed due to his draft stock.
Tom Brady watched as Robert Kraft bought a rookie card from him for $120,000 on Tuesday
The auction, held through Sothebys, saw this signed Brady rookie card go to Kraft
Compared to the best players in the draft, especially in today’s game, who come in different packages and variations, Brady’s sixth-round status limited his overall success.
‘Brady had only printed approximately 135 mainline card designs for the 2000 product year and only 13 of those were autographed. Only four of those featured Brady in his iconic No. 12 Patriots uniform.’
This card Kraft purchased was one of four Brady cards auctioned Tuesday night.
The cheapest card was a 2006 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Holosilver card, of which only one existed, which sold for $21,600.
In addition to the card Kraft purchased, there was a rookie card autographed by Brady that had once belonged to the quarterback himself and sold for $192,000.
But the most expensive Brady card of the night was a 2015 Panini Immacculate Collection Premium Patches card featuring the NFL shield from one of Brady’s jerseys and an autograph. This one-of-one card sold for a whopping $480,000.
Surprisingly, this wasn’t the most expensive purchase of the night. That honor goes to a 1955 Roberto Clemente rookie card, which sold for a whopping $840,000 at auction.