Tom Brady rookie card sells for record $400K in online auction

Feb. 26 (UPI) -- A rare Tom Brady rookie trading card sold for a record price in an online auction Monday.

The card, which is part of the 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket collection, was auctioned for $401,000. The historic sale fetched the highest price tag in history for a football card.

PWCC Marketplace and eBay coordinated the auction of the New England Patriots quarterback's rookie card. There were only 100 copies made of the card, with only two "receiving a grade of 9 or higher by Beckett Grading Services," according to ESPN.

"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."

Brady's card set a new benchmark for football cards, but fell short of the top prices that rare baseball cards have reached.

The T206 Honus Wagner card sold for a record $3.1 million in 2016. A 1952 Mickey Mantle card auctioned for $2.88 million in April 2018.

Brady won his sixth Super Bowl title with a 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Feb. 3. He has a 207-60 record in the regular season as a starter and has an NFL-record 30 wins in the playoffs.