Robert Kraft pays $120,000 for Tom Brady autographed rookie card at "Holy Grails" auction
BOSTON -- Robert Kraft could probably get any piece of Tom Brady memorabilia he wants just by asking his former quarterback. But on Tuesday night, the Patriots owner had to pony up a pretty penny to land an autographed Brady rookie card.
Both Kraft and Brady were among the many celebrities at the Sotheby's and Fanatics "Holy Grails" auction at Harlem Parish in New York City, which featured some of the rarest and most coveted trading cards from last two centuries. Brady and Kraft were seated next to each other when the bidding got underway, and Kraft saw one item that he had to add to his collection.
Fittingly, that item was Lot 12 -- a 2000 Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket Autograph Tom Brady card, which was graded at a 9.5 with the autograph graded a 10. Kraft pounced all over it, and won the auction with a bid of $120,000.
That was one of four Brady cards that sold at Tuesday's auction, which sold for a combined total of $813,600.
A 2018 Topps Sapphire Superfractor Shohei Ohtani card was the first card to hit the auction block on Tuesday and sold for $336,000, which was two times its estimated price tag. It set a new auction record for an Ohtani card, just one week after the Dodgers superstar became the first MLB player to notch a 50/50 season.
The most valuable card sold at the auction was a rare 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente rookie card graded at PSA 9, which went for $840,000. The sale total from Tuesday's auction hit $7 million.
