New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft drafted Tom Brady in the sixth round (199th pick) of the 2000 NFL Draft. Fast forward to Tuesday night, at Sotheby's x Fanatics 'Holy Grail' live auction, Kraft paid $120,000 for a 2000 Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket Autograph Brady card.
In view of the condition of the card, it was graded as a 9.5 by card grader Beckett Grading Services, in addition to getting a 10 autograph grade. With this in mind, only a few cards were made at around this time, as Brady was such a late draft pick.
"It is among the highest condition copies of the card ever certified and, at the time of cataloging, no other example of this card has been graded higher by Beckett," Sotheby's said.
Kraft's final bid without fees was $100,000, and it was only right that the Patriots billionaire owner ended up with the card, as he is a big reason why Brady started his storied career in Foxborough.
"He has accomplished everything there is to achieve in this game, and so much more," Kraft said back when Brady retired. "No player in NFL history has done it as well for as long as Tom Brady. He is the fiercest competitor I have ever known and the ultimate champion."
Notably, Brady, who was a backup quarterback at Michigan, went on to win seven Super Bowls, while becoming the all-time passing leader in NFL history, accumulating the most yards (89,214) and touchdowns (738) by any quarterback ever.
According to ESPN, three other Brady cards sold at the event for $813,600. In total, the auction brought in $7 million in bids, with the most expensive card sold being a 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente rookie card that was bought for $840,000.
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