When it comes to football players, Tom Brady is the GOAT, and the market for his cards is on fire. And as a lifelong sports card collector, especially when it comes to his own cards, he’s also a next-level collector. But it’s also a helpful reminder that talent, money, and hobby swag doesn’t always mean that you can add a rare card to your PC.
Even the GOAT Can’t Own Them All
As a partner in CardVault by Tom Brady with a net worth well over $300 million, you’d think Tom Brady would be able to add any card he wants to his collection, especially if it features him on the front. But some rare 1/1s have to be pulled to be sold, and in a recent interview, one thing is clear: for the lucky fan who pulls his 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball card with his unique inscription, he’s a buyer.
During the fascinating conversation, Tom Brady also named his top five favorite Tom Brady sports cards, indicating that he owns at least four of the five cards, which range from around $5,000 to grails in the millions. Let’s take a look at the cards that made the top of Tom’s personal list, and the reasons why he selected them.
Brady’s Top 5 Favorite Cards
2025 Topps Chrome Ultraviolet Tom Brady
For this card, his rationale for adding the card to his list is simple: Tom loves the artwork. It’s a rare card to pull from Topps’ return to licensed NFL trading cards, and easy to see why it would make Tom’s list. A recent copy of the card sold on eBay for $5250, definitely within the football legend’s budget.
2021 Donruss Downtown Tom Brady
Collectors love Downtown inserts, driving prices up, especially for rarer varieties of the popular chase. Tom digs this card because it features him in his Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey against a pirate ship background, aligning with the often creative background designs Downtown cards are known for.
Tom can likely afford the top-end versions, including the Gold /10 that sold recently on eBay for $20,600 and the Gold Vinyl 1/1 that sold in 2024 for $20,000 (also on eBay). If Tom is feeling a little less spendy, he can pick up a base Downtown in PSA 10 for around $6,300, comparable to one that recently sold on Fanatics Weekly auction.
2023 Bowman Draft Baseball Auto #12/50
Most collectors (now) know that Tom Brady is not just a talented football player, but that he also played baseball. A two-sport standout at Serra High School in San Mateo, California, Brady was drafted as a catcher by the Montreal Expos with the 507th pick of the 1995 MLB Draft in the 18th round. Brady instead chose to attend the University of Michigan, where he was ultimately drafted 199th overall by the New England Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft.
As a famous “what if,” Topps honored Tom Brady with a card in the 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball series, which has become well known for both the chase and the prices being paid, as well as for one particular card not yet being pulled. Brady signed the #12/50 (his NFL jersey number) with the humorous inscription “If baseball doesn’t work out, there’s always football.”
And while that particular card has yet to be pulled, Tom reiterated that when it surfaces, he’s an interested buyer. A gold /50 was sold in 2023 via Fanatics Weekly for over $45,000, and a 1/1 was sold on Goldin Auctions for almost $158,000. But until it is found, it will remain truly priceless.
2000 Bowman Chrome Refractor Tom Brady
Brady calls this card a “classic rookie card,” and fans and collectors agree. It’s an iconic card that would be the centerpiece of most Brady collections, but unless you picked it up earlier in his career or have a big bank account, be prepared to shell out almost $500,000, which is what the winning bidder paid in 2022 at Goldin Auctions for a PSA 10 card.
2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket Rookie Autograph Tom Brady
Rounding out the list is another standout rookie card of TB12, and the only rookie card featuring Brady in a full New England Patriots uniform. And it’s good that Brady has the bankroll to pay for this card, as a BGS 9 graded card with a 10 Auto sold for $3.8 million in a private sale in 2022. Hopefully Brady bet on himself and stashed away a few of the cards back in the day, so he doesn’t have to back up a Brinks truck to add one to his collection.
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