Tom Brady is undeniably one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. In his 23 years in the league, Brady broke numerous records for quarterbacks and led the New England Patriots to huge victories that included six Super Bowl wins. That number ties the Pittsburgh Steelers and it also gave the Patriots the highest number of appearances in the Big Game for any team ever. Even when Touchdown Tom (one of the many nicknames he doesn’t much like) had a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the last few years, Brady continued to deliver impressive performances, notching yet another Super Bowl win. This all came after a slow start to his career, initially warming the bench as a backup quarterback for the Pats. Yet, when Brady hit his stride, he delivered consistently impressive performances year after year. No quarterback in history has been this great for this long.
Brady's exceptional skills and accomplishments have earned him a well-deserved place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Despite some controversies deflating his legacy a bit (pun intended), the value of his rookie and trading cards has remained strong. Brady’s rookie cards are continuing to appreciate in value and even setting records for the most valuable football cards ever sold. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at Tom Brady's rookie cards, how much money they are worth, and why collectors may be interested in adding them to their collections. Ready to go? Let’s dive right in!
The Ultimate Guide to Tom Brady Rookie Cards: The Checklist
Although Tom Brady’s rookie cards are now worth a lot of money, he entered the NFL during a period when sports cards were experiencing a lull. The classic era had passed, and the modern era of stunning photography and clever uses of technology, when companies like Topps, Upper Deck, and especially Panini were making sports cards a major event, had not yet begun. So, while there are plenty of interesting rookie cards, we don’t see the wild color-based parallels, relics, and autographs that brought the thrill back to collecting in the 2000s. Regardless of that, there’s plenty to choose from in Brady’s first year in the league and we’ve lined up the ten best.
10. 2000 Pacific Crown Royale Die-Cut Insert Tom Brady Rookie Card #110 - $90,000
Let’s start with a unique-looking card that shows Tom Brady in his college uniform on a die-cut card shaped like a crown. In 2000, no one could not have known that Brady would deserve such royal treatment, as he was a six-round pick in the 2000 draft. This card was also an ‘insert', a bonus card that gets dropped into boxes with cards from the regular set and is generally harder to obtain. Add the unconventional design to the mix and you have a card that belongs in any serious Tom Brady collection.
What’s even more impressive about the copy of 2000 Pacific Crown Royale Die-Cut Insert Tom Brady Rookie Card #110 that sold for a whopping $90,000 to set a record for the card is that it was graded at the PSA 10 Gem Mint level. Considering how hard it would be to keep this card in mint condition with its odd edges, such a pristine grading is all the rarer. If you can find another copy that is perfect, snatch it up because this one will keep getting more valuable as the years pass.
9. 2000 Leaf Certified Mirror Gold Tom Brady Rookie /35 #207 - $90,061
I’m surprised that this is the only Leaf card on the list, because this high-end card company did an excellent job of producing premium and exclusive cards for so long. The 2000 Leaf Certified Mirror Gold Tom Brady rookie card is described as the rarest of premium inserts in the base Leaf set. With a starkly limited print run of 35, this flashy card has become really valuable, with all of the various copies that have been sold going for a lot of money. There’s a base set version of 2000 Leaf Certified #207 Tom Brady that is also nice and less shiny. That version is a bit easier to find and much more affordable. While the card’s image is of Tom Brady in practice gear, Leaf has done a great job of framing the image so it’s not as distracting as it could be that he’s not in his full kit.
The record price for this card was set in November 2021, when a BGS 8.5 NM-MT+ copy sold for an impressive $90,061 via online auction. These Leaf cards are gorgeous and have many fans, so we can expect this card to keep accelerating in value as collectors seek to fill out their Tom Brady collection in celebration of the end of his monolithic career.
8. 2000 Donruss Elite Status #183 Tom Brady Rookie Card /10 - $137,521
The 2000 Donruss Elite Status rookie card #183 of Tom Brady goes the college uniform route, showing the now-famous signal caller in his Michigan outfit. However, this interesting card has a few other details that make it stand out from the other rookie cards. For one, this card was an ‘insert’ card, with a population of only 10 copies. It’s a cool rarity because his rookie card in the base set actually shows him in his Patriots uniform.
Of course, that record price was set in August 2021 for a PSA 9 Mint copy of the card, with the seller noting that it’s only one of two copies in PSA 9 condition in the PSA database. Plus, this copy was 10/10, which matched Brady’s Michigan Jersey. What can I say - we collectors love details like that. That is likely how it went for a startling $137,521 in August 2021. This card seems like the type that will increase in value big time, what with the fact that it was a rare insert and Brady’s legion of fans is huge.
7. 2000 Fleer Prospect Showcase Legacy Tom Brady Rookie Card /20 #136 - $157,102
Fleer was definitely experimenting with a lot of different card designs when Tom Brady joined the NFL in 2000. This 2000 Fleer Prospect Showcase Legacy Tom Brady Rookie Card /20 #136 depicts the QB in an odd image on a shadowy background that varies in color with the light, plus a white font up front that is challenging to read. You can’t really see Brady’s face, which is probably why we didn’t see a lot more cards like this in the future. That said, this peculiar card does have a more standard type of card back, with stats that speak well of Brady’s college ball years, and a smirking young Brady with a shaved head. For these unusual images alone, this is one for collectors to snap up.
And snap up a BGS 8 NM-MT copy someone did when number 13 of 20 sold for a massive $157,102 in December 2021. With such a small print run and such an odd design, I wouldn’t be surprised if future copies sell for even more. While it’s far from the ideal rookie card, it has enough quirks to make it a killer card to show off in a comprehensive Tom Brady rookie card collection.
6. 2000 Fleer E-X Essential Credentials Future Tom Brady Rookie Card /25 #122 - $157,210
The greatest Patriot ever looked like a modestly talented QB back in 2000, but he still got a solid rookie treatment from most of the card companies. Fleer’s addition here is a little unusual in that it features Brady at practice wearing sweatpants. They liked that image so much that they included it on both sides of this E-X Essential Credential card, with the unusual design also featuring a flurry of fonts, strange formatting choices, and even a stats box stretched out like a colorless rainbow. I can’t compliment the graphic design here, but this bizarre card is distinctive in the way it presents information.
None of that takes away from the fact that this is still valuable as a rookie card for the guy who ended up being the most impressive quarterback ever. In his 23 years playing, Tom Brady accomplished more than a dozen other quarterbacks combined. Just to name a few, he was a 15X Pro Bowler, notched 7 Super Bowl wins, and was 5X the Super Bowl MVP. The list goes on and on. So, the fact that a BGS 8.5 NM-MT+ copy sold for a jaw dropping $157,210 in February 2022 is not surprising at all. There are only 25 copies of this card, and we can expect the additional copies to sell for more, especially if they are graded even higher.
5. 2000 Bowman Gold Tom Brady Rookie Card /99 #236 - $192,000
Another solid outing from Bowman, this 2000 Bowman Gold Tom Brady Rookie Card /99 features a shot of Tom Brady ready for a pass, with the white color of his uniform highlighted by the darkness surrounding him. These shots must have been tough to capture, as Brady is known for the lightning speed with which he sends the ball out to the receivers.
Worth noting is that the copy of the card that set this record price was graded by BGS 9 Mint and it was also 12/99, so the number of the card matched Tom Brady’s famous jersey number 12. That probably helped the card get a higher price than other copies among the 99-card run, with this version selling for a staggering $192,000 in August 2022. Even so, rookie cards from this beast of a quarterback are bound to still increase in value because his legacy is still being assessed for its significance from his retirement in 2023.
4. 2000 Upper Deck SPx Spectrum Tom Brady Rookie Card /25 #130 - $194,400
While it’s easy to look back now and see how Tom Brady was a star in the making, he wasn’t tapped as a future superstar right away. In 2000, this legendary signal caller got a pretty standard rookie rollout. As a result, there are some smaller print run cards like this one that rise up in value quickly. With only 25 copies of this parallel, the quirky digital fonts and blocky, unorthodox design of this card didn’t stop it from selling for a hefty price tag. Upper Deck also printed a regular version of this card with a print run over 1,000, so if you can’t pony up almost $200,000 for a copy, pick up the base card version.
The imagery of Brady in action on the card is solid, but not exceptional. The stats about his impressive college years and the close-up on the back elevate the card a bit, but otherwise the value of this Tom Brady rookie card is a lot about the limited number of copies that were made and the fact that the record price of $194,400 was set by the sale of a PSA 10 Gem Mint copy in August 2022. While that’s still within the window of the Pandemic surge in pricing, we'll have to watch the prices in the days ahead to see if cards like this with a limited run but no autograph will keep fetching prices as high as this one.
3. 2000 Upper Deck SP Authentic Tom Brady Rookie Card /1250 #118 - $251,101
There’s no arguing that this 2000 Upper Deck SP Authentic Tom Brady Rookie Card /1250 has an unusual card design. This SP Authentic card definitely leans in on some fonts we don’t see too often on sports cards. That intentionally digital look may not appeal to everyone, but it certainly seems to have worked here because the card has proven popular. While it is a ‘limited’ print run, a limit of 1250 is pretty sizable. The image of Brady is solid, and the angular design matches the quirky font choices.
That said, the success of this card might have to do with the fact that SP Authentic produced it and the brand had a good enough reputation that many collectors bought into their premium brand, snapping up their whole collection. The card has remained popular and fetched this amazing price in April 2021, with a BGS 10 Pristine copy selling for over $250,000. There are plenty more out there and more recent prices have been much lower, but also for lower graded cards. With a huge star like Brady, it’s entirely possible that the top-graded cards of this set will keep increasing in value.
2. 2000 Bowman Chrome Refractors #236 Tom Brady Rookie Card - $498,000
While the price for the 2000 Bowman Chrome Refractors #236 Tom Brady rookie card is a shade of what you’ll see at the top of the list, half a million dollars for a rookie card is still incredible. Among the many rookie cards from Tom Brady’s first year, few showed off the young Tom Touchdown quite like this excellent card. While the design is pretty simple, like most Bowman offerings, it’s still a solid refractor card from the 2000 Bowman Chrome Football cards set. The color image looks good and the card benefits from limited text on the front. The back of the card more than makes up for that brevity with detailed stats in a well-formatted presentation.
In October 2022, the record was set for this card, with a PSA 10 Gem Mint copy selling for a mind-blowing $498,000, just shy of the half-million dollar mark. We can expect the next sale of a copy to top that price, even if it has little chance of getting up to the record set for the next card on our list.
1. 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Rookie Ticket Tom Brady Auto /100 #144 - $3,107,372
When Tom Brady debuted, there was no shortage of different cards, including all kinds of exclusives and rarities. Yet, the cream of the crop was this excellent and distinctive 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Rookie Ticket Tom Brady Auto /100 #144. In fact, this card is so popular that it’s been counterfeited to an extent that it can be difficult to authenticate the cards. This is why it’s vital to involve a credible grading company when you have high-value cards in your collection.
The fact that the 7-time Super Bowl champ would garner the biggest bounty for one of the rarest cards from his rookie year. The amazing thing is that copies of this Tom Brady rookie card keep setting the record and then breaking it. Just months before this copy was sold for over $3 million dollars, another copy had broken the record for football cards by selling for $2.25 million.
The card that actually sold for the highest price was graded higher than those sold in the past, at a BGS 9 Gem Mint with a 10 rating for the Autograph. The likelihood of getting another copy in that condition is small, but nothing has shown up yet in the PSA or BGS databases. There are a total of 100 of them out there, so there are bound to be more that come to light in the future. Even so, you can expect those will end up being even more valuable than this one.
Tom Brady Rookie Cards: The Start of the Legend
In his 23 years in the NFL, Tom Brady had so much success that he has become a household name. There’s a movie with his name in it featuring some of the greatest actresses of all time. He’s been in numerous commercials and TV shows. He was just made into a chatbot on Facebook. The world will long remember this most excellent of quarterbacks for the records he set and broke, from the Most Career Wins (Quarterback), Most Career Passing Completions, Most Career Passing Yard, the list goes on and on.
The real story of Brady is that he was a consistent, enthusiastic player who had high standards for himself and his team. He worked hard and he worked smart on the field, leading his team effectively for a really long time. That devotion paid off and the fans love him for it. That excitement won’t be dying down anytime soon, so we can expect Tom Brady rookie cards to continue to appreciate in value, breaking their own records as more people opt to cash in on the phenomenon that is Tom Brady. There may never be another player that is as exciting to watch on the field, which is why we love to add key (rookie) cards to our collections. Hopefully this guide helped you find the perfect Tom Brady rookie card for your collection. Happy collecting!
