The unquestioned, undisputed, undeniable greatest football player of all time, Tom Brady’s NFL career had humble beginnings. After famously being taken by the New England Patriots with the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady had to wait his turn to see NFL action for the first time. He started his rookie season as the fourth-string quarterback, sitting behind starter Drew Bledsoe and fellow backups John Friesz and Michael Bishop. On November 23, he took the field for the first time in the final series of a Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Detroit Lions. He completed his first career pass in that game at the Silverdome to tight end Rod Rutledge. He entered the following season as a backup to Bledsoe. Brady took over when Bledsoe got injured in the second game of the 2001 season and didn’t look back, winning his first of an NFL-record seven Super Bowls at the end of that campaign.
Presented is a high-grade example of arguably the most significant NFL debut ticket in existence, an autographed full ticket from Brady’s debut appearance. PSA gave the ticket itself a NM 7 assessment, with a PSA/DNA Mint 9 autograph grade for Brady’s bold blue marker signature made even more attractive with the added inscription, "NFL DEBUT." Only eight signed examples of this momentous piece are on the PSA pop report. This one recorded the second highest card grade, with only one rated higher for its condition. The pop report has changed very little due to the scarcity of this full, unused ticket.
To get some perspective on this historic ticket, here are some realized prices that have come up over the past year and half. In August 2021, an autographed full ticket graded Authentic sold at Heritage for $49,200. In October 2021, an autographed full sized ticket graded NM-MT 6 sold at Goldin for $73,200. Just last year, in February 2022, THIS EXACT COPY sold for $175,200, also at Goldin.
While ticket prices overall might have gone down in value since the peak of their high, like all sports memorabilia, the rare and best of the best will always hold its value in the long term and typically even reaches new heights. This is without question one of those pieces. Huge opportunity to add a signed debut ticket from the seven-time Super Bowl champion, three-time NFL MVP, all-time passing touchdowns leader, all-time passing yards leader, and holder of countless other NFL records on his GOAT resume. The full ticket comes encapsulated and authenticated by PSA (46492097), graded Near-Mint 7 for the ticket and Mint 9 for the signature.