Sports collectors understand that scarcity and popularity are critical components for valuing high-end sports collectibles. Unique 1-of-1 serial number cards of rookie sports greats are about as scarce and popular as you can get. But what happens if there is actually not just a single 1/1 issue? And what happens when the uniqueness is of the greatest quarterback of them all?
PWCC Marketplace has an auction closing on May 19, 2022 for a 2000 Fleer Showcase Masterpieces Tom Brady ROOKIE 1/1 #136. The card had been graded as BGS 8.5 NM-MT+ but there is a catch here to the unique 1-of-1 card. PWCC says that this 1-of-1 Tom Brady rookie card “has a doppelganger.” And where the story behind this card gets even more interesting is the announcement that both of the 1-of-1 examples are authentic.
After PWCC’s team researched the card after receiving it, they discovered that there are two copies of this same card that have both been professionally graded. There is this BGS 8.5 grade that exists, and there is a PSA Authentic graded example which exists as well.
The intrigue behind this doppelganger doesn’t end there. According to information sent out from PWCC, the owner of the PSA graded card allowed an in-house review of the two cards side-by-side. PWCC’s team used a jewelry loupe to note the two cards, as well as other serial-numbered Brady cards from the set that share the same design, had identical printing marks. The image below has been provided by PWCC Marketplace.
PWCC’s email said — This was a good sign that both cards were authentic, but PWCC still needed final confirmation before being comfortable sending the card to auction.
The team at Beckett has also confirmed that the BGS copy of this 1/1 Brady rookie was encapsulated on February 5, 2004 and it confirmed that the card is still in its original holder. And to further add — This aligns with the seller’s timeline of purchasing the card in 2005 for $2,000 – a sum they felt was very high at the time.
Jesse Craig, PWCC’s Director of Business Development, said:
“We aren’t in the business of technical grading nor authentication. We rely on the expertise of third-party graders to ensure a card is authentic. This card was graded in 2004 and everything looked authentic but because of the value, we decided to board a flight with the card and went to the Beckett offices in Texas to have them double-check and reaffirm the authenticity of the card. They confirmed the authenticity and gave us a letter verifying such, which will be included in the auction.”
How does a second 1/1 card get released? The answer is that a second example of the unique card was not likely meant to be released — While the PWCC team can’t confirm how a second card got released, there is a confirmed practice of manufacturers printing duplicate 1-of-1 cards. The companies used these cards as backups or for further analysis as they developed new variations in future years. They did not intend to release a second card to the general public.
Some cards have very identifiable qualities which make the exact card unique down to the DNA of the exact piece of cardboard. PWCC’s own auction URL for this exact card gives an even more in-depth explanation of how and why there would be an oxymoron of two unique cards.
With 1 day and 6 hours remaining, this Tom Brady 1/1 doppelganger card is currently the highest priced item in the Monthly Premier (May 2022) auction with a $170,000.00 current bid. The rest of those great auction lots can be found here.
