Judge breaks record: Modern baseball card sells for $5.2M

A signed Aaron Judge card, from the Bowman Chrome Draft Superfractor series (one of one), from the year 2013, sold through Fanatics Collect for an astounding $5.2 million, setting a new record as the most expensive modern baseball card ever sold. This price surpassed the previous record of $3.936 million, set in 2020 by a similar Mike Trout card, also “1/1”, from the Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor series and signed. According to Card Ladder data, the sale of the Judge card is positioned as the seventh most expensive sports card in history, surpassing by more than 16 times the previous maximum price paid for a Judge card, which was $324,000 in 2022. The Judge Superfractor card also sold in 2020 for $157,200.

Fanatics Collect expressed their enthusiasm: “We are incredibly honored to have brokered this record deal and to be part of such a momentous moment in the history of this hobby. As a company, we value our deep relationships with our collectors, and both their trust and our experience allow us to continue setting sales records in the coming months and years.” Fanatics also reported that both the buyer and the seller, represented by the trading card and collectibles firm Acquir, have requested to remain anonymous. This sale also marked a record for a card sold by Fanatics Collect, surpassing the price of a “1/1” autographed Shohei Ohtani card with a game-worn gold MLB logo patch, which sold for $3 million in December. These sales, along with Trout’s, represent the only modern baseball card sales exceeding $3 million. A card currently up for auction with Fanatics could join this group. This is an autographed, “1/1”, 2025 Topps Chrome Dual MVP Gold Logoman card, which includes game-worn gold MLB logo patches and the signatures of Judge and Ohtani, who have each won three MVP awards since 2022, and is currently at $1.2 million in auction, one week from ending.