Lionel Messi Rookie Card Reaches Record $1.5 Million
A Lionel Messi rookie card from the 2004-05 season, issued by Panini Mega Cracks and graded a perfect 10 by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), sold for $1.5 million through Fanatics Collect’s private sales network.
This sale sets a new record for a football card, surpassing the $1.33 million paid for a 1958 Pelé card from Alfiabolaget, in a private sale held in 2022.
The transaction occurs a few days after Goldin Auctions facilitated the private sale of another copy of the same Messi card for $1.1 million, also graded a 10 by PSA.
Fanatics Collect’s private sales network connects high-end buyers with cards not publicly advertised for sale, and is reserved for deals of $10,000 or more. In August, the network’s first full month of operation, $8 million was generated through “30-40 transactions,” according to a Fanatics source.
According to the PSA population report, 838 copies of the Messi #71 card from that set have been graded, including 20 with a Gem-Mint 10 grade.
Messi’s $1.5 million card includes diamond certification from Mike Baker Authenticated (MBA), a certification service for PSA, Beckett Grading Services (BGS), and Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC), which is considered in the collecting world as an indicator of elite condition.
