2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket Tom Brady RC AUTO 1/100 BAS BGS 7

It’s the 001/100 printing of arguably the greatest football card of all time – one that helped launch one of the most influential careers in collecting. Tom Brady’s 2000 Playoff Contenders /100 Championship Ticket Rookie Auto has withstood the test of time, remaining relevant in an ever-changing industry that always has something newer and flashier vying for people’s attention. So, while this issue does not feature a stunning multi-color patch, embedded gemstones, or a troy ounce of precious metal like some contemporary rookie cards, this card needs nothing more than a hint of reflective rainbow foil and a hard-signed signature to stop collectors in their tracks. That, however, was not always the case. When Playoff released its Contenders product in January 2001, few collectors likely screamed and shouted after uncovering Brady’s rookie card. His future seemed murky at the time, as he sat solidly entrenched as the backup to Patriots star Drew Bledsoe and his $100 million contract. But after Bledsoe suffered an in-game injury on September 23, 2001, Brady trotted onto the field to finish the game—the first step in his rapid rise to superstardom. When writers at the Playoff Corporation praised Tom Brady’s “take-charge” attitude on the flip side of this 2000 Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket Auto, they could not have imagined how “in charge” Brady would become. Nor could they have known that the /100 Championship Ticket parallel of that issue would charge to the mountaintop of modern football rookie cards. As New England’s sixth-round draft pick, Brady attended fewer flashy photo shoots, answered fewer prickly interview questions, and experienced fewer hand cramps from signing rookie cards than many of the quarterbacks selected ahead of him. Brady has only 11 mainstream autograph cards from 2000, unlike fellow quarterback Chad Pennington, a first-round selection who has a portfolio of rookie autos fivefold in size. Only four of Brady’s autographed cards from 2000 picture him in a Patriots uniform. That includes the 2000 Playoff Contenders /100 Championship Ticket Rookie Auto—the pinnacle of modern football collecting. This month’s Premier Auction presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to land the 001/100 example of the No. 1 card in football history, featuring the best player ever to strap on pads. Expect a bidding battle to ensue before this one is won. The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 04/21/2025.