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Tom Brady’s celebrity status did not get him a discount on one his big summer purchases.
One of the NFL legend’s business partners, Chris Costa, told the California Post on Friday that when Brady made a deal to acquire Fernando Mendoza’s rarest rookie card last month, it cost him a small fortune.
“It’s a life-altering amount of money for most people,” Costa said, “if not all people.”
The exact figure was not disclosed, but Costa — the co-founder and managing partner at CardVault by Tom Brady — said the price tag made it “the most expensive Fernando Mendoza card that’s ever sold.”
“That is a fact,” Costa said.
Brady’s pursuit of the 1-of-1 item all began in the spring, when Topps revealed that members of the 2026 draft class were signing cards with “My 1st NFL Auto” inscriptions on them after learning their NFL destinations.
Brady, of course, had a tremendous desire for it, considering the team he partly owns, the Las Vegas Raiders, ended up selecting Mendoza with the first overall pick.
“Tom basically raised his hand and was like, ‘I want that card,'” Costa said. “‘I need that card.'”
It took several weeks for the piece’s owner to come forward, but Costa said once they located the man — who he described as a resident of the Southwest United States — some tense negotiations took place.
“It was several weeks, if not close to a month, of us going back and forth,” Costa said.
Ultimately, Brady agreed to fork over “a hefty cash number” as well as an autographed jersey for it, Costa said.
A meetup between the two at a future CardVault By Tom Brady location is also in the works, Costa added.
The deal got done just days before Fanatics Fest kicked off in mid-July, and Brady was actually able to proudly show the card off to a crowd of people while speaking at the event.
“I got Fernando Mendoza’s ‘My 1st NFL Auto’ one-of-one,” Brady said as he put it on display for the masses. “I know how hard he works. He’s got a great family and he’s coming to a great environment for success. So I figured you’ve got to invest in it, and it’s going to hopefully bring some good luck to Las Vegas.”
As for where the card now currently resides, Costa noted it’s in a safe place.
“It’s with Tom,” he said.
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