“Growing up, collecting trading cards was my life. That’s what I did. Every dollar I ever got from my paper route when I was making $3 a month went to collecting cards.” Every penny Tom Brady earned during his childhood by delivering newspapers went to his card collection. The urge to collect trading cards was too much for Brady to control, growing up. Leaving aside his four-and-a-half-year break while he was in college, Brady once said he owns more than 10,000 cards in his collection. Now, to add to that total, the 47-year-old millionaire is splurging more cash to ensure his collection continues to shine like his NFL career did.
Brady has turned his childhood passion into a business empire. How? He was recently captured inaugurating CardVault by Tom Brady—a premium store offering sports memorabilia. Located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at the American Dream Mall, you can find all sorts of trading cards here. So, while going to his first-ever card shopping at CardVault, Brady came across something he had never seen before. Yes, just imagine Brady, who had collected cards all his life, was instantly amazed by a special card. And the special person on that card was none other than Patrick Mahomes.
When Brady was on a tour of his card store, his eyes suddenly caught Mahomes’ shining trading card. “This Patrick Mahomes I didn’t even see that one..when did this come in? I haven’t seen this one,” Brady mused. Well, after realizing he didn’t have the Patrick Mahomes 2017 DONRUSS OPTIC ROOKIE AUTO HOLO/ 99 grade 8.5 card, Brady just didn’t care about its price. He just wanted it to make its way into his collection as soon as possible. “I want that in my collection. Save that, make sure you don’t sell that one,” Brady said to co-founder Chris Costa.
This Maholes 2017 edition card that Brady instantly fell in love with was prized at $7.5K. Considering Brady may have spent over a million in collecting cards, $7500 was probably nothing for him. Brady just couldn’t look beyond Mahomes’ card. While he could be too old to collect cards religiously, Brady could give them to his kids. Yep, like dad, Brady’s kids are also known for collecting cards enthusiastically. He once said, “My kids collect,” while he buys them a lot.
Now, beyond Brady’s ever-growing card collection is his latest business venture. But this time it’s more than an investment. It’s probably a dream come true for Brady, whose desire to collect cards goes beyond anything imaginable.
Tom Brady turns his passion into another money trail
The seven-time Super Bowl Champion has never shied away from talking about his passion for collecting trading cards. He feels that collecting cards wasn’t just a hobby for him. It was an educational experience that he won’t ever forget. “Math, economics, business, friendship, relationships, time management, integrity, asset management, financial discipline, investment strategy.” All of those traits Brady now boasts in his arsenal came through his desire to collect cards. “I learned all of these things through my love for trading cards,” Brady said in his 199 newsletter.
So, to ensure his love for trading cards never takes a backseat in his busy life. Brady chose to integrate it with him. After opening CardVault near Gillette Stadium, Foxwoods Casino and TD Garden, Brady expanded his store to New Jersey. Now, Brady’s influence was so massive that Costa revealed, “Our business is up 50% month over month with Tom on as a partner.” Of course, it’s the Brady effect Costa wanted to point out. Well, having Brady as a partner didn’t just help from a popularity perspective.
Costa later added, “Tom’s vision, his team, and his love for the hobby have been instrumental in the changes we’ve made.” As Brady’s personal collection continues to expand, so does the aim of CardVault. New Jersey is just the latest stop in the massive expansion plans Costa has in store. CardVault by Tom Brady’s vision is clear—expand quickly while catering to the trade collectors looking to own rare sports memorabilia at different price ranges.
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