New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge’s value on the field extends to his baseball cards, with a unique 2013 card breaking the modern-day record by selling for $5.2 million.
Fanatics Collect announced Thursday that it had brokered the private sale of a 2013 Judge Bowman Chrome Draft Superfractor card that is signed and is one of one. The buyer and seller requested to remain private.
“We’re incredibly honored to have brokered this record-breaking deal and to be part of such a momentous moment in hobby history,” Fanatics Collect said in a statement.
The previous record for the publicly known sale of a modern-day baseball card was the 2020 purchase price of $3.936 million for a one-of-one card — the 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor — signed by Los Angeles Angels star outfielder Mike Trout.
A Shohei Ohtani card featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar slugger and pitcher sold for $3 million in December.
The Judge card — released four years before his official rookie cards — rocketed in value since it was last sold for $324,000 through a Fanatics Premier auction in 2022. The Yankees selected Judge in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2013 MLB Draft.
Judge, 33, made his major league debut in August 2016. He became the 2017 American League Rookie of the Year, a three-time AL MVP (2022, 2024, 2025) and a seven-time All-Star.
Last season, he led the majors with a .331 batting average, .457 on-base percentage and .668 slugging percentage and drew an AL-best 124 walks.
According to Card Ladder, the largest sale of all time was $12.9 million for a 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant dual NBA Logoman patch autograph card, also one of one, on Aug. 23 through Heritage auction.
The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle SGC 9.5 grade, sold for $12.6 million on Aug. 28, 2022, is second overall and the top baseball card on the list.
The Judge card, tied for seventh overall, might not hold the honor of most expensive modern-day card for long. Fanatics Collect is currently auctioning the 2025 Topps Chrome Dual MVP Ohtani & Judge Gold MLB Logoman Auto 1/1. The auction closes March 19, and bids already have exceeded seven figures.
