It won't be official for another three years, but Tom Brady is already inscribing autographs with “HOF 2028.”
Though impossible to argue Brady will not enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, his decision to sign such inscriptions prior to his induction has raised questions over whether it is overly presumptuous, or even disrespectful to those who came before him.
When a player signs a card or piece of memorabilia, whether at an autograph show, in-person or otherwise, many collectors prefer (and will pay a premium for) an added inscription.
Among the most common are lists of achievements, like "7x SB Champ" as seen on one 2020 Tom Brady Panini Flawless 1/1 which sold for $162,000 in 2022, or a reference to a nickname like “Mamba Out,” which was included on a number of 2016 Kobe Bryant Panini Eternal cards.
But one unwritten rule of the inscription game is that players do not apply the commonly requested “HOF” inscription along with the year of their induction before they are officially voted in.
For most athletes, it is rarely a problem. Few will ever be honored with induction into their sport’s most hallowed club — less than 1.6% of MLB and NFL players in history have made it to their respective halls — and among those who eventually do make it, only a handful are a shoe-in each generation.
Brady certainly falls under the shoe-in category. But, even with the seven-time Super Bowl champion's GOAT-status firmly cemented, the quarterback's "HOF" inscriptions break years of tradition.
At least seven cards feature the notation, all of which are labelled with a pedigree by PSA/DNA: “TB12 Collection.”
This preemptive inscription is “unprecedented,” according to autograph expert and Beckett authenticator Steve Grad.
“His lack of respect for the people that came before him and earned the honor is obvious,” Grad told cllct, adding it’s an example of the former Patriots and Bucs legend making himself bigger than the game.
Though information on this pedigree is lacking, a post from PSA in October regarding an “unnumbered proof” card from the pedigree explains: “Throughout his playing years, card companies annually would send Brady several copies of his cards for his personal collection, both those found in packs, plus manufacturer proofs such as this.”
PSA goes on to say that in the coming months “several of these cards Brady saved over the years – both signed and inscribed – will head to the PSA Vault and go up for auction in PSA's eBay store.”
PSA has since sold multiple cards marked from the collection, as well as cards labeled proofs bearing similar inscriptions. The most expensive sale from the PSA store for a card from the pedigree is $8,200 for a 2000 Playoff Contender Proof signed and inscribed by Brady with “Pick 199 to 7x World Champ.”
While that might mark the start of PSA selling the pedigree cards directly from its vault, sales of cards slabbed with “TB12 Collection” have appeared at auction for years, all of which are autographed, often inscribed.
One early sale from the pedigree at Goldin in 2022, for a 2000 Bowman Football card signed and numbered to 35 (which fetched $97,200), includes the following in its lot description: “The card originates from a prestigious TB12 Collection (with the TB12 collection idea conceived by Brady himself).”
A review of PSA certification numbers by cllct reveals at least 100 cards slabbed by PSA/DNA carrying the pedigree, including multiple carrying the HOF inscription.
PSA’s eBay store currently has several listed for sale with the pedigree, including one of the HOF-inscribed pieces, a 2000 Upper Deck SPX Proof, for $6,600.
One card that has sold seemingly more than any other from the pedigree is Brady's 2000 Bowman Football rookie, which was apparently signed in the years after its release and hand-numbered to 35 with “TB12 Collection” written on the back.
The unsigned card has a PSA 10 population of nearly 1,200 and recent sales hover around $6,400.
Goldin has sold 34 of the 35 serial-numbered cards over the last few years, including at least five of the same card on multiple occasions,
The record sale from the pedigree came at Sotheby’s in September, when a 2000 Upper Deck SP Authentic /1,250, signed but lacking an inscription and graded dual 10s for condition and autograph by PSA, reached $192,000. The buyer was revealed as Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and the provenance was listed as “Property From The Collection of Tom Brady.”
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.