For some sports collectibles, timing is everything, and one buyer just found that out after he shelled out $500,000 for Tom Brady’s “last touchdown ball” only a few hours before Brady announced he wasn’t going to retire after all.
In January, Brady announced that he had decided to wrap up his momentous 22-year NFL career and walk off into the Florida sunset after winning seven Super Bowl rings.
Naturally, prices for Brady memorabilia immediately began trending upward, as auction houses began putting up Brady items, including the ball Brady threw during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ home playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 23, 2022.
The 55-yard touchdown pass was nabbed by wide receiver Mike Evans, which brought the Rams’ fourth-quarter lead down a bit to 27-20.
According to Lelands auction house, Evans tossed the ball into the stands where the person selling the ball was lucky enough to have been the recipient.
The auction for the ball was initially set at a minimum bid of $100,000 at Lelands, the same operation that sold another Brady touchdown ball for $430,000, according to MSN.
The final bid on the ball came in $518,628.
Unfortunately for the buyer, the auction ended a mere 21 hours before Brady shocked the football world by un-retiring and announcing that he will be back this coming season with the Buccaneers to play his 23rd NFL season.
“These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business,” he tweeted Sunday.
It hardly seems likely that Brady’s 23rd season will be touchdown free, so there is bound to be yet another “last touchdown ball” coming in the near future. The new owner of this “last touchdown ball,” though, is likely just saying, “D’OH!”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston