(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
A rare baseball card of New York Yankees rookie Aaron Judge has sold for $14,665 on eBay after being purchased for just $4. The card earned extra bucks for being one of just ten special Topps cards made of the 25-year-old slugger in 2013, shortly after he was drafted by the team.
In the ensuing four years, Judge has climbed through the Minor Leagues ranks and become the leading Triple Crown hitter in the American League this season.
The rare cards came in packs that cost $3 or $4 when they initially hit shelves.
Judge was shocked he heard of the sale, telling the New York Daily News: “I don’t even know what to say.”
The card’s buyer has not been publicly named.
“This is just off the charts,” Topps marketing manager Susan Lulgjuraj told the New York Post. “What Aaron Judge is doing nobody has seen in recent memory. This is one of the first cards made of him.”
Earlier this week, Judge tied Joe DiMaggio’s Yankees record for home runs by a rookie (29), a record that has stood since 1936. He’s also hitting .331 with 54 RBIs and a blistering .450 OBP.
“Any time you’re in the sentence as someone like DiMaggio is pretty incredible,” Judge said earlier this week. “It’s quite an honor.”
Steiner Sports is auctioning off a game-worn jersey that Judge wore in his MLB debut. In fact, Judge homered in his first career at bat.
His No. 99 jersey is currently bidding at more than $12,000. Bidding ends on July 29.
Get it while it’s hot.
