Rare 'Bejeweled Brady' card found in hobby box -

A $29.99 box of football cards has led two Jewett City brothers to a one-of-a-kind Tom Brady collectible that could bring hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction.

Lucas, 23, and his younger brother Trevor, 18, discovered the rare “Bejeweled Brady” Garbage Pail Kids Superfractor, according to a community announcement. The card is a one-of-one collectible, meaning no other copy exists, and the estimated odds of pulling it from a standard hobby pack are approximately 1 in 10.5 million.

Lucas had been collecting sports cards for only a little more than a month when he made the discovery.

Weeks earlier, the brothers visited The Treasure Chest of Mystic, a newly opened collectibles store in Olde Mistick Village. They bought mystery autographed jersey boxes and found jerseys signed by Lawrence Taylor and LaMelo Ball.

L-R: Michael Carini, Lucas Martell, Trevor Martell, Carmine Lorusso. Carini and Lorusso operate The Treasure Chest of Mystic.

Store owner Carmine Lorusso photographed them celebrating the finds and shared the moment on the store’s Facebook page.

After finding the Brady card, the brothers returned to Lorusso for help. He assisted them with valuation, authentication, insurance and negotiations with auction houses, according to the announcement.

Why the Tom Brady card could be so valuable

Topps introduced Garbage Pail Kids in 1985, and the cartoon collectibles became a pop-culture phenomenon. The company has since brought the brand’s artwork into sports cards featuring star athletes.

The one-of-one Brady card brings together Garbage Pail Kids and a seven-time Super Bowl champion.

Rare "Bejeweled Brady" card — Rare “Bejeweled Brady” card

A comparable sale provides a glimpse at the potential market. A one-of-one Garbage Pail Kids Superfractor featuring Cooper Flagg sold through Fanatics Collect for $288,000 on Aug. 28, according to the announcement.

Fanatics Collect deal includes an advance

Lorusso worked with Clay Thomas of Fanatics Collect to secure a guaranteed advance for Lucas before the Brady card goes to auction.

Thomas was also involved in bringing the $288,000 Cooper Flagg Garbage Pail Kids card and a $8.04 million Cooper Flagg autographed rookie card to auction, according to the announcement.

Fanatics offers advances of up to 50% of a card’s minimum assessed value, according to the announcement. The advance provided for the Brady card therefore indicates a minimum assessed value of at least $150,000.

Lucas is also set to receive 115% of the final winning bid under the negotiated payout agreement, representing the sale price plus 75% of the auction house’s 20% buyer’s premium, according to the announcement.

The card was shipped to Thomas in Los Angeles with $350,000 in insurance coverage. Thomas planned to personally transport it to Texas for professional grading by Beckett Grading Services before the card is placed in a secure vault ahead of the auction.

Lucas plans to pay bills and buy a vehicle

The potential windfall could bring practical changes for Lucas. He has worked as a pool technician at Treat’s Pools & Spas since he was 18. An uninsured emergency room visit left him with medical debt, and his Jeep has been broken down for three months.

Lucas plans to use proceeds from the auction to pay his medical bills, buy a reliable vehicle and open his first savings account. After that, he wants to “keep ripping more packs, looking for his next treasure!”

Trevor has been alongside his brother throughout the experience, from buying cards to navigating the discovery.

Lorusso sees the brothers’ story as an example of what he envisioned when he opened The Treasure Chest of Mystic in Olde Mistick Village, which has 53 independent merchants and businesses, according to the announcement.

When the one-of-one Brady card goes to auction

The Bejeweled Brady Superfractor is scheduled to headline a Fanatics Collect Premier Auction from Nov. 5 through Nov. 19.

The auction follows the $288,000 sale of the one-of-one Cooper Flagg Garbage Pail Kids Superfractor in August.

The Treasure Chest of Mystic is in Olde Mistick Village in Mystic and specializes in sports cards, trading card games, comic books, coins, collectibles, authenticated autographs and sports memorabilia.

This story was produced with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Rare ‘Bejeweled Brady’ card found in hobby box

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