Many of us have been ripping packs of sports cards for as long as we can remember, and one thing that’s always remained, for me at least, is the thrill of chasing those grails – The feeling of ‘what if that card you want is in the next pack?’
Most of the time, the odds are so slim that we don’t hit the dream chase card, and we soon see a lucky collector proudly showing it off on social media.
However, for some of the hobby’s most sought-after and in-demand modern cards, there has still been no confirmation that anyone has pulled them, years after they were released!
Here’s a look at 6 high-profile, coveted sports cards that could still be sitting in a pack, ready to change someone’s life.
The Hobby's 6 Hidden Treasures
2023 Bowman Draft Tom Brady Gold 12/50 #95AVTB
Starting the list with an unusual card – It’s one that features Tom Brady on a baseball product!
Brady’s football cards are obviously legendary, but this unique card has an allure to it. The 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball cards features him wearing a Montreal Expos uniform, who actually drafted Brady back in ‘95.
There are 50 numbered copies of his autographed card from the set, but the most coveted remains the Gold Refractor serial-numbered 12/50, because of its inscription, which reads: “If baseball doesn’t work out there’s always football.”
The card still hasn’t appeared, despite a reported $500k bounty offering from a big Brady collector.
2003 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection LeBron James Logoman Autograph 1/1 #LJL
Despite being one of the most significant LeBron James rookie cards ever made, the incredible 1-of-1 vertical 2003 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Logoman Autograph has never surfaced, multiple-decades after its release.
A horizontal version of this one sold for $312k in 2016, but vertical RPAs are generally favored by collectors, making this a true white whale.
Given that a 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection LeBron James Gold RPA (/23) fetched $5.2 million in 2021, it’s hard to see how this one wouldn’t be at least a low 7-figure card minimum, should it ever appear publicly.
2024 Topps Now Olympic Games Triple Autograph Gold Curry, LeBron, Durant 1/1 #26
Another 1-of-1 card featuring LeBron James, but this time alongside fellow NBA greats, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant: the 1-of-1 Topps Now Gold triple auto.
Unlike the others on this list, it’s one that hasn’t been a long-standing mystery, but as one of the most hyped cards of 2024, it’s surprising that it’s still unclaimed.
The extra significance and pull of the card comes from it being James’ first Topps autograph, as well as the only card to date to feature signatures from James and Curry together.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has offered a $1million bounty for anyone who finds the card, so it’s like a golden ticket waiting to be cashed in by one lucky collector.
2017 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Kylian Mbappe Superfractor 1/1 #41
Kylian Mbappe was a bit of a linchpin in the rise of soccer cards in recent years, as one of the sport’s stars of his era, and a young sensation from 2015-2020, as he debuted professionally at just 16, and won the World Cup at just 19.
He’s one of modern soccer’s most collectible names, and his 1-of-1 2017 Topps Chrome UCL Superfractor parallel card has remained elusive. He didn’t have an autograph card in the set, so it’s his key card from the release.
The card is easily one of the modern grails for soccer cards, and it’s a potential treasure waiting to be found.
A Red Refractor parallel version of it, which has 10 numbered copies, sold for $51.2k in 2024, so you’d expect the Superfractor to go into 6-figures, should it be packed.
2018 Panini Prizm Luka Dončić Black 1/1 #280
Panini’s 1-of-1 Black parallels are among the most prized and most valuable cards in modern collecting, and the whereabouts of Luka Dončić’s 2018 rookie version remains a complete mystery.
As one of the best NBA players of his era, it’s no surprise that the interest in this one is high, especially when you consider one of his other 1-of-1 rookie cards (National Treasures Logoman RPA) is one of the most expensive sports cards ever sold, when it went for $4.6million in 2021.
The search for this one continues for now, with sealed hobby boxes of ‘18 Prizm Basketball still selling for thousands, as collectors chase the incredible Black parallel.
2009 Topps Chrome Steph Curry Superfractor 1/1 #101
Saving what is probably the best ‘till last. There is perhaps none more talked-about than Steph Curry’s 1-of-1 Topps Chrome Superfractor parallel rookie card.
It remains a hobby mystery, well over a decade since it was released; Despite its legendary status, it’s never been publicly claimed, and it has never been graded or sold at auction. Right now, there’s not even an official image of the card.
The idea that this card could still be pulled at any moment is pretty crazy, given that it would comfortably be a 7-figure card.
Curry’s record for his most expensive public card sale currently stands at $1.08 million, for a National Treasures (/5) card in 2022.
Plus, a copy of the Gold Refractor parallel version of this 2009 Topps Chrome rookie sold for $336k in 2022, and that version has 50 copies, so the Superfractor grail could easily go into the multiple-millions, if it’s ever found.
